Everglades

 Tuesday January 9th

Vermilion Flycatcher at Lucky Hammock

Spent a couple of days birding around the Everglades and at Lucky Hammock.

 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
C-111 Canal

Day One was a very blustery day, which does handicap your birding experience as the birds seek sheltered and often secluded locations to get out of the winds. This was so obvious while making a stop at the C-111 Canal venue outside of Everglades National Park where the expected Scissor tailed Flycatchers were using the cover within the trees and shrubs.

Was greeted here with a Swainson's Hawk soaring close overhead. Counted seven Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hiding from the winds in an oak tree. Had a western kingbird too. The female Vermilion Flycatcher was staying low too. A surprise of a Yellow-headed Blackbird spotted feeding with a large flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds. The expected Tropical Kingbird was also present.  

Swainson's Hawk
C-111 Canal

Moved onto Lucky Hammock, but not much was observed here today because of the weather. Lots of Gray Catbirds. and a Northern Harrier were seen. Then entered Everglades National Park with ever little to be seen. Because of the weather, passed up a planned return to the Lucky Hammock area at sundown, for least nighthawks and barn owls.

Vermilion Flycatcher
Lucky Hammock

Returned to rebird the C-111 and Lucky Hammock the next morning with much better success. Easily found my target birds. White-tailed Kites, Short-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Tropical Kingbird, Western Kingbirds, Savanah Sparrows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

Vermilion Flycatcher
C-111 Canal 

eBird Trip Report See complete bird lists for the trip

Zebra Longwing
Lucky Hammock

Western Kingbird
C-111 Canal

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Lucky Hammock

 

Red Shouldered Hawk
C-111 Canal

Great Egret
Lucky Hammock

A Few Pics

 Friday January 21st

White Peacock butterfly dining on Spanish Needles
at Babcock-Webb WMA, Charlotte County Florida

Glade Lobelia
at Babcock-Webb

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
seen near RSW Airport

Agama Lizard
spotted at the drive-through at Popeyes Chicken in Labelle

Vermilion Flycatcher
at Belle Glade Marina

Indigo Bunting
at Belle Glade Marina

Tricolored Munia
at Belle Glade Marina

Green Heron
Lakes Park, Fort Myers, Florida

White-tailed Deer
at Myakka River State Park

Hairy Shadow Witch
at Fakahatchee Strand State Park

Northern Cardinal
The Celery Fields - Sarasota, Florida

Red-shouldered Hawk
at Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel Island

Brown Pelican
Ding Darling NWR - Sanibel Island

Roseate Spoonbill
Myakka River State Park

St Marks National Wildlife Refue

Wednesday January 15th

There is a Flamingo, to be seen at St Marks National Wildlife Refuge. This single bird must not mind being the sole representative for its species in North Florida.  Its been here off and on for over a year now.  Usually flamingos are found further south and not that often even in south Florida.

Pied-billed Grebe

I had arrived this morning about 7 am. Its still dark and very foggy and I'm not the first on site. As dawn breaks a small crowd has gathered at the East River Pool over look waiting for the fog to clear. Unfortunately it would clear up till around 10 o'clock.  We had some nice birding the location as we waited. The beautiful male Vermilion Flycatcher was active in the area.  We also had King and Virginia Rails, Wilson's Snipes, Greater Yellowlegs, Savannah and Song Sparrows, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Its a bit foggy for the Vermilion Flycatcher

Barred Owl

Relocated to the Lighthouse around 9 am.  The fog seemed to be getting thicker. Checked out the ponds and lakes. Had a single Glossy Ibis, which had to be checked for red eyes.  Which it didn't have. The waterfowl appeared to be diminishing in variety and counts. Still we have birds. American Widgeons, Gadwalls, Hooded Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, canvasbacks, Redhead, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye, Pied-billed Grebes, Anhingas Common Loon.  Brown pelicans, Cormorants, Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, Ring-billed Gulls, Forster's Terns too.

Got the word that that the Flamingo could now be spotted after the fog had lifted.  Quickly returned to East River Pool.  It was pretty far off. Too far away for my camera but that red plumage really sticks out.

