Some Birds in March

Friday March 30th

Thought I'd share some of my better birding pics for March


GALLARY

Yellow-throated Vireo seen at Six-Mile Cypress Slough

Ovenbird seen at Six-Mile Cypress Slough

Piping Plover sporting fresh breeding plumage.

Should be heading north in the next few weeks

March and early April tends to be the best time for sighting

Cedar Waxwings in this area

Limpkins have moved into the Six-Mile Cypress Slough,

were they are now actively breeding

Prairie Warblers are resident birds here,

their population will increase during migration

Tufted Titmice also are common residents at Six-Mile Cypress Slough

Common Yellowthroats -  a winter residents at Six-Mile Cypress Slough

A few Scissor-tailed Flycatchers will winter in Florida,

but will be heading back toward Texas soon

A pair of Barred Owls are currently nesting close by the boardwalk at Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  That section of the boardwalk is now closed to protect the birds from any stress.

Several pairs of Sandhill Cranes are currently nesting at Harns Marsh

Snail Kites were formerly an easy find at Harns Marsh, but recently the population has declined. Speculation is that changes to water levels at the marsh have made finding apple snails more difficult for them.  Probable have been relocating to areas with better habitat

Black-and-White Warblers are often seen throughout the area at this time of year

Blue-headed Vireos winter here,

but will soon be heading north to nest

Scarlet Tanager - A Visit to Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Sunday, October 16th

With the fall migration in full swing and severe weather blocking their egress out of Florida, there is the promise for good birding today.  Headed out to Six-mile Cypress, were I was expecting to run into other like-minded birders. Arrived about 9 am and almost immediately had hits on Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Yellow-throated Vireo, Black-and-White Warbler, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Prairie Warbler, Pine Warbler, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and a marsh hare. Turned out that Jose Padilla was right behind me working on the same mixed flock. He already had an Ovenbird, White-eyed Vireo and had photographed the Wood-Pewee. We both got great looks of a feeding Red-eyed Vireo in the same tree with the yellow-throated vireo.

An Eastern Wood-Pewee

The birding continued to go well with locating a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks near the Pop Ash Pond,  plus American Redstarts (most numerous bird of the day), Great Crested Flycatcher, Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, more Black-and-White Warblers. Continuing on we added Magnolia Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, and then had an Acadian Flycatcher.

Jose contacted Vince McGrath, who was birding with Walt Winton and Stan Damen at the Sanibel Lighthouse, about the acadian and grosbeaks. They had hits on Chestnut-sided Warbler, and both Indigo and Painted Buntings. Vince also had a hit on a Mississippi Kite and a flock of hundreds of Chimney Swifts passing over Sanibel yesterday, while doing a hawk watch. Well they hurried over to look for the acadian.

Birders on the hunt

The trio arrived rather quickly and the hunt was on. But the flycatcher was not to be re-found.  However we continued locating warblers including Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Palm, Tennessee, more Magnolias, Common Yellowthroat  and Northern Parula Warblers.  We were about to wrap things up when a another pair of birders told us about seeing  at least a pair of yellow-billed cuckoos and a bright red male summer tanager.  So it once more around the boardwalk. Of course we missed the summer tanager and the cuckoos, but we did end the day with a Scarlet Tanager. Also can add Chimney Swift, American Kestrel, Wood Stork, Red-shouldered Hawk, Anhinga, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jays and White Ibis.

Sow with piglets at 6-Mile

Marsh Rabbit

Water Moccasin

Baby Gator

So we got some good migrants today and this weather could be around for a couple more days.  I would also add that I had birded Six-mile Cypress almost daily since the end of September with occasional visits to Sanibel Lighthouse and Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve. Some of the migrants I had been successful with month included Verry, Swainson's Thrush, Short-tailed Hawk, Black-throated Green Warbler, Summer Tanager, Canada Warbler, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Harrier and Sharp-shinned Hawk. So far the fall migration has been much better for us then the past spring migration.

Carolina Chickadees - Pinellas County

Carolina Chickadees - Pinellas County
Monday, August 30th

As it was nearing the end of the month and my list of warblers was very modest, I elected to chase the migrants being reported up in Pinellas County (St Petersburg) area. A weather 'low' had grounded migrants  for several days and reports of some really good vireo and warblers lists, for this time of year, were turning up on the birding message boards.  On the down side was the fact that I could not get up there till yesterday, a day or to late, as the weather had cleared up.

I first checked the Tierra Verde neighborhood as I was nearing the Ft DeSoto County Park. The most interesting birds here was a trio of Nanday Parakeets busy preening each other. Also seen were several Wood Storks, A lone Roseate Spoonbill, several White Ibis, Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants. The usual wire birds were on hand Mourning Doves, Fish Crows, Rock Pigeons, Grackles and a lone Brown-headed Cowbird. On the Tierre Verde ponds only a couple of Pied-billed Grebes.

White Ibis at Ft DeSoto

Lots of spider webs but few birds

Ft DeSoto County Park - I was too late for the warblers. Could not find a single one. Just a lone Eastern Wood-Pewee, several Northern Cardinals, a single Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.  There were several  Osprey, a few White Ibis, and Mourning Doves. The beaches had a few Black-bellied Plovers, Wilson's Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers and a Piping Plover. Lots of Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Black Skimmers, Willets, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones and Short-billed Dowitchers were also present. I was looking for the hundreds of Red knots reported but did not spot any. Same with the common terns. Did find Royal, Least, Sandwich and Forster's Terns. Was also hoping for Caspian terns and the long-billed curlew, but missed them too.  Ran out of time here as I had a lunch appointment with my daughter, who had recently moved to the bay area.

Blue Jay

Gray Squirrel

Boardwalk at John Chestnut

John H Chestnut County Park - Continued birding in Pinellas County following lunch. I checked out a new location for me called John Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor. The birding was much better but still lacked the many of the more interesting migrant warblers. Quickly found a mixed flock of warblers and vireos consisting of mostly local common warblers - Black-and-Whites, Northern Parulas, Yellow and Yellow-throated Warblers. Had also found a Red-eyed Vireo and several Yellow-throated Vireos. There were Moorhens and a Least Tern on the lake and Blue Jays and begging gray squirrels on the boardwalk. Seems to me that someone is feeding the animals here. On the boardwalk were more parula, Carolina Wren, several more cardinals, a pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks and Tufted Titmice.  Back out in the live oaks was a tree loaded with Carolina Chickadees, a first for the year for me, more yellow, parulas and yellow-throated warblers and more titmice.  Here popped up a Pileated Woodpecker, plus a Red-bellied and a Downy Woodpeckers.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

On the way out of the park I was surprised to find a couple of pair of white-tailed deer. This ended a good birding visit here. Absent for the day were swallows. Only say a couple of Barn Swallows at Chestnut for the whole day.

White-tailed Deer in the park

Small buck in velvet

Florida White-tailed Deer

My List for today (49)

Pied-billed Grebe, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Killdeer, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Kingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Barn Swallow, Fish Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Cardinal, European Starling, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird

My August List - (128)

1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
2. Muscovy Duck
3. Mottled Duck
4. Wild Turkey
5. Northern Bobwhite
6. Pied-billed Grebe
7. Brown Pelican
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Anhinga
10. Magnificent Frigatebird
11. Great Blue Heron
12. Great Egret
13. Snowy Egret
14. Little Blue Heron
15. Tricolored Heron
16. Reddish Egret
17. Cattle Egret
18. Green Heron
19. Black-crowned Night-Heron
20. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
21. White Ibis
22. Glossy Ibis
23. Roseate Spoonbill
24. Wood Stork
25. Black Vulture
26. Turkey Vulture
27. Osprey
28. Swallow-tailed Kite
29. Snail Kite
30. Bald Eagle
31. Cooper's Hawk
32. Red-shouldered Hawk
33. Red-tailed Hawk
34. Crested Caracara
35. King Rail
36. Common Moorhen
37. Limpkin
38. Sandhill Crane
39. Black-bellied Plover
40. Snowy Plover
41. Wilson's Plover
42. Semipalmated Plover
43. Piping Plover
44. Killdeer
45. American Oystercatcher
46. Black-necked Stilt
47. American Avocet
48. Spotted Sandpiper
49. Solitary Sandpiper
50. Greater Yellowlegs
51. Willet
52. Lesser Yellowlegs
53. Upland Sandpiper
54. Marbled Godwit
55. Ruddy Turnstone
56. Sanderling
57. Western Sandpiper
58. Least Sandpiper
59. Pectoral Sandpiper
60. Short-billed Dowitcher
61. Long-billed Dowitcher
62. Laughing Gull
63. Least Tern
64. Gull-billed Tern
65. Black Tern
66. Forster's Tern
67. Royal Tern
68. Sandwich Tern
69. Black Skimmer
70. Rock Pigeon
71. Eurasian Collared-Dove
72. White-winged Dove
73. Mourning Dove
74. Common Ground-Dove
75. Monk Parakeet
76. Nanday Parakeet
77. Burrowing Owl
78. Barred Owl
79. Common Nighthawk
80. Chimney Swift
81. Belted Kingfisher
82. Red-headed Woodpecker
83. Red-bellied Woodpecker
84. Downy Woodpecker
85. Hairy Woodpecker
86. Red-cockaded Woodpecker
87. Northern Flicker
88. Pileated Woodpecker
89. Eastern Wood-Pewee
90. Great Crested Flycatcher
91. Eastern Kingbird
92. Gray Kingbird
93. Loggerhead Shrike
94. White-eyed Vireo
95. Yellow-throated Vireo
96. Red-eyed Vireo
97. Blue Jay
98. Florida Scrub-Jay
99. American Crow
100. Fish Crow
101. Purple Martin
102. Bank Swallow
103. Barn Swallow
104. Carolina Chickadee
105. Tufted Titmouse
106. Brown-headed Nuthatch
107. Carolina Wren
108. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
109. Eastern Bluebird
110. Northern Mockingbird
111. European Starling
112. Northern Parula
113. Yellow Warbler
114. Yellow-throated Warbler
115. Pine Warbler
116. Black-and-white Warbler
117. American Redstart
118. Prothonotary Warbler
119. Eastern Towhee
120. Bachman's Sparrow
121. Northern Cardinal
122. Red-winged Blackbird
123. Eastern Meadowlark
124. Common Grackle
125. Boat-tailed Grackle
126. Brown-headed Cowbird
127. Orchard Oriole
128. House Sparrow
129. Scarlet Ibis x White Ibis hybrid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow-throated Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo at Six-mile Cypress Slough

More and more reports are coming in about migrants coming into Florida. In the Fort Myers area we are often by-passed by the great numbers and variety of warblers, thrushes. etc that invade the more noted migrant traps like the Tampa Bay area and Dade County.  But we do manage to locate few good ones. 

This afternoon I checked out Six-mile Cypress Slough and had a few hits.  Not very birdy but I did find a Prothonotary Warbler, an American Redstart and a Yellow-throated Vireo, plus the usual local Carolina Wrens and Tufted Titmice. On a visit last week meet a photographer who claimed to have seen hummingbirds and a barred owl, but I could not find them then or today.

Below are a few pics from other recent birding trips

Good Morning!!!

Burrowing Owl at Cape Coral Library - 8/27/2010

Monk Parakeet at Cape Coral - 8/27/2010

Purple Martin in Cape Coral, Florida - 8/27/2010

Black-bellied Plover at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Black Skimmers and terns at rest at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Ruddy Turnstone at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Short-billed Dowitchers at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Short-billed Dowitchers at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Marbled Godwit at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Pair of Marbled Godwits with a Sanderling and a Piping Plover at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Least Tern at Bunche Beach - 8/25/2010

Shiny Cowbird

On Tuesday, February 16th, visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, arriving about 10:45am and the place was packed. They expected a 800 visitor day. Extremely Crowded. I came to see if I could locate the reported Shiny Cowbirds at the feeders. Waited patiently at the butterfly garden feeder, but so many people came through the area that the cowbirds and grackles would only briefly come out.  Did have a male Painted Bunting make an appearance.

Took to the boardwalk and had a suprising number of hits considering the the crowds. Had six warblers including Black & White, Yellow-Throated, Common Yellowthroat, Palm, Yellow-Rumped and Northern Parula. Also had three vireos - White-eyed, Blue-Headed and a Yellow Throated.  The Yellow-Throated Vireo was very unusual as it is kind of early yet for their arrival. Saw a couple of Red-Shouldered hawks, but missed on the Barred Owls.  Had another male Painted Bunting at the Bunting House feeder, but did not see the resident ovenbird. The water was to deep for the wading birds, so only saw one Little Blue Egret and no nightherons. At the feeders at the end of the boardback finally succeed in locating a Shiny Cowbird among the many grackles and Brown-Headed Cowbirds.  Also had six more Painted Buntings at the feeders as well . Cool!!

Birding Trip to Fort George Island - Jacksonville, Florida

Joined up with a Duval Audubon Society bird tour Saturday, October 3rd on Fort George Island, lead by National Park Service Ranger, Roger Clark. Excellent event. Started at dawn riverside at Kingley Plantation Preserve, over to Ribault Club, then to Huguenot Memorial Park ending at various roadside sites near to New Berlin Road. Had four lifers including Carolina Chickadee, Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Great Black-Backed Gull and Clapper Rail (only heard several over the course of the day actually). I recorded 84 hits, but the group recorded 105 hits for the day. Ironically our final, but unrecordable birds were three mute swans found on an isolated lake in a half-built out subdivision.

My List for the Day--- Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Sanderling, Pectoral Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Baltimore Oriole

Kingsley Plantation and Ribault Club are a part of Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve which is operated by the National Park Service. On the day we visited the local PBS station ran a documentary they created about this local National Park Service facility to compliment the the rollout of the Ken Burns "National Parks" documentary that PBS is now featuring. Our tour leader for the day was one of the national Park personal interviewed for the program.

A QUICK RUN UP TO GEORGIA

The day following the Fort George Island event, my daughter and I ran up into Georgia to Crooked Lake State Park before heading heading back south to Ft Myers. Crooked Lake State park features salt marshes and upland forests. http://gastateparks.org/info/crookriv/

We stayed for a couple of hours and the best sighting was a Hermit Thrush.

My list - Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, White Ibis, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Laughing Gull, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Towhee, Northern Cardinal, Boat-tailed Grackle

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Today Monday, September 28th, I arrived at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary just after daybreak. Spent the next four hours birding the boardwalk through this ancient cypress swamp. The sanctuary was hopping with four active species - Carolina Wren, White-Eyed Vireo, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and Common Grackles. Was hoping to hit on a major warbler fall-out. Did hit on five warblers - Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warbler, Nothern Parula, Yellowthroated Warbler and a female American Redstart. But no real fall-out today. Missed on reported Prothonotary Warbler, Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush. Also missed were Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and Painted Bunting. But had two very good hits on other birds while stacking out the Bunting House feeder for bunting activities. Seems we had some migrants passing through as I had two Veery and a lifer with an excellent look at a Yellowthroated Vireo. Came across three FOS Gray Catbirds as well. Other sightings include Red-Shouldered Hawk, Great Crested Flycatchers, White Ibis (only waders in the swamp due to deep water), Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker