October

Friday, November 2nd

American Avocets at Bunche Beach

Cooler weather has arrived and the Snowbirds are arriving as well to beautiful Southwest Florida. Both the avian and human snowbirds. 

Pine Warbler

October can be a very fun time here for birders. We have the migration of  neo-tropic birds passing through from points to the North heading to points far to the South, But we do see some familiar migrating birds who'll stay with us for most of the Winter. So we have the best of the waning summer species, the migrants passing through and the incoming wintering bird populations. A good time of year

It is enjoyable to chase after these migrating birds who may only be stopping off for a day or two. Some are fairly common to find like the Summer Tanagers and Yellow-throated Vireos. Some are far more uncommon to find in Florida in the fall migration like Canada Warblers and Golden-winged Warblers.  I was lucky to find a Golden-winged Warbler this year, but the Canada Warbler was an evasive  sighting for me though.. I did have a few holes in my list this year like the Gray-cheeked Thrush and Kentucky and Blue winged Warblers.  I've dipped on the Blue winged Warbler for a few years now.

A Golden winged Warbler

 seen at Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve

Some of birds we have seen passing through included Acadian Flycatchers, Least Flycatcher plus Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Ovenbirds, Tennessee, Hooded and other Warblers. Rose breasted Grosbeaks, Eastern Wood-pewees, Swainson's Thrushes, Bobolinks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos. Pectoral Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers and more. 

Our wintering arrivals will continue making there here in the coming weeks, But recently we have seen many Gray Catbirds, House Wrens, Eastern Phoebes, Wilson's Snipes, American Bitterns, Northern Harries, Belted Kingfishers, American Kestrels, American White Pelicans, Yellowlegs, Peregrine Falcons, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers,  Palm Warblers and Savannah Sparrows. 

American Red Starts were a common migrant this fall, but a hard bird to photograph

Yellow throated Warblers have become numerous

Still expecting the later arriving waterfowl. Blue wing Teal are early arrivals and I did see my first of the season Ring neck Ducks today. Other species of ducks will arrive soon, plus Common Loons and Horned Grebes. Can also add Painted buntings, Red-crowned Kinglets, Blue-headed Vireos, Black-throated Green Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Swamp and Grasshopper Sparrows and more.

It appears that it may be harder to find Painted and Indigo Buntings and American Goldfinches this season as the famous feeders we have all enjoyed at the Whites' residence in Alva are probably no more. As their property has been sold. 

Great Crested Flycatcher

Gray Catbird

Our wintering Shorebirds have already arrived from their breeding grounds. Short-billed Dowitchers, Willets, Marbled Godwits, Red Knots, Black-bellied Plovers, Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers, Piping Plovers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Avocets. Plus the wintering gulls should be arriving in about a month. So enjoy the cooler weather and all these birds.

Red Knot. This fellow has lost its left foot.

Saw this scruffy Lark Sparrow out on Church Road

American White Pelican are returning

Bald Eagles are returning too

As are Double crested Cormorants

Fort DeSoto Birds

Tuesday, January 17th

Ft DeSoto Park, in Tampa Bay, is a Go-To place to bird, especially during migration. Currently, though we have a couple of special birds there making it worthwhile for a day trip.

Smooth-billed Ani

We currently have a lone Smooth-billed Ani wintering on the island. This species comes into  Florida from populations in  Cuba. They have historically been uncommon in Florida, but there was a big increase in their population in the southern half of the state in the mid 20th century. However, starting in the 1970's their population has crashed and are now considered to be very uncommon today. So today, with my daughter Katie, come to Ft DeSoto to see the Ani.

Another uncommon species to spend the winter in Florida is the Lark Sparrow. A single bird is wintering on the island in the company of Palm Warblers. We did not see the Scissor-tailed Flycatchers that are being seen the campground entrance.

Besides the Ani and the Sparrow , we had some good looks at Red-breasted Mergansers and Nanday Parakeets.

