Painted Buntings at Corckscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Sunday, January 29th

Painted Buntings at feeder located at the Blair House

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is located in eastern Collier County and is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society.  The sanctuary is home to one of the oldest stand of bald cypress trees left in the U.S. These trees, some several hundred years old, were barely saved from the loggers' axe.  It is a Jewel.

Besides the famed Wood Stork breeding colonies located here in the winter, it also hosts at least one of the few rare Ghost Orchids found in Florida.

Spent a couple of hours today walking the boardwalk. The feeders at the Blair House and at the Bunting House each hosted a pair of Painted Buntings. The Bunting House feeders also is home to a wintering Ovenbird.  Other sightings included a pair of Anhingas in a noisy altercation. Don't know what their problems were. Several Red-shouldered Hawks were active. One was busy consuming a snake and another pair were being very amorous. Had a few warblers, like Black-and White, Palm, Common Yellowthroat and Northern Parula.  Lots of Gray Catbirds and a Barred Owl, White-eyed Vireo and Carolina Wrens were heard. A light-phased short-tailed hawk was seen by several people, but was a miss for me. Other birds included Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Wood Stork, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker and Northern Cardinal.

An unusual visitor to the Blair House was a Rafinesque's Long-eared Bat sleeping near the outside rest rooms.  This is an uncommon bat and an excellent finish to my visit.  Earlier in the day I counted at least eighty Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at a pond on Immokalee Road east of Sanctuary Road.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Gray Catbird



Common Yellowthroat

Red-shouldered Hawk eating a freshly caught snake

Water Moccasin



Rafinesque's Long-eared Bat

Ten Warbler Day at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Wednesday, September 7th

Zebra Longwing

Arrived at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary at about 9:30am with the goal of finding any currant migrants.   Dick Brewer's blog had mentioned some interesting sightings including a kentucky warbler and the staff mentioned more sightings including FOS eastern phoebe, a hooded warbler and a blue-winged warbler.

My count for the day began with sightings of Crested Caracara and Black-belled Whistling Duck along Oil Well Road. At the Blair Center at Corkscrew checked out the butterfly garden for any hummers.  Did not sight an, but as I was later departing got looks at a couple of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. On the boardwalk, had a nice mixed flock at the bunting house including White-eyed Vireos, Carolina Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Tufted Titmice, a Prairie Warbler, a Northern Parula, a Yellow-throated Wabler and a Pine Warbler.  Also had a trio of Great Crested Flycatchers, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Cardinals.

Was able to add more gnatcatchers, carolina wrens, tufted titmice and great crested flycatchers, a Red-eyed Vireo, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker Red-shouldered Hawk, a Northern Waterthrush and a FOS Common Yellowthroat. Near the overlook, staff pointed out another very nice mixed flock including  a couple of Worm-eating Warblers, Northern Parula, Prothonotary Warblers, and Black-and-White Warblers. Later heard a distant call of a Barred Owl.  Not a bad day.



Little Blue Heron



Boardwalk at Bird Rookery Swamp

 One of the staff at Corkscrew told me about a close by, new access point to CREW property called Bird Rookery Swamp Trail.  It is located on Shady Hollow Boulevard, off of Immokalee Road.  did checked it out on my way home.  Not very birdy at the time, but the brushy fields next to the trail head would be promising later for buntings and sparrows.



Wild Hibiscus



A Pine Siskin in Immokalee

Tuesday, April 12th

Today I had originally planned to return to Ft DeSoto with the hopes that spring migration has begun.  However reports were not good.  No birds and a lot of mosquitoes. So I'll skip it today.  Hopefully next week will be an improvement and I already plan on joining Bob Pelkey at that time.

Instead I headed to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Immakolee in Collier County. Arriving about 9 am and I already had roadside hits on a Broad-winged Hawk and a Hairy Woodpecker. Only was 



Gray Catbird



able to add a couple of warblers, Northern Parula and Black-and White. Not much here as far as spring migration is concerned. Still lots of Gray Catbids around and were the most common species of the day. Red-shouldered Hawks were also very active including one that another boardwalk visitor told me had captured a snake.  Went over to check it out and found the hawk without the snake but with wings spread out to dry them. Had to have gotten wet with hunting water snakes.



Red-shouldered Hawk

One sad but 'circle-of-life' event that was related by one of the volunteers to some of the visitors happened the other day when a mother wood duck enter the pond we were standing by with five ducklings in tow. This is when a black-crowned night-heron attached and grabbed a baby duck for a meal. This reminds me of observing yellow-crowned night-herons patrolling the least tern nesting area on Ft Myers Beach in search of a carelessly guarded tern chick.

Other species encountered at Corkscrew Swamp included Tufted Titmouse, Great Crested Flycatcher, Carolina Wren, a Swallow-tailed Kite, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a Swamp Sparrow and White-eyed Vireos.

Another visitor I ran into was Vince Lucas, a very active birder, e-bird coordinator for Collier County and on a Big Year for Collier County. He gave directions to a residence in Immokalee were bird feeders are very active with buntings, white-winged doves and a pair of Pine Siskins.  Yesturday he was alerted to a flock of cedar waxwings but missed them by minutes.  Cedar Waxwings have not been very numerous this winter season in south Florida. 

Following Corkscrew Swamp I did head over to Immoklee for the siskins.  Along the way I found a flock of Black-belled Whistling Ducks. Did manage to locate the residence and yes, had  a Pine Siskin on the feeder.  LIFER!!  Also had a large number of Indigo Buntings, a female Painted Buntings and Red-belled Woodpecker, and several White-winged Doves, but no waxwings. After leaving Immokalee came across a road kill location with several Black Vultures and a Crested Caracara. As for the vultures, one or more could be destined to colliade with traffic as they keep flying in low through the fast moving vehicules.  I almost had one crash into my windshield.  A close call.

The Red-shouldered Hawk nest



On the way home stopped at CREW Marsh Trail on Corkscrew Road for lunch and spent about an hour hiking trails. Again not  very birdy.  Did encounter an active Red-shouldered hawk nest. Watched as one parent brought something to the nest for the single white, downy offspring observed.  Then the other parent arrived with a three foot black racer.  The adult could be seen working on this snake and was most likely feeding the baby.

Found this signage at the trailhead advising on what to do if a hiker encounters a Florida Panther

Ground Skink - observed this small lizard on the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp.

Ghost Orchid - a Visit to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Thursday, November 11th

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a jewel, owned and operated by the Audubon Society in eastern Collier County. The lands were acquired at the time to save the last stand of ancient bald cypress as well as preserve an important nesting rookery for the endangered wood stork.

Currently the storks are away, but nesting should began, as long as conditions are favorable, around January. But another treasure is to be found here in one of the rarest orchids to be found in Florida.  The Ghost Orchid.

On my visit the orchid was in bloom. A single blossom. When the plant was first discovered, here at Corkscrew a few years ago, people were coming here from all over the US and abroad to see this rare plant. This rare species was also the subject of a non-fiction book called 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean.  The book was later is adopted in Meryl Streep's film Adaptation (2002).

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

 My visit was not to see the orchid but to see what birds could be found.  Warblers, vireos and buntings were my targets on the day. Also Yellow-billed Cuckoos were being reported.  The water level was to high for there to be a lot of wading birds.  But I was more interesed in the little birds.

Red-Shouldered Hawks are common here

 Started out about 8:30 in the morning and spent some time waiting on any hummingbirds at the gardens at the front of Blair House. But none appeared as I watched.  So onto the boardwalk. First checked the feeders at the back porch for painted buntings. No buntings at this time. Then checking for brown-headed nuthatches in the pines at the start of the boardwalk.  But not on this day. Did find several Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers though.  The days most common bird. Several Gray Catbirds were also heard.  The first of several Red-Shouldered Hawks was seen.

