Spring Migration Hotspot - Ft DeSoto Park



Last Monday, the 21st, I joined with nine other local birders - Dr Jose Padilla, Vince McGrath, Stan Damen, Dr Ken & Ruth Parks, Dave & Tammy  McQuade, Ruth Woodall and Sheryl - to make a return visit to Ft DeSoto Park in Pinellas County to enjoy the migration activity at this hotspot.

Our group arrived at Ft DeSoto at 8 am and headed straight to the mulberry trees at the rangers' residence. Dave and Tammy already had several great sightings as we approached including a Worm-eating Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles.



Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were easily found feeding in the mulberry trees

The rest of us quickly added on with more Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, plus Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks, Cedar Waxwings, Orchard Orioles, more Baltimore Orioles, Summer T, Scarlet tanagers, Yellow-throated Vireos, Red-eyed Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, many Gray Catbirds, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Black-throated Green Warbler, Merlin, Gray Kingbird and Cape May Warbler. I had a suspect dickcissel, and young Common Loon was still to be found at the near-by pier.







Baltimore Oriole



After an hour or so we relocated to the East Woods Picnic Area with the expectation of finding lots of great warblers.  However this proved not to be the case. We did find some warblers, but not lots. We had a few Hooded and Palm Warblers, but the group help put me onto one of my nemesis birds in a Kentucky Warbler. Apparently he had been spending a lot of time with a Hooded Warbler feeding underneath a large mulberry tree. We also got to observe a nesting pair of Nanday Parakeets.

Common Loon

As the action was slow we headed to the North Woods Picnic Area for some lunch. Which was interrupted several times with the arrival of forging warblers.  Here we added Blackpoll, Cape May, Yellow, American Redstarts, Palm, Black-and-White Warblers, and Northern Waterthrush.  The nearby lagoon added American Oystercatcher, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Reddish Egret, Short-billed Dowitcher, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, Foster's Tern, Royal Term, Least Tern, Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, Piping Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones and FOS Semipalmated Sandpiper. Dipped on any whimbrel or long-billed curlew.

Next we made a return visit to the Mulberry Grove were found the action was still going strong.  We added a Prothonotary, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Eastern Wood-Pewee.

From here our group left the park to bird the Cockroach Bay Preserve near Ruskin. The goal was to relocate a reported Lincoln's sparrow. We didn't find any sparrows, but have a few surprises. Dave was hopeful to add a Solitary Sandpiper. Well we found  him fourteen.  An added bonus was Jose locating a pair of Wilson's Snipes. We also added Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Coots, Moorhens, Eastern Towhee, Roseate Spoonbills, White and Glossy Ibis, Ospreys, another Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpipers, a lone Black Skimmer, a Least Tern, Blue Grosbeak, Downy Woodpecker, Merlin and all the expected waders.

In all it was a great day with the group totaling well over 110 species. Surprisingly we dipped on few expected species like sandhill crane, red-tailed hawk and swallow-tailed kite. Again it was a great day.



Purple Gallinule - The Celery Fields

Thursday, October 27th

Arrived at The Celery Fields in Sarasota about 10 o'clock where I met John Whitehead.  John put me onto several birds including a juvenile Purple Gallinule. Arrived too late for the sandhill cranes and the other waders weren't too numerous. We did have at least eight Limpkins, a Great Blue Heron, a couple each of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Tricolored Herons. Did not have any white ibis at the time, but there were six Glossy Ibis and six more Cattle Egrets on the grassy berm with Common and Boat-tailed Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Palm Warblers a small flock of newly arriving Savannah Sparrows.

I was interested in shore birds and had a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs fly in as did a flock of a dozen or so Dowitchers.  We also had Western and Least Sandpipers plus a trio of Killdeer and a Wilson's Snipe. Noted a Mallard x Mottled Duck hybrid fly in plus a few Blue-winged Teal and Mottled Ducks were present. John had seen a couple of black-bellied whistling ducks, but I dipped on them. Other birds seen included Wood Stork, Common Coot, Common Gallinule, a Caspian Tern, a Kestrel, a pair of Osprey, a Bald Eagle and eight Anhingas.

Next stopped at Cockroach Bay Road near Ruskin.  A Northern Harrier was patrolling the waste water mitigation ponds.  Had all the same waders as at The Celery Fields, but I could add a single Roseate Spoonbill. The shore birds were limited to a Greater Yellowlegs, two Lesser Yellowlegs and a Killdeer. Osprey are very common here and I counted six American Kestrels on the wires. The rafts of American Coots are back and had a count of over a hundred birds.  Had a dozen Blue-winged Teal which were keeping the company of a lone female Redhead. Other sightings include Common Gallinule, Tree Swallows, a Loggerhead Shrike, a House Wren and Pied-billed Grebes.

