Yard Birds

 Saturday July 20th

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks have recently been making visits to my yard because of the feeders. They are often in the company of the many Muscovy Ducks frequenting the neighborhood and my feeders.

To encourage interesting birds to visit I have been offering white millet, safflower seeds, sunflower hearts and a mixed blend. So, I'm getting lots of House Sparrows, Comon Grackles, Mourning Doves and White-winged Doves. The feeders also attract most all of the common resident birds including Eurasian Collared Doves, Common Ground Doves, Northern Cardinals, Red-belled Woodpeckers and Blue Jays. Most all of these species will bring their young fledglings with them to the feeders.

Because the host tree on the property, a huge Chinese laurel, didn't fruit this year had a drop off of interesting birds. 

Some interesting visitors this year, so far, include Bronzed Cowbirds and a Shiney Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird
February 2024

Bronzed Cowbird
April 2024

Northern Bobwhite
March 10, 2024

Northern Mockingbird

Nanday Parakeet

Red-bellied Woodpecker

House Sparrow

Nanday Parakeet

White Ibis

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue Jay

Blue Jay

Northern Cardinal

White-winged Dove

Muscovy Duck

Painted Bunting

Common Grackles

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Mourning Dove

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Mourning Dove

Shiny Cowbirds

 Tuesday March 9th

On Saturday I had planned to do some early morning birding at Bunche Beach on Sunday because of a beneficial tide. I like to be there on a rising tide which was about 7:30 am.  But before heading out on Sunday, my plans changed. Elected to to drive the hour and a half out to the Sem-Chi Rice Plant in Palm Beach County. The location attracts a lot of blackbird species including wintering Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Sundays are probably the best day of the week to check out this location, because the plant will probably be closed. The access road can be very busy and dangerous for birders when the plant is operation.  

Got there about 8:30 am and got off to a good start with a trio Blue Grosbeaks. Lots of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. Patrolled the road about four times looking for the yellow-headed blackbirds, but I didn't spot any today.  Weird, because several other birders reported them on eBird. So I'll have try again next Sunday.  But I was amazed to  spot a couple of male Shiny Cowbirds, that seemed to doing some kind of a head bobbing interaction. Noticed there was a least one female present as well. 

Just down the road, wetlands offered views of Gull-billed Terns, a Caspian Tern, Gray-headed Swamphens, Common Gallinules and American Coots

House Sparrow

Shiny Cowbirds

Saturday May 4th

A young Red-Shouldered hawk

Spent the morning in Everglades National Park with my goal for the day was the see a Shiny Cowbird that's been hanging out at the visitor center at Flamingo. Made a few stops along the 42 miles of road before reaching Flamingo. Most weren't very active, except for the biting flies. But Long Pine Campgrounds was worth the stop.  Had calling Bobwhites, White-eyed Vireos, Northern Cardinals, Great Crested Flycatchers, Pine Warblers and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. Lots of American Crows and Swallow-tailed Kites seen roadside.

Brown-headed Cowbirds with a Shiny Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird

Shiny Cowbird

Reaching Flamingo, at the end of the road, a Shiny Cowbird was found actively feeding with a flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Great Crested Flycatcher at Mahogany Hammock

Brown-headed Cowbird at Flamingo

Shiny Cowbird at Flamingo

Wild Allamanda blooming along the road

Browns Farm Road

Monday, August 1st

From page 212 in the ABA Bird Guide 'A Birder's Guide to Florida' by Bill Pranty, is a brief narrative concerning birding on Brown's Farm Road. This narrow road breaks off from cr-880 a few miles south of Belle Glade in what is referred to as the Everglades Agricultural Area. Come late summer and into Fall, the sugar, rice and sod fields here, can be a great place to find migrating grass peeps and shorebirds. A major attraction for these birds are the flooded cane fields. The farmers will flood these fields between crops to kill off nematodes and other root attaching pests, and the migrating shorebirds flock to these man-made wetlands.

Gull-billed Tern

Currently, near the northern terminus to Browns' Farm Road is a very large flooded field were some early shorebirds have arrived including several Wilson's Phalaropes.  These phalaropes are very uncommon in Florida and there appearance here was an inspiration for Bob Pelkey and I to visit  today. 

Wilson's Phalarope with a Semipalmated Sandpiper

Wilson's Phalaropes

We arrived about 9 AM and met Peter Hawrylyshy and Robert Lewis who had already had eyes on the phalaropes. The birds were a distance out but we could clearly see there twirling movements as the feed. Other species present included Wood Storks, a Roseate Spoonbill, Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, Black-belled Plovers, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, a lone Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers,Laughing Gulls, Gull-billed Terns, Black Terns and a Re-shouldered Hawks. This site did lack waterfowl and white pelicans and only a few wading birds. This a nearby colony of Cliff and Cave Swallows at a small cement bridge over the canal on cr-880. We also checked-out the nearby Six-bend Sod Farm for grass peeps, but its still early yet and the sod fields were quite.  The Uppies should be arriving in a couple of weeks.

Black-necked Stilt
Photo by Bob Pelkey

Stilt Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Earlier we did some investigating along Brown's Farm Road for any other hot spots. We were able to locate Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, more Black-necked Stilts, Mottled Ducks, Common Gallinule, Solitary Sandpipers, Killdeer, a lone Pectoral Sandpiper, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-herons, Common Nighthawks, Anhingas, a lone American White Pelican, Barn and Cliff Swallows, Glossy and White Ibis, various waders, White-winged, Mourning, Eurasian Collared and Ground Doves, Eastern Meadowlarks, Red-shouldered Hawk, a very high count on Green Herons and a great many Brown Cowbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles. 

Solitary Sandpiper

While on the phone with Dave McQuaid for an up-date on directions, we had a Gull-billed Tern right past the car. We managed to get a few pictures as a trio of the terns made several passes up and down the canal as they hunted.

Killdeer.
Photo by Bob Pelkey

Barn Swallow 

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

White-winged Dove

Brown-headed Cowbird

Least Sandpiper

Glossy Ibis

Shiny Cowbird

There was one more stop to make after finishing up at  Brown's Farm Road and that was to visit Belle Glade Marina on Torry Island, just a few north at Lake Okeechobee. Here, we are after a pair of Shiny Cowbirds, but we hit a snag.  Seems that the bridge providing access to Torry Island was under repair and would be closed for most of the day, except between Noon and One PM. We had almost a forty-five minute wait, but it was worth it. The male Shiny Cowbird was easily located within a few short minutes. We dipped in the orchard orioles and eastern kingbirds, but did see a Cooper's Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Limpkin  and a Great Egret which after reviewing its photo may possibly be a White Great Heron based on the leg color.

Is this a Great Egret or Great White Heron?

Apple Snail shell at Belle Glade Marina.
 No doubt refuse from a Limpkin's meal

Other sightings on the day included Swallow-tailed Kites, Ospreys, Crested Caracara, Red-tailed Hawk Chimney Swift and Fish Crows.  I'd have to say that a return trip is necessary after migration heats up.