The beginning of the walk was frustrating as so many birds could be heard, but not seen. Especially Common Yellowthroats. But at about half way things improved when Yellow-billed Cuckoo flew into a small tree within a few feet of the boardwalk. Following this, were a couple of mixed feeding flocks featuring more gnatcatchers and Tufted Titmice.  A pair of Great Crested Flycatchers were active and was able to add five more warblers imcluding Palm, Prairie, Black-and-White, Northern Parula and Pine Warblers. Also found White-Eyed and Blue-Headed Vireos.

A huge Alligator basking in the morning sun

At the Lettuce Lakes was found a pair of Anhingas resting in the trees, plus a sleeping Black-Crowned Nightheron. Also here was a huge alligator basking in the sun on a island on the lake. It was disappointing to miss the buntings and hummingbirds, but the cuckoo made up for it.  A family of three Sandhill Cranes was also seen along Immokolee Road just prior to the turn onto to Sanctuary Road on the way into Corkscrew Swamp.

My List - (28)
Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Northern Parula, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinal, Boat-tailed Grackle

Carolina Wrens

Carolina Wrens -
Some current birding
Monday Oct 4th

Inlet at Bunche Beach at Low Tide

Monday morning we planned on a visit to The Everglades and Key Largo to look for south Florida specialities like white-tailed kites, white-crowned pigeons and common mynas. May even have a gray kingbird still hanging around. Sometimes Swainson's hawks have already arrived by now.  But oops - when we went to take off at 5am, my car battery was dead. Maybe we can go later this month.

Later Monday afternoon, after resolving the mechanical problems, I checked out Bunche Beach and Six-Mile Cypress Slough. Arrived at Bunche Beach at a low tide. Found Barn Swallows working the beach and a Peregrine Falcon caused a big stir among the forging and resting flocks. A half dozen pink Roseate Spoonbills working the shallows at the north inlet with a pair of noisy Belted Kingfishers flying overhead.

Had a few Wilson's Plovers and a lone Piping Plover.  Lots of Semipalmated Plovers and Sanderlings. The American oystercatcher and the many Black Skimmers have a very comic appearance. Checked carefully for the red-necked phalarope that was seen last week, but has been missing lately. I think that this may have a first report of a red-necked phalarope in Lee County. A White-eyed Vireo could be heard in the scrub behind the beach. Had a total count here of 34 species

Roseate Spoonbill at Bunche Beach

Next I left the beach for the swamp. Arrived at Six-Mile Cypress Slough boardwalk. The White Ibis, Anhingas, Great Egreat and Cattle Egrets were already starting to assemble at the night rookery on the lake. Not much else was found here at this time.  Had a lot of Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and Tufted Titmice., but the only warblers seen were a lone Black-and White and a lone Palm. Only eleven species here today.

Carolina Wren at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Tuesday Oct 6th

Checked out Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County this morning.  Place had very few visitors this morning, but the birding was okay. Had an abundance of active and noisy Carolina Wrens, FOS Gray Catbirds were everywhere and White-eyed Vireos were also very common. Encountered a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the butterfly garden at the entrance to Blair House. A painted bunting had recently been reported here, just as their arrival on the east coast are being reported. But I did not sight one today, but it won't be long. Not a large quantity of warblers but did get samplings of Black-and-White, Northern Parula, Prairie, Pine and American Redstarts.  These all represent species expected to be found here. No tropical migrants were present today.

One mixed flock of Tufted Titmice, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, American Redstart, Northern Parula and Great Crested Flycatchers seemed very agitated concerning a certain tree cavity in a grand old cypress tree. The commotion attracted a Red-Bellied Woodpecker who had to check out the hole too. No idea what the issue was all about. Maybe a snake was sleeping inside. Pileated Woodpeckers were seen several times, but only found a lone Downy Woodpecker. Black and Turkey Vultures soared overhead with an occasional Red-shouldered Hawk or Anhinga. Another soaring hawk appeared to be a Coopers Hawk. Total count here was 26

Month to date is 89.