Song Sparrow

Next up was a search for a henslows sparrow at the helapad location. I joined with Charlie Bostwick and his wife for a sparrow walk. We had Marsh and Sedge Wrens and a Lincoln's Sparrow. I didn't get the henslow, but Charlie heard it. The pine forest here also yielded Eastern Towhee, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, Great Horned Owl and-bellied Woodpeckers 

Didn't see everthing on my list. But not a bad day

Fiddler Crab

Green Anole

Queen Butterfly feeding on Tropical Milkweed

Basking Gator

Atamasco Lily

Glossy Ibis

Visiting an Oasis

Monday November 11th

The Vermilion Flycatcher is such a vibrant bird and always a pleasure to find. They are very uncommon, as winter visitors to Florida. I've traveled to the Panhandle and down to the Everglades in the past to see one.  St Mark's NWR, in the Panhandle, as been very reliable in the past as a host and currently has a pair wintering there today. But recently another flycatcher has shown up in Collier County.

Mountain Bluebird at the Oasis Visitor Center 

on November 17, 2015

Florida Gar

This bird is hanging out at the parking lot at the Oasis Visitors Center in the Big Cypress National Preserve along the Tamiami Trail. Today I went down there to catch up with this young male.  Many of my friends have already made the trip and I was glad to have able to get down there today.

Made a point of sharing the unusual sighting with the tour guide from an Eco Tour group, but they weren't much interested.  Seems this group was made up of European tourist who found the alligators seen from the board walk a bigger draw. Lots of gators, a few cormorants, anhingas and herons as well. Plus lots of fish were also  gathered in the canal. Gars, bass, oscars, cichlids and sail backed catfish.

Four years ago this location also hosted a much more uncommon bird to visit Florida. A  species from the far West, a Mountain Bird, which spent a couple weeks in this same parking lot.

Cichlid

Road Trip - Lake Apopka

Monday January 15th

Flagler Beach

Headed east, today, toward the Atlantic Ocean at Flagler Beach for some sea watching. On past winter visits here, hundreds of Northern Gannets could be observed from shore.  Today's weather conditions included clear skies, but was chilly with a strong brisk wind causing a very heavy surf.  And there were no gannets. Made several stops between the Flagler Beach Pier and Gamble Rogers State Park along Highway 1A1. One observation at the Gamble Rogers over look was a distant Jaeger.  To far out to definitively say if it was a parasite or a pomarine jaeger.  Leaning toward Pomarine.

 My original plans included a stop at Lust Road at lake Apopka North Shore Mitigation Area. and perhaps some hiking within the property. The North Shore Mitigation Area is managed by the St Johns River Water Management District. The SJRWMD recently has opened an 11 mile Wildlife Drive which is only open to the public on week ends and federal holidays.

But today was a federal holiday so I was able to include entering and enjoying the Wildlife Drive. At the Lust Road Gate two, rare in Florida, species have been wintering.  A long-tailed duck has been using a water reclamation pond and an Ash-throated Flycatcher has been active in the area. Got the flycatcher but dipped on the duck. I don't think anyone reported the long-tailed duck today.

Lots of good birds today along the drive. Soras, Purple Gallinules, a beautiful male Vermilion Flycatcher, a Horned Grebe, lots of Pied-billed Grebes, Fulvious Whistling Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, American Bitterns, herons and egrets, Red-shouldered Hawks, Ospreys and Northern Harrier.

Lake Apopka Photo Gallery

Vermilion Flycatcher

Purple Gallinule

Common Gallinule

Palm Warbler

Green Heron

Ruddy Duck

Ring-necked Duck

Managed to add one more venue before dark with a quick visit to Merritt Island NWR.

Only had time to visit Blackpoint Drive and found many Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, Coots, Hooded Mergansers, Northern Pintails Pied-billed Grebes and Roseate Spoonbills. Also added a Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, a Merlin, Reddish Egrets, Glossy Ibis, White Ibis and Tree Swallows.

Northern Pintail