Ft DeSoto Park

Red Knots

Lastly stopped at Ft Desoto Park in Tampa Bay.  Had a few Redheads at the Terra Verde ponds along with a huge number of Double-crested Cormorants. A check for any migrants lingering in the park produced very little.  I was interested in finding the reported ash-throated flycatcher and any snow plovers.  dipped on both. Did find a couple of Red Knots and ten American Oystercatchers.  Other shorebirds included Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, a Dunlin, a Piping Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover and Least Sandpipers. Other birds of the shore included Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, Forster's Terns, Sandwich Terns, Ospreys, Magnificent Frigatebirds and Black Skimmers.  Birds of the woods included a couple of American Redstarts, a dozen Palm Warblers, a lone Pine Warbler, a pair of Eastern Phoebe, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Mockingbirds, Catbirds and Starlings. My purpose for this day's trip was to try to reach a goal of 160 birds for the month which I did accomplish.

Long-billed Curlew - A Visit to Fort DeSoto Park

Tuesday April 19th

Fort DeSoto Park can be a spring migration magnet. Last year I had a great experience there with rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting, summer tanager, scarlet tanager, blackburian warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, yellow warbler, black-throated green warbler, black-and-white warbler, American redstart, eastern pewee, eastern kingbird, and nesting great horned owls.  But so far, for this migration the weather has been against Florida birders. The winds are pushing the migrants past us.

So, when I made a return visit Tuesday, I was hopeful but did not really expect anything exceptional.  Met with Bob Pelkey at dawn, who was wrapping up a three-day visit to the park. Bob reported the same dismissal migration activity.  So, he had concentrated his photography on the shorebirds.

Laughing Gulls in amour

Nesting has already begun here with plovers and oystercatchers and noted seeing Sandwich Terns and Laughing Gulls displaying as they pair off. Also seen was a lone Herring Gull, which Bob had observed just before my arrival, pick up a large clam, fly up and dropped the clam so that it broke open. The gull quickly ate his breakfast.  I had read on Birdbrains about herring gulls performing this method at Ft DeSoto.

Herring Gull, probably a first cycle

Black-bellied Plover

Black-bellied Plover

Long-billed Curlew and Willet

Long-billed Curlew

Whimbrel

American Oystercatcher

Laughing Gulls are still at it

Pair of Willets



Bob Pelkey



Other shore birds seen included Willets, Wilson's Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-bellied plovers, Least Terns, Royal Terns, Reddish Egrets, Red-breasted Merganser, Brown Pelicans and American Oystercatcher.  We also were successful in locating the resident Whimbrel and Long-billed Curlew. Both visited the lagoon at the same time. Bob finds it important to photograph the birds at eye level, so into the lagoon went, camera and all. He sat there to get the best possible shot.

Before leaving we also added a pair of Nanday Parakeets. And a stop at the Tierra Verde ponds we found Ruddy Duck, Lesser and Greater Scaup and Redheads, plus a couple more Nanday parakeets, several Least Terns, Laughing Gulls and Pied-billed Grebes. A couple of the male ruddy ducks were in breeding plumage with the white cheeks and bright blue bill.  Was surprised at the greater scaups. Spent a long time analyzing the head shapes on the two similar species. Bob again went in as far as was safe into the pond for that special shot.

Even though Bob had run out of battery power on his camera he wanted to see black-necked stilts, so we stopped at the Cockroach Bay Road mitigation ponds where we had several Black-necked Stilts, Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Roseate Spoonbills, Red-winged Blackbirds, Coots, Moorhens, Blue-winged Teal, Mottled Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Pied-billed Grebe, Chimney Swifts, a Red-tailed Hawk and all the expected waders.  Included several Glossy Ibis which we took a bit of time trying to see if any were white-faces ibis.

From here it was time to head for home.  But I made just one more stop, at The Celery Fields in Sarasota, because of a report of a pair of female yellow-headed blackbirds. Did not see the blackbirds but did find most all of the same birds sited earlier with the addition of Western Sandpipers and a couple of Caspian Terns.  Even without the migrants, still had a good day.  By count was 70 plus birds.  can't complain

Groove-billed Ani - Boyd Hill Preserve

Tuesday, April 5th

The day was spent in hopes of a fall-out of spring migrants and a chase after three reported Florida rarities.