Red-Eyed Vireo - Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Tuesday April 20th

  After taking care of some business I headed over to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County to see if there was any interesting warbler activity. Could not get there till 10:30 am and found the number of visitors to be way down since my last visit. Reason being that so many snowbirds have already headed back north.

  At the butterfly garden, at the entrance to Blair House, I was informed that I had just missed a hummingbird. After a short wait, I can always try again when later, on the hummer I went inside to pay. Here I was rewarded with a male painted bunting at the feeders behind the building. Grackles and Red-bellied Woodpeckers soon took over and ran it off.  Waited at the feeder for a reappearance of the pair of Shiny Cowbirds, that I had just missed. Pushed on,  as I could try again on my way out, for the cowbirds.
   At the feeders I met up with Jeff, an ex-patriot Brit and snow-birder from New Jersey, whom I had walked with on a prior visit. Later on we were joined by a lady from Michigan, who had just flown-in to search for property in Cape Coral (residential property here are at fire sale values with the collapse of the local housing market). She was a very experienced birder and had plans to attend a birding festival at the migrant trap at McGee Marsh in Ohio in a couple of weeks.

Gray Catbirds were very abundant

 We found the water level to be very high today, so few waders were to be expected.  Had hoped for some nightherons, but only a sole Little Blue Heron and a sole Great Egret were seen. Noisy and soaring Red-Shouldered Hawks were very evident as were calling Gray Catbirds, White-eyed Vireos and Carolina Wrens.  A scope was set up at a Blue Gray Gnatcatchers nest for visitors to use and where we were able watch the gnatcatcher harrass a Red-Bellied Woodpecker that was much to close for the vigilant gnatcatcher. A couple of Great Crested Flycatchers were seen and heard. As for the warblers they were found high up in the canopy of these ancient cypress trees.  Heard several Northern Parulas and actually could only locate a beautiful singing male as the emerging foliage did make the birding more challenging. One warbler we found as Black-throated Green Warbler.  We were able to add a Black-and White Warbler and a calling Pine Warbler. A suspected tennessee warbler, only seen from directly below, I am now convinced was the similarly looking Red-Eyed Vireo. Several FOY Chimney Swifts were seen and heard. It was a good day with a few interesting birds, but not a great variety of warblers. One very interesting observation was a white-tailed fawn and doe grazing right next to the boardwalk.  They were very tolerant of the walkers. Left at 2PM without the shiny cowbirds or hummer, but was satisfied with an enjoyable walk in great weather. Won't be long till the daily 90+ degree temps, high humidity and afternoon showers reappear.

 

The Fawn

 

The Doe

My List - Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Chimney Swift, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Boat-tailed Grackle

Shiny Cowbird

On Tuesday, February 16th, visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, arriving about 10:45am and the place was packed. They expected a 800 visitor day. Extremely Crowded. I came to see if I could locate the reported Shiny Cowbirds at the feeders. Waited patiently at the butterfly garden feeder, but so many people came through the area that the cowbirds and grackles would only briefly come out.  Did have a male Painted Bunting make an appearance.

Took to the boardwalk and had a suprising number of hits considering the the crowds. Had six warblers including Black & White, Yellow-Throated, Common Yellowthroat, Palm, Yellow-Rumped and Northern Parula. Also had three vireos - White-eyed, Blue-Headed and a Yellow Throated.  The Yellow-Throated Vireo was very unusual as it is kind of early yet for their arrival. Saw a couple of Red-Shouldered hawks, but missed on the Barred Owls.  Had another male Painted Bunting at the Bunting House feeder, but did not see the resident ovenbird. The water was to deep for the wading birds, so only saw one Little Blue Egret and no nightherons. At the feeders at the end of the boardback finally succeed in locating a Shiny Cowbird among the many grackles and Brown-Headed Cowbirds.  Also had six more Painted Buntings at the feeders as well . Cool!!

