Springtime and Access

Sunday May 3rd

Gray Kingbirds have returned 

to summer and nest in Florida

Our local and state governments are slowly re-opening access to public places in actions to try to return some normalcy.  Here in Southwest Florida access to beaches and preserves have severally restricted during the height of the Spring Migration.  Very frustrating to those of us who enjoying our birding hobbies. For awhile I had some interesting activity around the feeders and fruiting ficus in my yard. But the not the activity that our spring migration hot spots offer.

So just in the past few days access has been opening up.  Places like Rotary Park in Cape Coral and Pinecraft Park in Sarasota are offering some birding activity.

Summer Tanager at Rotary Park

Bay-breasted Warbler at Rotary Park

Female Blackpoll Warbler at Rotary Park

Migration has Picked Up

Sunday October 20th

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

We're finally having some fun 

as the birding activity in Southwest Florida has finally picked up. even as Fall Migration period is reaching its waning days

Till now our birding experience has been very weak and disappointing.  A question shared by many was 'Where are the birds?'

Red-eyed Vireo

Merlin

Rotary Park in Cape Coral has had a nice variety lately. The Blue-winged Teal have arrived. Other recent sightings at Rotary Park have included Acadian Flycatchers, Swainsons Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireos, white-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Gray Catbirds, Mangrove Cuckoo, plus Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, American Redstarts, Black-and-white, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Cape May, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated,  Prairie, Ovenbirds, Tennessee & Common Yellowthroat Warblers. Also Scarlet Tanagers,  Indigo Buntings, House Wrens, Peregrine Falcons, Merlin and Belted Kingfishers. Even a Nashville warbler was seen a couple of days ago

Acadian Flycatcher

The past couple of  days I haven't needed to leave my yard as the huge ficus in the front yard is very birdy.  Baltimore  Orioles,  Bay-breasted,  Magnolias, Tennessee, Pine, Black-throated Blue, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, a Swanson's Thrush and White-winged Doves.

Plus Grackles, Crows ,Mockingbirds and Starlings are loading up on the fruit and bugs

A female Black-throated Blue Warbler

A White-eyed Vireo

A Scarlet Tanager munching on a berry

European Starlings are feasting on the fruit on the ficus tre

The Apex of Spring Migration

Thursday April 25th

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Spring migration is in full swing these days and this third week of April is usually the apex of activity. So many interesting birds are stopping over for rest on Sanibel, with the Sanibel Lighthouse being our Spring Migration Hot Spot. 

Northern Parula and a Summer Tanager

at the Sanibel Lighthouse

Many of our local birders had wisely purchased annual parking passes from the Town of Sanibel, to save money, as we have had such great birding activity at the lighthouse, that parking fees at the lighthouse add up quickly as we extend our time enjoying the day.  At $5.00 an hour the fees add up quickly.. And you will be ticketed with a hefty fine if you overstay your time. Not so long ago the parking was $2.00 hour, 

Great Crested Flycatcher at Rotary Park

Hooded Warbler
Sanibel Lighthouse, Sanibel Island - April 2019

Baltimore Oriole 

Bronzed Cowbird 

Have had a couple bronzed cowbird hanging around the neighborhood. 

Common Nighthawk

Was observed at the Sanibel Lighthouse

A flock of Orchard Orioles spent some time in this Black Olive Tree on Sanibel Island

Indigo Buntings are recharging on figs

Fort Desoto Park

Thursday April 19th

Rose breasted Grosbeak feeding on mulberries

By Thursday, the winds were now favorable for the migrating birds. But I visited Fort Desoto Park in Pinellis County anyway. Found that most of the warblers, vireos and such had moved out, but lots of Rose breasted grosbeaks and Scarlet  Tanagers were around.

A few thrushes too - including  Wood Thrush, Swainson's Thrush and Veery. Other migrants included Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Indigo and Painted Bindings, Summer Tanagers.


Other birds seen included Caspian Tern, Least Terns, a Lesser Black backed Gull, Marbled Godwits, Red breasted Merganser and Nanday Parakeets.

