A Western Spindalis

 Wednesday March 31st

Made the three hour drive over to the East Coast to twitch after a rarity. We get the occasional Western Spindalis who has managed to get its self over to Florida. A pretty little bird from the islands of the Caribbean. Had my lifer observation about five years at Markham Park in Sunrise.  Today we have a beautiful male hanging-out near the restrooms at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge near Vero Beach. Very cooperative and popular with the birders.  Not much other activity though.  At the impoundment there were a few Blue-winged Teal, a couple of American Widgeons and a Lesser Scaup. Tarpon too.

Before heading home, checked out, nearby, Sebastian Inlet State Park to look for any pelagic birds out on the Atlantic. Just a Frigatebird today and lots of snowbirds. A huge ray breached in the inlet.  That was cool.

Seaside Dragonlet

Butterfly Pea

Shiny Cowbirds

 Tuesday March 9th

On Saturday I had planned to do some early morning birding at Bunche Beach on Sunday because of a beneficial tide. I like to be there on a rising tide which was about 7:30 am.  But before heading out on Sunday, my plans changed. Elected to to drive the hour and a half out to the Sem-Chi Rice Plant in Palm Beach County. The location attracts a lot of blackbird species including wintering Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Sundays are probably the best day of the week to check out this location, because the plant will probably be closed. The access road can be very busy and dangerous for birders when the plant is operation.  

Got there about 8:30 am and got off to a good start with a trio Blue Grosbeaks. Lots of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. Patrolled the road about four times looking for the yellow-headed blackbirds, but I didn't spot any today.  Weird, because several other birders reported them on eBird. So I'll have try again next Sunday.  But I was amazed to  spot a couple of male Shiny Cowbirds, that seemed to doing some kind of a head bobbing interaction. Noticed there was a least one female present as well. 

Just down the road, wetlands offered views of Gull-billed Terns, a Caspian Tern, Gray-headed Swamphens, Common Gallinules and American Coots

House Sparrow

Iceland Gull

 Tuesday March 9th

Iceland Gull at Fort Myers Beach
I'm told that it is probably a second-year cycle bird

This current winter birding season has seen a number of out-of-range birds show up in Florida. We're always on look-out for these interesting vagrants. Smooth-billed Anis, Least Grebe and  a Cuban pewee, are a few of our current interesting birds to chase.  Iceland Gulls have been seen in several locations this year, from the Panhandle to Southwest Florida. Their wintering range is usually up in on New England coast line.

The species was one of my target species on a visit to St Marks NWR, in the Panhandle, in early January. Don't know if the really low tide was an influence, during my visit, as to why very few sea birds were present, at the shore.  The expected Iceland Gull was temporarily, absent though. 

But when My friend Dave McQuade recently contacted me with up-to-date information, I was able to easily see an Iceland Gull, locally for me, down at Fort Myers Beach. Got to arrive early in the morning due to traffic and parking issues this time of year. There were several of us waiting at the stack-out spot, including friends Meg Rousher and Janet & Aaron Kurk. We didn't have to wait long when the bird flew in and posed nicely for our cameras.

Several Lesser Black-backed Gulls have been present this year