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.

November Ramblings - October Too

Having failed to post anything for about the past four weeks, I thought I'd put together a summary of some of my birding activities. For example, I was fortunate to come across a resting Chuck-Will's Widow on three occasions in the same week. Before the time-change, it was still dark in the morning as I was leaving work for home, and I was lucky to discover the chuck-will's-widow resting atop a fence post. I was able to repeat our visit with the same bird on the same post a couple more times on mornings with low road traffic. No doubt it is now resting somewhere in Costa Rica or there abouts tonight. Photography efforts only produced the red glow of its eyes. Sightings noted on October 21 and 24

My October list (160) -

1. 
   
   Muscovy Duck
2. 
   
   Canada Geese
3. 
   
   Wood Duck -
4. 
   
   Mallard
5. 
   
   Mottled Duck
6. 
   
   Blue-winged Teal -
7. 
   
   Pied-billed Grebe
8. 
   
   American White Pelican
9. 
   
   Brown Pelican
10. 
    
    Double-crested Cormorant
11. 
    
    Anhinga
12. 
    
    Magnificent Frigatebird
13. 
    
    Great Blue Heron
14. 
    
    Great Egret
15. 
    
    Snowy Egret
16. 
    
    Little Blue Heron
17. 
    
    Tricolored Heron
18. 
    
    Reddish Egret
19. 
    
    Cattle Egret
20. 
    
    Green Heron
21. 
    
    Black-crowned Night-Heron
22. 
    
    White Ibis
23. 
    
    Glossy Ibis
24. 
    
    Roseate Spoonbil
25. 
    
    Wood Stork
26. 
    
    Black Vulture
27. 
    
    Turkey Vulture
28. 
    
    Osprey
29. 
    
    White-tailed Kite
30. 
    
    Snail Kite
31. 
    
    Bald Eagle
32. 
    
    Northern Harrier
33. 
    
    Sharp-shinned Hawk
34. 
    
    Cooper's Hawk
35. 
    
    Red-shouldered Hawk
36. 
    
    Broad-winged Hawk
37. 
    
    Short-tailed Hawk
38. 
    
    Red-tailed Hawk
39. 
    
    Crested Caracara
40. 
    
    American Kestrel
41. 
    
    Merlin
42. 
    
    Peregrine Falcon
43. 
    
    Clapper Rail
44. 
    
    Common Moorhen
45. 
    
    American Coot
46. 
    
    Limpkin
47. 
    
    Sandhill Crane
48. 
    
    Black-bellied Plover
49. 
    
    Snowy Plover
50. 
    
    Wilson's Plover
51. 
    
    Semipalmated Plover
52. 
    
    Piping Plover
53. 
    
    Killdeer
54. 
    
    American Oystercatcher
55. 
    
    Spotted Sandpiper
56. 
    
    Greater Yellowlegs
57. 
    
    Willet
58. 
    
    Lesser Yellowlegs
59. 
    
    Marbled Godwit
60. 
    
    Ruddy Turnstone
61. 
    
    Red Knot
62. 
    
    Sanderling
63. 
    
    Semipalmated Sandpiper
64. 
    
    Western Sandpiper
65. 
    
    Least Sandpiper
66. 
    
    Pectoral Sandpiper
67. 
    
    Dunlin
68. 
    
    Short-billed Dowitchers
69. 
    
    Long-billed Dowitchers
70. 
    
    Wilson's Snipe
71. 
    
    Laughing Gull
72. 
    
    Ring-billed Gull
73. 
    
    Herring Gull
74. 
    
    Lesser Black-backed Gull
75. 
    
    Great Black-backed Gull
76. 
    
    Caspian Tern
77. 
    
    Forster's Tern
78. 
    
    Royal Tern
79. 
    
