New Years Big Day

 Monday January 5th

New Year's Big Day - eBird Trip Report

Western Lesser Black-backed Gull

 

Kicked off the new year with a Big Day of birding.  Stayed within Lee County, starting before sunrise at Estero Bay Preserve SP--Winkler Point, where my first bird for the year was a calling Bald Eagle. Moved onto Bunche Beach, Bass Road Ponds, Cape Coral, Powell Creek Preserve, Alva and ending at with brief stops at Harns Marsh and West Marsh in Lehigh Acres. After wrapping up my day at West Marsh it was time to head home for some rest. But the day was not done, because there was a call from Eary Warren giving me a heads up on a sighting at of a Red Throated Loon that he and his posse had located at Riverside Park in Fort Myers. A very rare sighting to southwest Florida. As it was only a 14-minute drive from my home, I headed out. At the park I added Forster's Terns to my list, but not the loon. Will try again later.

Gulfside City Park Beach - Sanibel Island

 Thursday January 9th

Gulfside Beach is a public park operated by the town of Sanibel Island. Parking is $6.00 per hour

https://ebird.org/checklist/S208610007

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull trying the Crab

Sandwich Tern

Piping Plover

Willet

American Oystercatcher

Sanderling

Brown Pelican

Ruddy Turnstone

Royal Tern

Flamingo

 Sunday September 17th

Hurricane Idalia had a significant impact on the northern Florida. One very interesting affect was the dispersal of American Flamingos across Florida and other southeastern states. Having spotted as far north as Ohio. Locally we had a large gathering of birds at Estero Bay Preserve State Park, but to reach their location required a rather difficult hike through flooded salt flats and biting insects. So for me, I elected to visit Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County to see another flamingo, nicknamed Peaches. 

Lots of shorebirds at DeSoto today

Wilson's Plover

Piping Plover

Red Knot

American Oystercatcher

Pectoral Sandpiper

Sanderling

Reddish Heron

Semipalmated Plover

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Iceland Gull

 Tuesday March 9th

Iceland Gull at Fort Myers Beach
I'm told that it is probably a second-year cycle bird

This current winter birding season has seen a number of out-of-range birds show up in Florida. We're always on look-out for these interesting vagrants. Smooth-billed Anis, Least Grebe and  a Cuban pewee, are a few of our current interesting birds to chase.  Iceland Gulls have been seen in several locations this year, from the Panhandle to Southwest Florida. Their wintering range is usually up in on New England coast line.

The species was one of my target species on a visit to St Marks NWR, in the Panhandle, in early January. Don't know if the really low tide was an influence, during my visit, as to why very few sea birds were present, at the shore.  The expected Iceland Gull was temporarily, absent though. 

But when My friend Dave McQuade recently contacted me with up-to-date information, I was able to easily see an Iceland Gull, locally for me, down at Fort Myers Beach. Got to arrive early in the morning due to traffic and parking issues this time of year. There were several of us waiting at the stack-out spot, including friends Meg Rousher and Janet & Aaron Kurk. We didn't have to wait long when the bird flew in and posed nicely for our cameras.

Several Lesser Black-backed Gulls have been present this year

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Tuesday February 28th

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Yesterday I got too late of a start to beat the terrible traffic on Ft Myers Beach.  So today, I was able to leave home on a more timely basis and was on Ft Myers Beach by 8 am.  My first stop was at Bowditch Point Park, located at the northern tip of the island. Found the location wanting of my target birds - black-backed gulls, oystercatchers or even a possible bonaparte's gull.

Osprey at Bowditch Point

So moved onto Carlos Point at the southern end of the island. Here I quickly spotted a few Snowy and Wilson's Plovers. Eventually I saw a young Lesser Black-backed Gull, which was joined by an adult. Nice.

American Oystercatcher

Lesser Black-backed Gull

A juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull

Palm Warbler at Carlos Point

Crandon Park - Miami

Tuesday, March 15th

Yesterday, reports came out about the sighting of a Cuban Pewee, a rare vagrant to the U. S. being seen at Crandon Park in Miami.  The bird had been seen in the same area for the past two days, so there were a few birders, including Dave and Tammy McQuade, Dennis Peacock, Lee, Neil Hayward, Leslie Starr, Joe Turner, Trey Mitchell and  Larry Manfredi, who, today, waited for hours for a return visit of the rarity at the anointed sight. 

After seven hours Bob Pelkey and I gave up, as had most everyone else. Hopefully it'll be relocated soon. 

Birds we did observed at the location included Cape May, Yellow-rumped, Palm and Black-and-White Warblers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a Yellow-throated Vireo, Sandhill Cranes, Red-shouldered Hawk, Turkey Vultures, White Ibis, American Coot and Common Gallinules

Exotics

Lots of Peacocks were present

The park was loaded with lots of exotic birds and reptiles. Larry Manfredi was telling us that this location had once housed a mix exotic waterfowl and other birds. The surviving population included a large number of feral Peafowl and Egyptian Geese. Plus we observed several specimens of Spiny-tailed Iguanas of varying sizes.

Egyptian Geese

Spiny-tailed Iguana

Beach

On the beach, bordering the Biscayne Bay, were several gull and tern species including Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Laughing Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and Royal Terns, Also present was a large gathering of Double-crested Cormorants, and a few Brown Pelicans.

Double-crested Cormorant

Royal Tern

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Laughing Gull