Had a interesting year in birding the state of Florida. Reached 285 ticks for my state list, but came up short on my goal of 300. Ran a few long-distant bird trips with nature photographer Bob Pelkey. We visited St Marks NF, Merritt Island NWR, The Florida Keys, Payne's Prairie, Ft Desoto Park, Everglades National Park, Everglades Agricultural Area and 100 miles out into the Gulf Stream. Locally we have Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Bunche Beach Preserve, Little Estero Lagoon, Sanibel Island, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Babcock-Webb WMA, Harns Marsh and the Celery Fields.
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| Razorbill photo by Bob Pelkey |
We had a very unusually invasion of large numbers of these birds this past winter
Runners-up included a short lived Western Kingbird roost just outside of my workplace in December and the Eurasian Widgeon that wintered in Cape Coral last season and has return this winter. Also the Black-legged Kittiwake that wintered on the Sunshine Skyway fishing pier and the White-tailed Tropicbird off the Florida coast.
Lifers for the year included the Black-legged Kittiwake, Virginia rail, Audubon's Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrol, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-necked Phalarope, Arctic Tern, Swainson's Warbler, Nelson's Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow and Common Eider.
Lifers for the year included the Black-legged Kittiwake, Virginia rail, Audubon's Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrol, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-necked Phalarope, Arctic Tern, Swainson's Warbler, Nelson's Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow and Common Eider.
Some disappointments included missing easy birds like Hooded Warbler and Whimbrel. Other misses included Canada Warbler, Blue-wing Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Wilson's Phalarope and Purple Sandpiper
Some of the birds twitched for but missed included Willow Flycatcher, Townsends Warbler, Short-eared Owl, Golden-winged Warbler, Snow Goose, Red-throated Loon, Rusty Blackbird and Whooping Crane
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| Eurasian Widgeon photo by Dr Jose Padila |
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| Black-legged Kittiwake photo by Bob Pelkey |
1,Black-bellied Whistling-Duck,
2,Fulvous Whistling-Duck
3,Canada Goose,
4,Egyptian Goose,
5,Muscovy Duck,
6,Wood Duck,
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| White-Tailed Tropicbird photo by Bob Pelkey |
7,Gadwall,
8,Eurasian Wigeon,
9,American Wigeon
10,Mallard,
11,Mottled Duck
12,Blue-winged Teal
13,Cinnamon Teal,
14,Northern Shoveler,
15,Northern Pintail
16,Green-winged Teal,
17,Canvasback,
18,Redhead,
19,Ring-necked Duck,
20,Greater Scaup,
21,Lesser Scaup,
22,White-winged Scoter,
23,Black Scoter,
24,Bufflehead,
25,Hooded Merganser,
26,Red-breasted Merganser,
27,Ruddy Duck,
28,Northern Bobwhite,
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| White-crowned Sparrow photo by Bob Pelkey |
30,Common Loon,
31,Pied-billed Grebe,
32,Horned Grebe,
33,Black-capped Petrel,
34,Cory's Shearwater,
35,Audubon's Shearwater,
36,Wilson
37,White-tailed Tropicbird,
38,Wood Stork,
39,Magnificent Frigatebird,
40,Brown Booby,
41,Northern Gannet,
42,Double-crested Cormorant,
43,Anhinga,
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| Say's Phoebe photo by Dr Jose Padilla |
45,Brown Pelican,
46,American Bittern,
47,Least Bittern,
48,Great Blue Heron,
49,Great Egret,
50,Snowy Egret,
51,Little Blue Heron,
52,Tricolored Heron,
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| Photo by Dr Jose Padilla |
53,Reddish Egret,
54,Cattle Egret,
55,Green Heron,
56,Black-crowned Night-Heron,
57,Yellow-crowned Night-Heron,
58,White Ibis,
59,Glossy Ibis,
60,Roseate Spoonbill,
61,Black Vulture
62,Turkey Vulture,
63,Osprey,
64,Swallow-tailed Kite,
65,Snail Kite,
66,Mississippi
67,Northern Harrier,
68,Sharp-shinned Hawk,
69,Cooper's Hawk,
70,Bald Eagle,
71,Red-shouldered Hawk,
72,Short-tailed Hawk,
73,Red-tailed Hawk,
74,Clapper Rail,
75,King Rail,
76,Virginia Rail,
77,Sora,
78,Purple Swamphen,
79,Purple Gallinule,
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| King Rail photo by Bob Pelkey |
80,Common Gallinule,
81,American Coot,
82,Limpkin,
83,Sandhill Crane,
84,Black-necked Stilt,
85,American Avocet,
86,American Oystercatcher,
87,Black-bellied Plover,
88,Snowy Plover,
89,Wilson
90,Semipalmated Plover,
91,Piping Plover,
92,Killdeer,
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| Mississippi Kite photo by Bob Pelkey |
93,Spotted Sandpiper,
94,Solitary Sandpiper
95,Greater Yellowlegs,
96,Willet,
97,Lesser Yellowlegs,
98,Upland Sandpiper,
99,Long-billed Curlew,
100,Marbled Godwit,
101,Ruddy Turnstone,
102,Red Knot
103,Stilt Sandpiper