    Sandwich Tern
80. 
    
    Black Skimmer
81. 
    
    Rock Pigeon
82. 
    
    Eurasian Collared-Dove
83. 
    
    Mourning Dove
84. 
    
    Common Ground-Dove
85. 
    
    Monk Parakeet
86. 
    
    Yellow-billed Cuckoo
87. 
    
    Burrowing Owl
88. 
    
    Chuck-will's-widow
89. 
    
    Chimney Swift
90. 
    
    Ruby-throated Hummingbird
91. 
    
    Belted Kingfisher
92. 
    
    Red-headed Woodpecker
93. 
    
    Red-bellied Woodpecker
94. 
    
    Downy Woodpecker
95. 
    
    Hairy Woodpecker
96. 
    
    Northern Flicker
97. 
    
    Pileated Woodpecker
98. 
    
    Eastern Wood-Pewee
99. 
    
    Eastern Phoebe
100. 
     
     Great Crested Flycatcher
101. 
     
     Western Kingbird
102. 
     
     Gray Kingbird
103. 
     
     Loggerhead Shrike
104. 
     
     White-eyed Vireo
105. 
     
     Yellow-throated Vireo
106. 
     
     Blue-headed Vireo
107. 
     
     Red-eyed Vireo
108. 
     
     Blue Jay
109. 
     
     Florida Scrub-Jay
110. 
     
     American Crow
111. 
     
     Fish Crow
112. 
     
     Purple Martin
113. 
     
     Tree Swallow
114. 
     
     Northern Rough-winged Swallow
115. 
     
     Cliff Swallow
116. 
     
     Barn Swallow
117. 
     
     Carolina Chickadee
118. 
     
     Tufted Titmouse
119. 
     
     Carolina Wren
120. 
     
     House Wren
121. 
     
     Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
122. 
     
     Eastern Bluebird
123. 
     
     Swainson's Thrush
124. 
     
     Hermit Thrush
125. 
     
     Gray Catbird
126. 
     
     Northern Mockingbird
127. 
     
     Brown Thrasher
128. 
     
     Tennessee Warbler
129. 
     
     Nashville Warbler
130. 
     
     Northern Parula
131. 
     
     Magnolia Warbler
132. 
     
     Yellow-rumped Warbler
133. 
     
     Black-throated Green Warbler
134. 
     
     Yellow-throated Warbler
135. 
     
     Pine Warbler
136. 
     
     Prairie Warbler
137. 
     
     Palm Warbler
138. 
     
     Black-and-white Warbler
139. 
     
     American Redstart
140. 
     
     Ovenbird
141. 
     
     Northern Waterthrush
142. 
     
     Common Yellowthroat
143. 
     
     Hooded Warbler
144. 
     
     Summer Tanager
145. 
     
     Scarlet Tanager
146. 
     
     Eastern Towhee
147. 
     
     Northern Cardinal
148. 
     
     Rose-breasted Grosbeak
149. 
     
     Indigo Bunting
150. 
     
     Painted Bunting
151. 
     
     Bobolink
152. 
     
     Red-winged Blackbird
153. 
     
     Eastern Meadowlark
154. 
     
     Common Grackle
155. 
     
     Boat-tailed Grackle
156. 
     
     Brown-headed Cowbird
157. 
     
     Baltimore Oriole
158. 
     
     House Sparrow
159. 
     
     European Starling
160. 
     
     Common Myna
     　
     November 2nd Trip to Lake County (42) - My Nemeses Bird was the Say's Phoebe, which is a rare bird in Florida. Seems a single individual Say's Phoebe has been wintering in the same field on Ranch Road outside Astatula in lake County, a four drive from my home. Twice last winter I went up to Lake County seeking - twitching- the Say's as a life count and with making three visits to the site on each trip and struck-out. The sad thing here is that a great number of birders had basically driven up to the location and quickly sited the bird for there tick.

