Day One
Today is day one of a long weekend to do some birding in the company of wildlife photographer Bob Pelkey. Didn't start out as a Memorial Day holiday. As it was originally scheduled for the first week of May, to take advantage of the ebbing Spring Migration. But logistics forced this unfortunate change. Home base was in Florida City were room rates were far more realistic than in the Keys.
American Crocodile in Everglades National Park |
It has become an annual event to head to the Florida Keys in the Spring to find several of the specialties that are usually only seen there. It started by chasing Antillean Nighthawks and Rosette Terns that are usually found in town of Marathon. But it has now expanded to a four day search for specialties from Dry Tortugas National Park west of Key West up to the urban environments of Miami.
Leaving Ft Myers, we crossed the state along Alligator Alley watching the birds and especially Black-crowned Night-herons and Swallow-tailed Kites. First stop was on Sherman Road just off Krone near Pembroke Pines to look for Purple Swamphens at Chapel Trails park. Upon arrival I found that my memory card was missing for my camera so I missed getting shots of a Brown Basilisk lizard seen at the start of the board walk or of the swamphens.
Black-necked Stilt near Everglades National Park |
Green Heron at the Kendall baptist Hospital campus |
Red-whiskered Bulbuls in Kendall |
At the Baptist Hospital campus the expected flock of Mitred Parakeets were noisily moving around the property. The ponds also had the usual waders and waterfowl. Didn't see any Egyptian geese but the Muscovy ducks had lots of ducklings.
Next was a stop at Mathesson Park in Coral Gables. Looking for exotics or any lingering migrants. Probably arrived too late in the day as the place was very quite. Best birds here were a pair of Yellow-Chevroned Parakeets and hearing a calling Peafowl
We only found American Crows and Eastern Meadowlarks, dipping on the kites.
We headed directly to the end of the road to its terminus at Flamingo. Not very birdy but find Prairie Warbler, Spotted Sandpiper, a Willet, Osprey Brown Pelicans and raucous bottle-nosed dolphins thrashing about as they fish for their supper.
At the marina, an American crocodile came out almost on cue for photographs and a Shiny Cowbird briefly showed with a flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Mitred Parakeet are commonly found at Kendall baptist Hospital campus |
Ended the day in Florida City were we watched Gray Kingbirds and Common Mynas
Birds for Day One
Great Egret at Kendall Baptist Hospital |
Swan Goose (Domestic type)
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Graylag Goose (Domestic
type)
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Muscovy Duck
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Mallard (Domestic type)
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Mottled Duck
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Northern Bobwhite
|
Wood Stork
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Anhinga
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Great Egret
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Snowy Egret
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Little Blue Heron
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Tricolored Heron
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Cattle Egret
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Green Heron
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White Ibis
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Black Vulture
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Turkey Vulture
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Osprey
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Swallow-tailed Kite
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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King Rail
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Purple Swamphen
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Black-necked Stilt
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Spotted Sandpiper
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Willet
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Laughing Gull
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Rock Pigeon
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White-crowned Pigeon
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Eurasian Collared-Dove
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Common Ground-Dove
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Mourning Dove
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Common Nighthawk
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Chimney Swift
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
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Mitred Parakeet
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Great Crested Flycatcher
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Eastern Kingbird
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Loggerhead Shrike
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White-eyed Vireo
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Blue Jay
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American Crow
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Fish Crow
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Purple Martin
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Red-whiskered Bulbul
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Northern Mockingbird
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European Starling
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Prairie Warbler
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Northern Cardinal
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Red-winged Blackbird
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Eastern Meadowlark
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Common Grackle
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Boat-tailed Grackle
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Shiny Cowbird
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Brown-headed Cowbird
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House Sparrow
Black-crowned Night-heron
Common Myna
Gray Kingbird
Yellow-chevroned Parakeets Peafowl |
A great day it was, Tom.
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