104,Sanderling,
105,Dunlin
106,Least Sandpiper,
107,Pectoral Sandpiper,
108,Semipalmated Sandpiper,
109,Western Sandpiper,
110,Short-billed Dowitcher
111,Long-billed Dowitcher,
112,Wilson's Snipe,
113,Red-necked Phalarope,
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| Eastern Kingbird photo by Bob Pelkey |
115,Razorbill,
116,Black-legged Kittiwake,
117,Bonaparte's Gull,
118,Laughing Gull,
119,Ring-billed Gull,
120,Herring Gull,
121,Lesser Black-backed Gull,
122,Great Black-backed Gull,
123,Sooty Tern,
124,Bridled Tern,
125,Least Tern,
126,Gull-billed Tern,
127,Caspian Tern,
128,Black Tern,
129,Roseate Tern,
130,Common Tern,
131,Arctic Tern,
132,Forster's Tern,
133,Royal Tern,
134,Sandwich Tern
135,Black Skimmer
136,Rock Pigeon,
137,White-crowned Pigeon,
138,Eurasian Collared-Dove,
139,White-winged Dove,
140,Mourning Dove,
141,Common Ground-Dove
142,Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
143,Mangrove Cuckoo,
144,Barn Owl,
145,Eastern Screech-Owl,
146,Great Horned Owl,
147,Burrowing Owl,
148,Barred Owl,
149,Common Nighthawk
150,Antillean Nighthawk,
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| Yellow-billed Cuckoo photo by Bob Pelkey |
152,Eastern Whip-poor-will,
153,Chimney Swift,
154,Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
155,Rufous Hummingbird,
156,Belted Kingfisher,
157,Red-headed Woodpecker,
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| Swamp Sparrow photo by Bob Pelkey |
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| Black-Whiskered Vireo photo by Bob Pelkey |
158,Red-bellied Woodpecker,
159,Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
160,Downy Woodpecker,
161,Hairy Woodpecker,
162,Red-cockaded Woodpecker,
163,Northern Flicker,
164,Pileated Woodpecker
165,Crested Caracara,
166,American Kestrel,
167,Merlin,
168,Peregrine Falcon,
169,Cockatiel,
170,Rose-ringed Parakeet,
171,Nanday Parakeet,
172,Monk Parakeet,
173,Mitred Parakeet,
174,Eastern Wood-Pewee,
175,Acadian Flycatcher,
176,Least Flycatcher,
177,Eastern Phoebe,
178,Say's Phoebe,
179,Vermilion Flycatcher,
180,Ash-throated Flycatcher,
181,Great Crested Flycatcher,
182,Brown-crested Flycatcher,
183,Tropical Kingbird,
184,Cassin's Kingbird,
185,Western Kingbird,
186,Eastern Kingbird,
187,Gray Kingbird,
188,Scissor-tailed Flycatcher,
189,Loggerhead Shrike,
190,White-eyed Vireo,
191,Yellow-throated Vireo,
192,Blue-headed Vireo,
193,Red-eyed Vireo,
194,Black-whiskered Vireo,
195,Blue Jay,
196,Florida
197,American Crow,
198,Fish Crow,
199,Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
200,Purple Martin,
201,Tree Swallow,
202,Bank Swallow,
203,Barn Swallow,
204,Cliff Swallow,
205,Cave Swallow,
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| White-crowned Pigeon photo by Bob Pelkey |
207,Tufted Titmouse,
208,Brown-headed Nuthatch,
209,House Wren,
210,Sedge Wren,
211,Marsh Wren,
212,Carolina
213,Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
214,Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
215,Eastern Bluebird,
216,Veery,
217,Gray-cheeked Thrush,
218,Swainson's Thrush,
219,Hermit Thrush,
220,American Robin,
221,Gray Catbird,
222,Brown Thrasher,
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| Purple Gallinule photo by Bob Pelkey |
224,Common Hill Myna,
225,Common Myna,
226,European Starling,
227,Cedar Waxwing,
228,Ovenbird,
229,Worm-eating Warbler,
230,Louisiana
231,Northern Waterthrush ,
232,Black-and-white Warbler,
233,Prothonotary Warbler,
234,Swainson's Warbler,
235,Tennessee Warbler,
236,Orange-crowned Warbler,
237,Common Yellowthroat,
238,American Redstart,
239,Cape May Warbler,
240,Northern Parula ,
241,Magnolia Warbler,
242,Blackburnian Warbler,
243,Yellow Warbler,
244,Chestnut-sided Warbler,
245,Blackpoll Warbler,
246,Black-throated Blue Warbler
247,Palm Warbler,
248,Pine Warbler,
249,Yellow-rumped Warbler,
250,Yellow-throated Warbler,
251,Prairie Warbler,
252,Black-throated Green Warbler,
253,Eastern Towhee,
254,Bachman's Sparrow,
255,Chipping Sparrow,
256,Savannah
257,Grasshopper Sparrow,
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| Roseate Tern photo by Bob Pelkey |
259,Saltmarsh Sparrow,
260,Song Sparrow,
261,Swamp Sparrow,
262,White-crowned Sparrow,
263,Summer Tanager,
264,Scarlet Tanager,
265,Northern Cardinal,
266,Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
267,Blue Grosbeak,
268,Indigo Bunting,
269,Painted Bunting,
270,Bobolink
271,Red-winged Blackbird
272,Eastern Meadowlark,
273,Yellow-headed Blackbird,
274,Common Grackle,
275,Boat-tailed Grackle,
276,Bronzed Cowbird,
277,Brown-headed Cowbird
278,Orchard Oriole,
279,Baltimore Oriole,
280,House Finch,
281,American Goldfinch,
282,House Sparrow,
283,American Pipit
284,Common Eider
285,Common Goldeneye
286,Black-capped Chickadee (Illinois)
283,American Pipit
284,Common Eider
285,Common Goldeneye
286,Black-capped Chickadee (Illinois)