So My daughter Katie and I headed north, birding along the way. We started at Harns Marsh with a FOS Savannah Sparrow, Limplin and Snail Kites, - Mottled Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Osprey, Snail Kite, Common Moorhen, Limpkin, Palm Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle. Then made a stop in Alva to locate the Red-Headed Woodpeckers - Mourning Dove, Red-headed Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Meadowlark We located a pair of Creasted Caracaras in Gladys County - Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Crested Caracara, American Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, American Crow. Arrived at Ranch Road and did have a brief, distant view of the Say's Phoebe, which was not too satisfing, but finally took care of my nemesus bird - Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Eastern Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark. Before heading for home we checked the nearby Lust Road, which has been a good source for locating western kingbirds, various sparrows and an ash-throated Flycatcher, which is another western bird that seems to like this area. But again, not today. Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, American Crow, Gray Catbird, Palm Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird

November 5th Bunche Beach - A sundown visit to Bunche Beach was rewarded with a fly over of a Caspian Tern. I had gone down to the beach with the idea of perhaps locating the Caspian tern that had been reported earlier on Ft Myers Beach, as we rarely find them in our locality. My List - Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Osprey, Black-bellied Plover, Wilson's Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, House Wren, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal

November 8th Harns Marsh - Another visit to Hans Marsh in Lehigh Acres found it very busy even with the heavy winds that day. But most of the activity was not on the eastern marsh area because of the winds, rather on the other side off of the Harns Marsh Elementary School site. Found hits on Blue-Winged Teal, FOS Green0Winged Teal, Snail Kites, Limpkins, Northern Harriers and Sandhill Cranes. Lots of vultures. My List - Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Snail Kite, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, American Coot, Limpkin, Sandhill Crane, Solitary Sandpiper, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle

November 9th Collier County (71) - Started the day at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County, then to Eagle Lakes in east Naples and back into Lee County at Bunche Beach to see if T.S. Ida was blowing in any pelagic species toward shore.

*Corkscrew Swamp offered its usually waders and fall warblers. Did attempt to locate painted Buntings, which I apparently just missed near the Bunting House feeder. Was lucky to spot a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird at the butterfly garden by Blair House. My list - Anhinga, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Black Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Grackle

*Eagle Lakes is were I had located a pair of Wood Ducks back in July. Did not find them on this day but did find lots of American Coots, FOS pair of Ring-Necked Ducks, several Mottled ducks and few Blue-Winged Teal. My best bird was a Merlin. My list - Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, 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, Wood Stork, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, European Starling, Palm Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle

*Bunche Beach did not offer any pelagics, but did see most of the usual peeps, waders and shore birds. The most interesting sighting was a lone female Lesser Scaup sitting in the surf near shore, but was uncooperative for any closer view as it paddled out into the bay. My list - Lesser Scaup, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer

November 9th & 10th T.S. Ida - Tropical Storm Ida was churning in the Gulf of Mexico on its way to landfall in Alabama and sometimes these storms especially the hurricanes can push pelagic species toward shore. In September 2008 had some luck on Bunche Beach with three Bridled Terns. This storm, though it did create some winds, did not seem to offer up anything special at the beach. I checked Bunche Beach on the 9th and early on the 10th I was checking Little Estero Lagoon on Ft Myers Beach. Most interesting were the nine or so Magnificent Frigatebirds that were soaring above the shore and a count of 50 (counted them twice) American Oystercatchers huddling out of the winds. My list - Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Magnificent Frigatebird, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Osprey, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Plover, Wilson's Plover, Semipalmated Plover, American Oystercatcher, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer

November 16 Dade County Visit (72) - Left home in San Carlos park at 3:30 am with a goal of arriving at Lucky Hammock at sun rise, the rest of the day included stops in The Everglades, Culter Wetlands and Cutler Marsh, plus any sighting in Florida City and Homestead. For me. I enjoy spotting any of Florida's established exotic species, and anytime I am in South Florida I am looking for parrots and other species. While gassing up the car for my drive home for the day I was able watch a flock of Common Mynas wire sitting and bathing in puddles along a busy intersection. earlier at another nearby intersection I had a flock of six or seven long-tailed green parrots fly by. Sadly I was able to get any better notes on the parrots, but I do not think that they were monk parakeets. Made a point of checking a site in Florida City that often yielded western kingbirds and scissor-tailed flycatchers last year, but were not evident on this day. Understand that they have finally moved back in December.