The weather for the day was a strong, rainy cold front to sweep down the state, which can result in migrants being forced to land and wait out the winds. So I was heading to Ft DeSoto Park in Tampa Bay.  But first were stops at Cockroach Bay Road, near Ruskin for reported upland plover and white-faced ibis and then to Boyd Hill Preserve in St Petersburg for a reported Grooved-billed Ani.

Cockroach Bay Road

Arrived about 8:30 just before the rains and spent a couple of hours in searching through the sod fields for the upland plover and sorting through the Glossy Ibis for a white-faced ibis. Didn't locate either of these birds but find a trio of Gull-billed Terns working over the mitigation ponds and six Forster's Terns at rest in the sod fields along with hundred Laughing Gulls, a few Ring-billed Gulls, several Ospreys, a dozen Black-bellied Plovers and lone Dunlin. The ponds held about twenty Black-necked Stilts, Long-billed Dowitchers, Solitary Sandpiper, Coots, Moorhens, a couple of Redhead ducks, dozens of Blue-wing Teal and Lesser Scaups. Plus a half a dozen Black-bellied Whistling Ducks Also had all of the waders - Roseate Spoonbills, Great Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, White Ibis etc. A large Red-tailed hawk was hunting the fields and Bald Eagle was observed toting some kind of recent kill.

An Armadillo sculpture at Boyd Hill Preserve

Boyd Hill Preserve -
St Petersburg

I had never been to this location before, but it is becoming very popular for spot for birders in search of the Grooved-billed Ani. The bird is a lifer for me and the possibility of finding one so close to home was an opportunity I could not pass up. Arrived about 10:45 as the rain was letting up. Paid my entrance fee and received directions and maps to the ani's favorite spot. The preserve was very quite. But managed to locate a Black-crowned Night-heron hiding along the lake shore. Had several Anhingas, lots of Ospreys and a trio of Nanday Parakeets. By eleven o'clock I had arrived at the spot and after about five minutes of scouting the area the ani flew right to my feet. Seems the bird is fearless of people and uses the opportunity to feed on the insects stirred up by our shoes. Got great looks. Hope it sticks around.

Fort DeSoto County Park

After lunch with my daughter and son-in-law headed over to Fort DeSoto. After seeing little evidence of any kind of migration action at Boyd Hill I did not expect much at Fort DeSoto, which is a migrant magnet. First stopped at the ponds in Tierra Verde to see if any ducks were still around. Was surprised to find two pair of Ruddy Ducks with several Lesser Scaups  still on hand. One of the adults Bald Eagles could be seen in the nest tree. On the causeway to the park I was able to spott acouple of FOS Least Terns

Red-breasted Merganser out for a stroll

Willet in breeding plumage

Reddish Egret

Forster's Terns

Marbled Godwit



My camera is not fast enough to capture the wing action on this hummingbird



Ruby-throated Hummingbird at rest

Western Sandpiper

At Fort DeSoto, the East Beach area was very birdy with shore birds including Forster's Terns, Western and Least Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Willets, Dunlins and a Marbled Godwit. Several Red-breasted Mergansers were seen off-shore and a resting merganser was located on the shore. Here I ran into John Mangold and joined him in checking out the Privit Trail.  There we met with Dan Irizarry.  I had ran into John previously at Merritt Island and Six-mile Cypress Slough and I had seen Dan's postings and photos many times on Birdbrains.

Next we moved on to the mulberry trees near the pier, which can been a very good location for birds. It was here that I had my lifer in a blackburian warbler last spring. Today we only had hits on a male Hooded Warbler, several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos.  Plus another trio of Nanday Parakeets.  From here I joined John with checking out the North Beach area. and could only add a lone Herring Gull and a beautiful male Orchard Oriole. Seems the migration hasn't hit its stide yet.

Days List (78) - Black-belled Whistling Ducks, Mottled Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Stork, Double-crested Cormorant. Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Black-crowned Night-heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Osprey, Bald eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Solitary sandpiper, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mouring Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Nanday parakeet, Groove-billed Ani, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Hooded Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Northern cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole.

Northern Pintail - Cockroach Bay Road

Tuesday January 25th

   My original plans for today was to visit Everglades National Park, Lucky Hammock and other sites in Dade County. Some species I was targeting included Short-tailed Hawks, White-tailed Kites, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Purple Gallinule, Common Myna, White-crown Pigeon and Smooth-billed Ani.  But the timing was not right, needed to stay closer to home. So elected to bird Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area.



Hunting Scoreboard at the check-in at Babcock-Webb

    Got on site at Babcock around 7am.  The place was very quite.  After spending the whole morning birding I missed out on locating the red-cockaded woodpeckers. Other more commonly seen species were missed or only heard including eastern meadowlarks, eastern towhees, house wrens and ibis'. Did get five warblers including large numbers of Yellow-rumped and Pine Warblers.  Also seen were a few Palm Warblers, single looks at a Common Yellowthroat and a Prairie Warbler. A couple of these large mixed flocks also had a few Brown-headed Nuthatches, Eastern Bluebirds and Downy Woodpeckers. Three pairs of Sandhill Cranes were seen and several Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets found throughout the wildlife area. Found my largest flock of American Robins to date with around eighteen foraging in a live oak grove. Found the first River Otter I have ever seen at Babcock-Webb. Also saw a sunning Black Racer and American Alligator.

My List -(36)

Pied-billed Grebe,Wood Stork, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, Tree Swallow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Savannah Sparrow,Northern Cardinal, Eastern Meadowlark, Boat-tailed Grackle

   Well the Babcock-Webb trip was okay but not great.  So instead of heading home I chose to extend the trip after all by heading north to Cockroach Bay Road up on Tampa Bay. A recent report had canvasback duck, american pipits and potential american black duck here. Arriving about noon to find heavy winds as a part of an on coming winter storm front. The first mitigation pond appeared empty.  But a quick scan revealed a lot of hunkered down birds. An immature Bald Eagle rose from one of the islands to the discomfort of many of the waterfowl, which also rose into the air. I was able to easily spot a male Northern Pintail along with many Lesser Scaups, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler and American Coots. Further observation revealed a female Canvasback duck, plus was able to add Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher and Ring-billed Gull. The second pond was able to add two American Black Ducks, many Mottled Ducks, two Forster's Terns, several Green-winged Teal, a couple of Mallards and a couple of Gadwell.  The Cockroach Bay Preserve lake further down the road was able to add Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Roseate Spoonbill. The extended trip to Cockroach Bay, allowed me to add thirteen species of waterfowl, but I did miss on the expected black-bellied whistling duck.

   After my two hour drive home, made a final check on the ponds on Domestic Street were I was able to add the Black-bellied Whistling Duck as a juvenile flew in as I was scoping the coots, lesser scaups and ring-necked ducks present here.

My List (41) -

Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser, Anhinga, American White Pelican, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Gadwall, Mallard, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal ,Canvasback, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, White Ibis,  Black Vulture, American Kestrel, American Coot, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Ring-billed Gull, Forster's Tern, Tree Swallow, Northern Mockingbird, Palm Warbler, Common Grackle, Roseate Spoonbill, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Sandhill Cranes

Eared Grebe - a Visit to Cockroach Bay Preserve

November 30th

Today was a big-twiching day. Recent postings on Birdbrains introduced several interesting birding opportunities. A female Common Goldeneye and several Buffleheads had returned to a pond on Fruitville Road in Sarasota. And an American Black Duck and an Eared Grebe are reported along Cockroach Bay Road near Ruskin. All are unusual this far south.

Today is also my Dad's 77th birthday, which we celebrated on Sunday. While visiting with them we observed a gathering on the telephone wires outside his home, near lake Placid, of no less than 300 Brown-headed Cowbirds with a few Boat-tailed and Common Grackles mixed in. Tryed scanning for any bronzed or shiny cowbirds with no luck.

But today, I started a big day by waiting for a trio of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers to exit their nest holes at sun-up at Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area in Charlotte County. As I arrived, meet Rick Greenspun and Bob Jones, who were from the Tampa area looking for lifers for Bob. It was interesting that John was involved with the locating and documenting the black duck and eared grebe. So he gave me assistance on how best to find these birds and I gave them an up date on activities at Harn's Marsh, which was their next stop. So from here I was heading into their territory as they were heading into mine. By 7:10 the woodpeckers had exited their nest holes and had taken off.  Here we split up to explore for brown-headed nuthatches. Did locate several House Wrens, Pine Warblers, Palm Warblers, Eastern Towhees, Eastern Meadowlarks and a Northern Harrier, plus many of the expected birds and a Black Racer, but no nuthatches. My stay here was shortened, due to my extra scheduled stops and by 9:00 am I was heading north of I-75 to Sarasota.

Monk Parakeets

Eurasian Collared Dove

By 9:45 I had arrived at the Fruitville Road exit, were my first stop was the Fruitville Library. I found the Monk Parakeets that live here plus a Belted Kingfisher, Eurasian Collared Doves and a Loggerhead Shrike in the parking lot.

Loggerhead Shrike

Next checked the nearby Ackerman Park and the Celery Fields. The lake at Ackerman Park held a lot of birds including American Coots, Double Crested Cormorants, Pie-billed Grebes, Lesser Scaups, Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Mottled Ducks, Anhingas, a Lesser Yellowlegs and three Ruddy Ducks.

Only stopped at the Celery Fields briefly were at least ten Sandhill Cranes passed over and several Sanderlings, Lesser Yellowlegs and Greater Yellowlegs were present in the drying pond near the gazebo. The only ducks observed at the time were a dozen Mottled Ducks.  Could add a Roseate Spoonbill several White Ibis and Glossy Ibis and had a Northern Harrier hunting over the wetlands. Palm Warblers and Savannah Sparrows were present at the gazebo area. My list was short of here as I did not stay long. Because next it was time to look for the Common Goldeneye.

Hooded Mergansers at Founder's Club pond on Fruitville Road

A few miles east on Fruitville Road is the Founder's Club pond. Parking is at the church across the street were I met a fellow named John who was leaving after spending a couple of hours scanning for the goldeneye without any luck. So I hoped for the best, but when you travel a long ways to locate a single bird there is the reality of failure. Have experienced this before.

Met a couple of ladies scoping the pond from the sidewalk.  They had a Redhead in the scope and were still hoping to sight the goldeneye.  Well when I moved down the sidewalk for a new vantage point, almost immediately spotted the bird. The female Common Goldeneye would only briefly remain visible before diving for a meal. She remained difficult to relocate and I could not get a photograph. The pond was loaded with birds included FOS Buffleheads, many Hooded Mergansers, Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaups, Ring-necked Ducks, Mottled Ducks, Pied-billed Grebes, Anhinga, a couple of Redheads and several waders.

Next stop was at Cockroach Bay Road, off US 41, near Ruskin, in Hillsborough County. Reports stated that an American Black Duck was present in the second mitigation pond.  I stopped at the first mitigation pond were American White Pelicans. Caspian Terns and American Avocets were present. These ponds were loaded with birds including all the waders, Belted Kingfishers, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitchers, Sanderlings, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, Lesser Scaups, Ring-necked Ducks, American Coots, Anhingas, Double-crested Cormorants and more.

American Avocets on Cockroach Bay Road mitigation ponds

At the second pond I met an avid birder named Steve who was looking for the American Black Duck. He, sporting a shirt labeled Bird Nerd, and had already located the Eared Grebe at the nearby Cockroach Bay Preserve and now had a the suspect duck in his scope.  The bad part here was that the lighting was so poor. We both agreed though that we had located the American Black Duck right where reports said to look. Steve reported that he had already found a gadwell, which I failed to relocate.  Would have been nice, but the black duck was the reward.  Hadn't seen one in over thirty years, back when I lived in Illinois.



A terrible photo of the Eared Grebe with a Pied-billed Grebe



Next stop were the ponds at Cockroach Bay Preserve on Gulf City Road.  After checking in at the rangers  office, headed out back to the ponds. Quickly found a Spotted Sandpiper, a flock of Western Sandpipers and a Lesser Yellowlegs.  The ponds had several Anhingas and Double-crested Cormorants. Had to have held sixty plus Hooded Mergansers.  A few Lesser Scaups and Ring-necked Ducks were present.  Found the Eared Grebe, a LIFER,  in the company of three Pied-billed Grebes. Also had a juvenile hawk land in some brush close by.  I originally believed it was a juvenile red-shouldered hawk, but after looking at enlargements of photos I had second thoughts. I now think that it is probably a juvenile coopers hawk.

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk or a Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

A Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk or a Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

Roseate Spoonbill in flight at Cockroach Bay Preserve

The eared grebe was a nice hit.  Had hoped to add it when I went to Idaho last month, but getting today was satisfying. I was able to recheck on the American Black Duck as I was heading for home. The lighting had improved and was able to relocate the bird.  Then it is time to head home.  It was a good day.

My list for the day (80) -

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron. Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster’s Tern, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Monk Parakeet, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, Tree Swallow, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, eastern Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Eastern Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird

Black Terns - Cockroach Bay Road

Black Terns - Cockroach Bay Road
August 9th

Only had a small window of opportunity today to do some birding outside my neighborhood. Elected to make a return, 120 mile, trip to Cockroach Bay Road, which is nearby to Ruskin, Florida. Last month I had good sitings of Gull-billed Terns, Black-bellied Ducks, Black-necked Stilts and such. Besides the ponds the area also has a couple of sod farms, so hopefully migrating shore birds could be present.

Started the day with siting a Cooper's Hawk flying across Us 41 near home as I was heading to a nine o'clock appointment.

Arrived at Cockroach Bay Road just before noon and noticed that I had left my camera at home, but what I really noticed were the dozens of Black Terns working the retention ponds. Most were still in their alternative, black, plumage. This was a pleasant surprise. Watched them feed for about twenty minutes until the flock flew off. I was also able to observe four Gull-billed Terns. Two in alternate plumage. Only found a couple of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks this time.  Had four Black-necked Stilts, several Snowy and Great Egrets.  Several Moorhens, a couple of Osprey, a lone Great Blue Heron.


Moved down the road to check out the sod farms, which only held large numbers of Laughing Gulls, White and Glossy Ibises. Didn't find any shore birds. Checked the numerous doves on the wires for any white-winged doves, but all were Mourning or Ground Doves. Did find a pair of Gray Kingbirds though.
Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls were numerous at the boat ramp at the end of road. Turned around and headed backed home, rechecking all the spots for anything missed. At the ponds, found that the black terns had returned or were being replaced by another flock.


On the way home I elected to make a short diversion over to Siesta Key, off of I-75 and was rewarded with locating a lone Nanday Parakeet or Black-hooded Parakeet sitting on the wire down by the beach.  Aways enjoy finding any parrots when birding.


Made another brief stop at Domestic Street in the south Ft Myers area near my home, to see if any burrowing owls or swallows were present, No owls were seen, but a beautiful Red-tail Hawk was seen as were a rapidly moving flock of swallows.  The only swallow I was able to ID before they disappeared was a Bank Swallow, but barn swallows were probably among them as well.

My List for the day - Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, Laughing Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Black Tern, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Rock Pigeon, Gray Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Nanday Parakeet, Red-tailed Hawk and Bank Swallow.

Gull-Billed and Black Terns

Gull-Billed and Black Terns
Tampa Bay
July 12th

After reading several reports of Black Terns at Gundy Beach, near St Petersburg and of Gull-Billed Terns at a mitigation impoundment on Cockroach bay Road, near Ruskin, I planned stops at these locations on my trip up to Tampa Bay today. My original plans were to check out Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa as well as visit my daughter who has recently moved up that way. So we had a full day ahead.

Cockroach Bay Road

A Cattle Egret at Cockroach Bay Road

My younger daughter, Katie, and I head out early making the first stop at the Ruskin location.  And just as reported, at the first impoundment encountered we did find four active Gull-Billed Terns working the pond. A LIFER!!

This location also held a large number of Cattle Egrets and European Starlings, due to the sod farms across the road. We also found several Black-Belled Whisting Ducks with at least a dozen ducklings. Other family groups include a family of Moorhens and a Black-Necked Stilt with three babies. The following is a list for this location - (26) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Laughing Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Mourning Dove, Fish Crow, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird

Lettuce Lake Park

I had hoped to locate the Prothonotary Warblers that nest here and maybe a summer tanager or carolina chickadee. Was lucky to encounter a mixed flock, which offered a very brief look at a Prothonotary Warbler. The flock also offered several Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpeckers and Northern Parulas. But no tanagers or chickadees. One interesting encountered included a pair parulas bringing food to a noisy but fledged offspring,(at left)

A couple of Limpkins were seen including this fellow enjoying a stroll on the boardwalk

List - Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Osprey, Limpkin, Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Parula, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Cardinal

Gandy Beach

I don't know why, but one of my favorite birds are the little Black Terns. I first encountered a few as they made there brief stops at Bunche Beach around Labor Day on their fall migrations the past couple of years. We see them in there more drab plumage. Last year I was successful in briefing seeing a fly-over of a pair of Black Terns in breeding plumage, while visiting in northern Illinois. This afternoon, I was able to see, from a distance at Gandy Beach (a part of the Gandy Road Causeway), at least three in breeding plumage. A couple of others were seen to have molted already. Unfortunately, all the black plumage birds were scared off by beach traffic and did not return. So no useful photos. Other terns seen included Least Terns, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns and Black Skimmers. Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls and a Willet were also present. Dolphins too.

Sandwich, Least and a Black Tern

Least Terns at Gandy BeachRoyal and Sandwich TernsLeast Terns with a Black Tern