Twenty Warblers

September 29th
Six-Mile Cypress and other locations.

The past spring migration was a bust for most of the birders of south Florida, but so far the fall migration has much better.  Most of my personal successes are with warblers.  No tanagers, orioles, thrushes etc, yet.

This final week has been a strange one with getting some good birds, but also dealing with some other strange things. Such as having my computer die and with some annoying health issues. But I got in several visits to Six-mile Cypress Preserve this week just the same.  This past Sunday I ran into Vince McGrath and Stan Daman.  Vince is a phenomenal birder.  He can sense them before anyone else has a clue. With Vince's guidance we reaped Blue-winged Warbler, a female Cerulean Warbler ( a Lifer for Stan and myself), American Redstart, Yellowthroated Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, a Yellow Warbler, a Black-and-White Warbler and a Tennessee Warbler.  Was able to add a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird and lots of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Tufted Titmice.  Also Vince picked-up a barely audible calling Barred Owl as we were leaving.



Yellow-throated Warbler - 2010



A few day's earlier I had run into Walt Winton at the same location.  I just caught the tale end of a nice mixed flock he was watching. I only managed a black-and-white and a Northern Parula before the flock moved away. Did get on a female Blackburian Warbler later.

Yesterday, I was there around 9am and was able to add Magnolia Warblers along with northern parula, ovenbird, northern waterthrush, yellowthroated warbler and a female American redstart. A surprise was a small bird I phissed-in near the pavilion.  Turned out to be a Traill's Flycatcher  (willow/alder flycatcher). Also can add a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird as well.

Palm Warbler - 2010

Palm Warblers are showing up now. Had  six of them on the 14th at Ft DeSoto and 5 more this morning at Sanibel Lighthouse. On both of these occasions the palms were the only warblers seen.  As for the the rest of this month's warblers I can add a Hooded, Prairie, Prothonotary, and Worm-eating at Calossahatchee Preserves on the first and a visit to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary on the 7th we had a FOS Common Yellowthroat, northern waterthrush, northern parula, American redstarts, worm-eating, Pine, Prairie, black-and-white, prothonotary and Yellowthroated Warblers.

Back on the 4th, at Six-Mile Cypress, I had a blue-winged Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, northern parula, yellowthroated warbler, black-and-white warbler and pine warbler.

Was back at Six-Mile Cypress again this afternoon, but it was very quite.  Saw no warblers at all.  The only salvation to the visit was seeing my first Short-tailed Hawk since July of last year, soaring over the slough.  It was a white-morphed and probably the same one reported from here earlier.

My List Count for September is 129 birds and October has the promise for even higher numbers.