Snow Birds are Arriving

Friday October 14th

As our Fall Migration experience begins to wan, we are welcoming the arrival of our wintering snow birds.  Not just the retires fleeing the pending cold and snow, but those bird species that arrive here for the same reason.

Some of this week's Birding

Brown-headed Nuthatch at Babcock-Webb

As a change from watching for migrating passerines, I spent a couple days looking for some of our resident species. Last Monday, after completing a doctor's appoint in Cape Coral, I sought the Cape's more special species.  

Eastern Meadowlark at Festival Park

Florida Scrub Jay at Festival Park

Namely the Florida Scrub Jays at the Festival Park Neighborhood where a large and unexpected covey of Northern Bobwhites was flushed. And then the Burrowing Owls and Monk Parakeets at the ball fields on Pelican Boulevard. Nearby Rotary Park as been a hot spot this season, but was very quite on a short visit.

Loggerhead Shrike

On Tuesday, visited Babcock-Webb WMA in Charlotte County. Arrived at sunrise at the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Colony on Oil-Well Grade. This location has been disappointing lately as it appears that this woodpecker cluster has dropped to a single RCW. Today this individual could be heard as it exited his hole, but immediately flew away from my direction. Eastern Towhees,  and Eastern Meadowlarks were very quite and few were encountered. No Bobwhites, Brown Thrashers or Sandhill Cranes were head or seen. Did see and hear several newly arrived House Wrens. Got nice views of a couple of Brown-headed Nuthatches and spotted both a Northern Harrier and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Palm and Pine Warbles were everywhere as well as Common Warblers, Downy Woodpeckers, Eastern Bluebirds and Belted Kingfishers.

Burrowing Owl at Pelican Blvd Ball Fields

Red-shouldered Hawk at Rotary Park

From Babcock, I spent a few minutes to check-out the pond located in a pasture just south of the Punta Gorda Airport, that can sometimes host some very nice bids.  Today only found a few Mottled Ducks, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Western Sandpiper. 

Mottled Duck

Then on to check-out Kiwanis Park in Port Charlotte. This venue had recently hosted some coveted migrants, including rare in peninsular Florida, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Black-billed Cuckoo and Golden-winged Warbler.  But I failed to get here in time to see these species, (had to work) before favorable winds arrived to push these guys across the Gulf of Mexico as they trek south. arriving about noon, the park was quite. few species on hand. Did sight my FOS Eastern Phoebe, an American Redstart and a family of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. I had never been here before, but will add it to my stops in the future. 

Northern Flicker at Babcock-Webb

Wintering Birds are Arriving

Most all of the expected shorebirds seen wintering at Bunche Beach, save Dunlins and wintering gull species, are on hand. Elsewhere, we're seeing the numbers of Palm Warblers growing and Eastern Phoebes, Common Yellow-throats, Pied-billed Grebes, Tree Swallows, Northern Harriers  and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are just arriving. as well. Still waiting on the arrival of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Blue-headed Vireos, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

Gater at Babcock-Webb

Eastern Phoebe at Kiwanis Park in Port Charlotte

Black-bellied Whistling Duck at Kiwanis Park

So too will be the arrival of wintering waterfowl. Blue-winged Teal are already here and in the weeks ahead we'll see Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaups and Northern Shovelers. Even later we'll see Red-breasted Mergansers, Horned Grebes, Common Loons, Gadwall, Ruddy Ducks and hopefully a couple of Snow Geese.

Birding in September

Tuesday, October 2nd

Ovenbird

Ovenbird

The Birding this September along the boardwalk at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve has been quite rewarding. Were not seeing any great fall-outs, but there has been a steady movement of birds passing through. Acadian Flycatchers and Eastern Wood-Pewees are seen almost daily. But perhaps one those Black-billed Cuckoos or Yellow-bellied Flycatchers or a Philadelphia Vireo may yet stop by. They are unusual sightings along the Florida peninsula, but are being reported at migrant hotspot to our North.

One recently seen, but infrequent species to observe here were multiple sighting of  a couple of Canada Warblers. 

Baltimore Oriole
Photo courtesy of Tammy McQuaid

The earlier arriving species like Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes have been passing through as have Ovenbirds, 

Black-and-White Warblers,

Yellow Warblers, 

Worm-eating Warblers, 

Summer Tanagers, 

Bobolinks, 

Yellow-throated Vireos, 

Red-eyed Vireos,

Yellow-billed Cuckoos, 

Hooded Warblers, 

Northern Parulas, 

Prairie Warbler, 

Yellow-throated Warblers and 

Prothonotary Warblers. 

The Prothonotary Warblers were seen in very good numbers in August, but have become uncommon lately. 

Louisiana Waterthrush

We're now enjoying sightings of Blackburnian Warblers, 

Tennessee Warblers, 

American Redstarts, 

Veery, 

Swainson's Thrush, 

Coopers Hawk, 

Baltimore Orioles, 

Blue-winged Warbler, 

Bay-breasted Warbler, 

Chestnut-sided Warbler, 

Black-throated Blue Warbler, 

Black-throated Green Warbler, 

Magnolia Warbler, 

Pine Warbler and Palm Warbler

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Eastern Wood Pewee

Canada Warbler

But perhaps one those Black-billed Cuckoos or Yellow-bellied Flycatchers or a Philadelphia Vireo may yet stop by. They are unusual sightings along the Florida peninsula, but are being reported at migrant hotspots to our North. 

American Redstart

This Bobolink was photographed at Harns Marsh,
but they can heard as they fly over Six-mile