Browns Farm Road

Friday July 29th

Lesser Sandpipers by the hundreds

 After the summer doldrums of June and early July, birding active picks up in the Everglades Ag Area located south of Belle Glade in Palm Beach County. Migrating shorebirds, terns, waterfowl and such are attracted to the flooded cane fields, rice fields and sod farms.

Hudsonian Godwit

Right now, we have an unusual visitor in the area. Hudsonian Godwits are rare visitors to Florida and there is one that has been found in some flooded fields along Browns Farm Road. Meg Rouser joined in the drive over from Fort Myers to check out a Lifer sighting.  Our observations did include the Hudsonian Godwit, a few American Avocets and Wilsons Phalaropes, lots of Rosette Spoonbills, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Barn Swallows, Brown=headed Cowbirds, Wood Storks, hundreds of Least Sandpipers and a few Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Black-necked Stilts were plentiful, as were Greater and Leaster Yellowlegs, a few Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers. Found several Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Terns and Laughing Gulls plus a couple of Black-crowned Night-herons. The numbers of Common Nighthawks were pretty low. Should have increases in activity as the season progresses with nighthawks and other species. Upland Sandpipers should be showing up soon. Dipped on Black Terns, White Pelicans, Barn Owls and Cave Swallows

Wilsons Phalarope

Greater
Yellowlegs

Had expected to find cave swallows at the cave swallow colony site at the bridge on SR 880 and Browns Farm Road. But today, there didn't seem be any activity.  

Had also checked out Glenview Road, Sem-Chi Rice Mill and STA - 1e. Not much of anything additional to add though.  Did hear King Rail at STA - 1E and a Swallow-tailed Kite near Clewiston. Will try to return in August to catch-up on later activity.

Day List (59)

Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Ground Dove, Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, King Rail, Gray-headed Swamphen, Common Gallinule, Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, Killdeer, Hudsonian Godwit, Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilsons Phalaropes, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Black Skimmers, Wood Storks, Anhingas, Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Heron, Tri-colored Heron, Cattle Egrets, Green Herons, Black-crowned Night-herons, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Rosette Spoonbills, Black Vulture, Turkeys Vultures, Osprey, Swallow-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Crested Caracara, Loggerhead Shrike, Fish Crows, Barn Swallows, European Starlings, Northern Mockingbird, House Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Common Grackles, Boat-tailed Grackles and Common Yellowthroats.