Everglades Ag Area

Tuesday July 27th

Fall Migration is starting to kick and in late July and into August, its time to check out the flooded sugar cane fields and sod farms in the Everglades Ag Area south of Belle Glade.

 

Yesterday I made the trip from Ft Myers. 

 I'll usually make a stop at the Levee Park at Clewiston, which I found was not accessible.  This was due to renovations to this section of the Herbert Hoover Dike. The dike was constructed and reconstructed starting at a time because deadly hurricanes that drowned thousands of people almost a hundred years ago. The dike was a boon for agriculture and storm control to protect peoples lives.  But on the negative side these water control features cut off the natural flow of water into the Everglades, seriously effecting the health of the everglades ecosystem, plus issues with rising salinity in Florida Bay, which is an important nursery for fish stocks.  And because the waters from Lake O are blocked from going south, we now have them draining west through the Caloosahatchee River and to the east via the St Lucie Canal. Due to the high nutrient loading effecting Lake O being discharged through these man-made drainages system we have had a few very serious algae blooms along the east coast and into the Gulf of Mexico here at Ft Myers. These algae blooms are being studied to determine how they might be effecting the health of the people  as well as the awful and devastating fish kill.  

Salt-marsh Mallow

Next was a drove south along the Miami Canal.  Seen that it was too early to spot any of the swallow species that will arriving here soon. Was able to see a couple Common Nighthawks and a Bobwhite

Common Nighthawk

Then moved east along the Bolles Road Canal.  Again not very birdy.  Lots of rabbits though and a couple of rats too. Checked out one of the pumping stations were a Barn Owl did flew off.  Had a Gull-billed Tern up the canal. Also had an adult Purple Gallinule with a chick. The adult was running around with a dead frog.  Never saw that before

Purple Gallinule

Purple Gallinule Chick

Purple Gallinule with her frog

Near the intersection of State Road 880 and Brown's Farm Road, which is just south of Belle Glade is a is a Cave Swallow roost. Lots of Cave Swallow, plus Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows.  

Some scruffy cowbirds

Didn't pick up any Upland Sandpipers at sod fields at 8 Mile Bend.  Just some Killdeers. The uppies should be be arriving soon. Will have to return in a could weeks.

Went looking for flooded fields along Brown's Farm Road. Had some success.  Had well over hundred Roseate Spoonbills at this location, a couple of Fulvous Whistling Ducks, several Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Mottled Ducks, lots of Black-necked Stilts with young, about three dozen Least Terns, a half dozen Gull-billed Terns and a lone Black Tern, Not many wading birds or sandpipers. Only spotted a couple of Pectoral Sandpipers and a few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.  Again I suspect August will be more rewarding

Had to have been hundreds of Brown-headed Cowbirds, plus Red-winged Blackbirds, Starlings and Boat-tailed Grackles. Spotted more Barn Swallows, Common Nighthawks, both Night-herons and a couple of Laughing Gulls.

Carlos Point

Monday, July 13th

Returned to Carlos Point on Fort Myers Beach to check out the seabird nesting colonies. Lots of birds present today. Lots of Least Terns still active here and the Black Skimmers seemed to have had a

successful nesting season. Yet numbers of unattended skimmer eggs could be seem.  Spoke with a young lady monitoring the sight for Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, who shared that the eggs had  been washed out their nests by resent rain storms. 

Lots of Willets and a few Marbled Godwits, plus a young Herring Gull. Added Royal and Sandwich Terns, Laughing Gulls and Ruddy Turnstones. Snowy, Wilsons, Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers.  Too early for Piping Plovers arriving from nesting up north. Just a few Sanderlings.  Had oystercatchers or whimbrels as my targets for the day. Will have to try again later.

Some other interesting observations included a green iguana that dashed off as came into the green zone at the foot of the Big Carlos Pass Bridge. Needed to park on the opposite side of the bridge and walk across as there is no parking available otherwise. But besides the lizard, I photographed a kind of moth in the same area, I hadn't ever seen before.  Learned that its called a White-tipped Black. 

The Turtle Time people has also mark off four sea turtle nests in the area I visited. I don't think they were present on my prior visit last month.  Probably Loggerhead Turtles. Would love to experience a hatching some day.

Often encounter Bottlenose Dolphins at any beach in the Florida, including today. But was also surprised by a couple of Manatees grazing in the Big Carlos Pass. Always nice to see the Sea Cows.