*Lucky Hammock & The Annex - Arrived just at sun rise and checked the road for whipper-poor-wills or any nighthawks. But it started out a bit quite. Was hoping to find western kingbirds as I had last month, plus white-tailed kites and to see if any swainsen's hawks were on hand. Well none of any of these were found today. Did find a young Peregrine Falcon resting on a low bush in the field as well as several American Kestrel and a couple of hunting Northern Harriers. Sandhill Cranes and dozens of Wood Storks flew over head. The Hammock and adjacent bushy area yielded a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, a Least Flycatcher, several Eastern Phoebes, a Northern Waterthrush, a solo Tree Swallow, Great Crested Flycatcher and White-eyed Vireo. The fields yielded several sparrows. I had figured that most were Song Sparrows and the rest were Savannah Sparrows. But I was put straight immediately when I had posted finding Song Sparrows on the TAS message board. As the following comment was a sent to me. "It's a common mistake anywhere in South Florida. SOSPs are exceedingly rare below Lake Okeechobee. . . ." Others also commented on the TAS site. Seems that some savannah sparrows sport similar breast markings as song sparrows. But who is to say that I had not actually located six song sparrows well south of there normal range. Misplace birds are located all of the time. But I do not have any cred with the birding world, at this point. So, without evidence may claim is rejected. My list - Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Sandhill Crane, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-throated Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle

*Everglades National Park was not too special on my visit. Checked out the Anhinga Trail but it was mostly a few waders and anhingas. American Crows and Black Vultures dominate the parking lot. Hiked the Snake Bight Trail which was not too troubled with mosquitoes or birds. The best viewing was a flock of American White Pelicans flying over-head and Broad-Winged Hawk soaring above the boardwalk at the Florida Bay terminus.. At Mrazak Pond we had Blue-Wing Teal, a female Northern Shoveler, a couple of Pied-Billed Grebes, and all the waders. At Flamingo we had the usual Ospreys, Bald Eagle and a lone Red-Breasted Merganser.

My list - Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Red-breasted Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Willet, Laughing Gull, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle

*Cutler Wetlands had a lot of ducks, mostly American Coots, Mottled Ducks and Blue-winged Teal. Might have ID'd more, but needed a scope. Hoping for american avocets, but settled for Long-Billed Dowitchers My list - Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Northern Harrier, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle

Cutler Dump Marsh is a location that featured a tropical kingbird in residence last year and had read that it had returned. But not today. Best sighting was a FOS Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.
My list - Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Coot, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Loggerhead Shrike, Palm Warbler

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Today Monday, September 28th, I arrived at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary just after daybreak. Spent the next four hours birding the boardwalk through this ancient cypress swamp. The sanctuary was hopping with four active species - Carolina Wren, White-Eyed Vireo, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and Common Grackles. Was hoping to hit on a major warbler fall-out. Did hit on five warblers - Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warbler, Nothern Parula, Yellowthroated Warbler and a female American Redstart. But no real fall-out today. Missed on reported Prothonotary Warbler, Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush. Also missed were Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and Painted Bunting. But had two very good hits on other birds while stacking out the Bunting House feeder for bunting activities. Seems we had some migrants passing through as I had two Veery and a lifer with an excellent look at a Yellowthroated Vireo. Came across three FOS Gray Catbirds as well. Other sightings include Red-Shouldered Hawk, Great Crested Flycatchers, White Ibis (only waders in the swamp due to deep water), Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker