Sora

Bronzed Cowbird

Bronzed Cowbird - note the red eye

This cold spell, along with a minor ailment, had kept me from doing very much birding for the past few days. On Tuesday the 12th, temperatures were rising up to the 50s, so I went to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary hoping for painted buntings and warblers. Arrived about 11:00am and the parking lot was already rather full. Found that the freeze had burned much of their butterfly garden. Spent about two hours and had some good sightings including a male Painted Bunting and an Ovenbird at the bunting house. There was also a good variety of warblers like American Redstarts, Palm, Yellow-Rumped, Norther Parula, Black & White and Common Yellowthroat. There was a large mixed flock of American Robins and Common Grackles just past the ponds. My list includes --Anhinga, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Bunting, Common Grackle

I had been very keen to try and relocate the Bronzed Cowbirds in Clewiston, so I left right from work on Wednesday, the 13th, morning to find them. I really should have gone home and get my sleep, but I wanted to collect a hit on the cowbirds for my new year count, before they dispersed. Arrived at the levee park in Clewiston about 9:00am and the temp had to be about 45 degrees, but no cowbirds were about. Figured that I would wait a reasonable time and was rewarded with a few nice ticks. Like the pair of limpkins that flew down the channel and the sora that kept calling from the marsh on the opposite side of the channel. Lots of gulls and a lone royal tern, plus brown pelicans and cormorants. Then the cowbirds arrived. Found a red eyed Bronzed Cowbird who was not to cooperative in getting his photo taken. Another all black cowbird may have been a shiny cowbird as I it seemed to lack the red eyes of the bronzed, but I could not get a definitive look. My Clewiston list - Pied-billed Grebe, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Sora, Limpkin, Killdeer, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Royal Tern, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Fish Crow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Bronzed Cowbird, Brown-headed Cowbird

On the way home I rechecked the feeders in Alva and a nice chat with the home owners, who invited me to attend a scheduled birding event in March. Was able to Add Indigo Buntings and White-Winged Doves.

Bronzed Cowbirds in Clewiston

Wanted to do some birding today and the reports of tundra swans in St Johns County, a common eider at Flagler Beach, a masked duck at Veira Wetlands and a La Sagra's Flycatcher in the Everglades National Park were very tempting as Florida Rarities. But the logistics were too difficult as I had some things to attend to in the morning. So I recalled a posting on BirdBrains about Bronzed Cowbirds in Clewiston.

Before heading to Clewiston I had to make a stop up by Lake Placid and did stop a couple of places along the way to bird, including Alva. Here I checked out a dependable location for Red-Headed Woodpecker, which are not common in this area. Next, a few blocks away, the White family of Alva maintances several bird feeders in their front yard, were Painted Buntings, Indigo Buntings, American Goldfinches are often found as well as White-Winged Doves. My Alva list includes - Sandhill Crane, Red-headed Woodpecker, American Crow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Eastern Meadowlark, American Goldfinch.After leaving Lake Placid was able to arrive in Clewiston at 2:45pm. I was following these instructions from Ed Kwater as he posted to BirdBrains on November 15th.

This afternoon at around 1.00 pm I found two Bronzed Cowbirds along the Lake Okeechobee levee in Clewiston. They were with two Brown-headed cowbirds. To get to the spot take route 80/27 from South Bay into Clewiston and turn right (north) on Francisco Street. After a couple of blocks turn left onto Hoover Dike and follow this round past a small marina and up onto the levee. The birds were in a line of small oaks at the base of the levee on the bank of the canal below the levee. They were still there when I left at 2.30 pm. They were not very active but were very tame and were calling repeatedly.

Ed Kwater
Brandon, FL

I drove directly to the levee and park next a tree were at least two Bronzed Cowbirds were setting with several Brown-Headed Cowbirds and a few Boat-Tailed Grackles. The Bronzed Cowbirds were Lifer #275 for me. I plan to return next month to seek them out for my 2010 year list as they will probably move along in the Spring. My Clewiston list includes - Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Fish Crow, Palm Warbler, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Bronzed Cowbird, Brown-headed Cowbird