Swainson's Thrush

A rather orangish Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Female Summer Tanager

Summer Tanager consuming a wasp

Nanday Parakeets were everywhere

Black-bellied Plover looking for a ride North

Marbled Godwit

Caspian Tern

Reddish Egret

Red-breasted Merganser

Veery

Spring Migration Kicks In

Wednesday April 18th

Last weekend  a cold front with strong head winds brought in a nice variety of migrating  birds to Sanibel Lighthouse Beach Park. I personally visited the park on Monday  morning for a few hours, along with a great many fellow birds, so playing hooky from work to enjoy this mini fallout.

Summer Tanager seen at Six-mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Meg Rousher  put Dave & Tammy McQuaide as well as myself on a great bird - a calling Black billed Cuckoo. Black billed cuckoos are very uncommon find in Florida.

I came close to adding swainsons warbler as there were several around today, but I just missing them as they relocated out of sight.  I did miss a few other species. But I did get to see an Eastern Kingbird, Prothonotary Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Yellow Warblers, a single Palm Warbler, Black throated Green Warblers, Summer Tanagers, a Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bindings and a Baltimore Oriole.  There were so many birders on hand that it sometimes got quite crowded.

I missed seeing this Western Tanager,

but Eary and Jennifer Warren didn't miss

taking this photo.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214030523574392&set=pcb.10214030525454439&type=3&theater

But I did miss a few species included another rare in Florida, western tanager, plus veery, swainson's thrush, dickcissels, those swainson's warblers, blue winged warblers,  a lark sparrow,  a Ceurlian warbler, Kentucky warbler,  Merlin,  Acadia flycatcher, gray songbirds, yellow throated videos, cliff swallows, worm eating warbler,  golden winged warbler,  hooded warbler,  American redstart cape may warbler,  blackburnian warblers,  chestnut sided warbler, black throated blue warbler, scarlet  tanager.

Black-throated Green Warbler seen at Bowditch Point Park

A few Cedar Waxwings are still around

In the following days I checked for migrants at Bowditch Beach Park on Estero Island and at Six mile Cypress Slough Preserve. I added Red eyed Vireo, Veery, Yellow billed Cuckoo, Hooded Warbler and American Redstart.

A Summer Tanager seen at the Sanibel Lighthouse

Ft DeSoto Park

Tuesday April 12th

Ft DeSoto Park, in April, is very popular with birders, because it is an important migrant magnet for neotropical birds crossing the Gulf of Mexico to reach the Florida peninsula.

A view of Tampa Bay

Today Bob Pelkey and I traveled up to Tampa Bay to visit Ft DeSoto. Not a tremendous number of birds but a very nice variety. At the mulberry trees we found lots of Cedar Waxwings, plus Gray Catbirds, a Wood Thrush, Summer Tanagers, a Scarlet Tanager, Orchard Orioles, Indigo Buntings and even Fish Crows dining on the berries.

In the woods we had mostly single counts of Prairie, Blackpoll, Prothonotary, Tennessee and Hooded Warblers.  We also had multiple counts on Palm, Black-and-White and American Redstart Warblers. Ospreys are nesting throughout the park and we were able to see a lone Great Horned Owl.

A Wood Thrush seen beneath a Mulberry Tree

Summer Tanager

Mulberries were popular with the tanagers

White-eyed Vireo

Great Horned Owl

Throughout the park the sounds of shrieking Nanday Parakeets could be heard.

Romance is in the Air

Common Loon

On the beaches we saw several Common Loons, a Reddish Egret and a lone Red-breasted Merganser.  There were also large numbers of shorebirds including Willets, Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Dunlins, Least Sandpipers, a Killdeer, a Piping Plover, Black Skimmers, Ruddy Turnstones and a Marbled Godwit.

Reddish Egret

Dunlin

Least Sandpiper

Laughing Gull

Piping Plover

A Scrum of Short-billed Dowitchers