Nanday Parakeets

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

American White Pelican

Ospreys are extremely common here

Fall Migration Improves

Monday, October 5th

 The month of September was very disappointing to those of us that had waited in anticipation for the fall migration. Weather conditions were probably unfavorable for birding in our corner of Florida. Yet that should be good for the birds on their long journey.

An FOS American Kestrel seen at Festival Park in Cape Coral

Florida Scrub Jay seen at Festival Park in Cape Coral

Yesterday I had spent a couple of hours birding in Cape Coral. First stop was a stack-out location for a recently seen lark sparrow. However it looks like it had already moved on.  So I spent time in Cape Coral looking for birds like the Burrowing Owls and Monk Parakeets at the Pelican Boulevard baseball park,  Then to Festival Park near Kismet and Chiquita Boulevards. Here were located Florida Scrub Jays, a Burrowing Owl, Eastern Meadowlarks, and an FOS American Kestrel.

Loggerhead Shrike seen at Festival Park in Cape Coral

Then I headed to Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve in eastern Ft Myers, were I learned that I had missed a very nice mixed flock that consisted of several warblers including a male Golden-winged Warbler. The Golden-winged is a much sought after species as we only see a few each fall.

Recent weather conditions spawned by Hurricane Juanita seemed to have encouraged the migrants to take a break and rest up till the winds change.  So we maybe seeing some good improvement. Though this nice mixed flock disappeared by the time I had arrived, it was encouraging

Monk Parakeet seen Pelican Blvd Baseball Fields in Cape Coral

This morning was very much better for those of us who had gathered at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Most everyone were able to observe a female Golden-winged Warbler, a Lifer for me. Additionally we added a Scarlet Tanager and a Summer Tanager Additional warblers seen by our group included Ovenbird, Worm-eating, Yellow-throated, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-White, Blackburnian, Northern Parula, Pine, Palm, Prairie, Tennessee, American Redstart, Magnolia, and Chestnut-sided. Some have added Acadia Flycatcher and Swainson's Thrush.

Burrowing Owls seen Pelican Blvd Baseball Fields in Cape Coral

Eastern Meadowlark seen Festival Park in Cape Coral

The Lark Sparrow photographed by Tammy McQuaid in Cape Coral

On October first, Charlie Ewell spotted the Lark Sparrow and posted an alert. Seems it only stayed around through the second. Maybe it'll reappear soon.

Lark Sparrow at Ft DeSoto

Thursday, February 2nd

Lark Sparrow at Ft DeSoto

Royal Tern

Headed back to Ft DeSoto to look for the Lark Sparrow and rose-breasted grosbeak reported there. Made a quick stop in Sarasota and checked out Ackerman Park (mostly Northern Shovelers) and Founders Club ponds.  The Common Goldeneye was easily seen at the Flounders Club and can add Lesser Scaup, Ring-billed Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Blue-winged Teal and Mottled Duck.  Also had a couple dozen Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on a pond at Tadum and Fruitville Roads

Red-breasted Merganser

Spent four hour at Ft DeSoto enjoying a beautiful day.  A group of birders but me onto the Lark Sparrow and they had successfully sighted the rose-breasted grosbeak earlier in the day.  However I was not so lucky on the grosbeak. Did observe several Common Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers off the beaches and a Horned Grebe at the East Beach turnaround. Also saw most the expected shorebirds and gulls including about 25 Red Knots.  Did come across a Great Horned Owl and a small group of warblers - Pine, Palm, Northern Parula and Yellow-rumps. Had a flock of seventeen Nanday Parakeets show up at the bay pier parking lot.

Great Horned Owl

On the way home I rechecked on the Fork-tailed Flycatcher near Cockroach Bay and was rewarded to see that it was still present

It was a good day

Ring-billed Gull

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Day's List - (81)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Wood Stork,  Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, Sandhill Crane,  Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Willet,  Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collard-Dove, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Nanday Parakeet, Great Horned Owl,  Belted Kingfisher, Fish Crow,  Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Tree Swallow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Northern Parula, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird