American Flamingo

Monday, January 25th

We're having a little excitement around here as a celebrity visitor is has been showcasing its beauty at a local beach. Folks have been traveling from near and far for the opportunity to meet this unusual guest to Lee County. 

American Flamingo at Bunche Beach

Many people think of this visitor as a Florida icon, but American Flamingos are not often easily seen in the Sunshine State. A very small number have been seasonal in hard to reach sites in Everglades National Park, as well as recent sightings in restricted areas of Palm Beach County. But last week this bird appeared at Bunche Beach Preserve, providing exquisite views for the many birders flocking to the site. An Awesome bird.

My speculation on the provenience of the Flamingo could possibly be associate with the El Nino effect in the Pacific Ocean. As the bird lacks any leg bandings, it can be assumed the it is not an escapee, but a wild bird. Unusual wind patterns and strong thunderstorms coming across the Gulf of Mexico could have pushed the bird from its wintering grounds in Mexico to our coast. Hope it sticks around for awhile.

Black Scoters

Monday, January 18, 2015

Today I spent the morning birding on Ft Myers Beach. I was hoping to locate some Black Scoters as well as a reported Surf Scoter being seen along the beach.

First stop was at Bowditch Point Park, located at the north end of the island. Not much was happening here, but a few gulls and cormorants. Did see a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Ring-billed Gull

This Gopher Tortoise resides near the parking lot at Bowditch Point Park

Next was a very productive stop at Carlos Point at the south end of the island. Yesterday's violent storm had washed the beach with a large quantity of sea life including sea urchins, sea stars, horseshoe crabs,jellyfish, sponges, sand dollars and a lot of shells.  All of this was a banquet for the shorebirds, including Willets, American Oystercatchers, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, Black-bellied Plovers, Snowy Plovers and more. Also found a Great Black-backed Gull and a small number of Ringed-billed and Laughing Gulls, plus some Royal Terns.  A flock of Black Skimmers passed by of shore and inshore I did see a trio of Black Scoters. I didn't spot the surf scoter and also dipped on common loon, horned grebe, and frigatebirds.

Great Black-backed Gull

American Oystercatcher

This Oystercatcher is sporting three leg bands while dining on sea urchin
This bird, designated as DG(XX), was banded as a chick in June, 2010 in Cape Hatteras, N. C.
 Each year it has been wintering at Little Estero Lagoon, Ft Myers Beach, but returns each spring to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
 In 2015 it successfully fledged a chick, with oystercatcher DG(AL) at Cape Lookout National Seashore. Data provided by the American Oystercatcher Band Database 

Snowy Plover with lunch

Ruddy Turnstone

Snowy Egret

Male Black Scoter

Sea Urchin and Welk

Sea Stars

Sponge

A Fighting Conch shell

Link - Shell Indentification

Return to Winkler Pint - Estero Preserve State Park

Monday January 11th

Returned to Winkler Point trails at Estero Preserve State Park in search of birds to boost my 2016 bird list. The location is very challenging, but today, due to low temperatures the walk was insect free. But recent rains have almost completed flooded the location.

Trail Marker at Winkler Point

So I trudged through the standing water  to the large pond at the south end of the preserve. There I was able to identify a pair of Buffleheads, another pair of Ruddy Ducks and hundreds of Lesser Scaups. At the smaller pond I spotted a few dozen skiddish American Wigeons, but didn't see any mottled ducks, pintails or blue-winged tea.

American Wigeon

 Later I added a Merlin, Red-breasted Mergansers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plovers, American Avocets, American White and Brown Pelicans.  

Also spotted a Short-tailed Hawk and a Salt Marsh Sparrow and a Nelson's Sparrow. Dipped on any wrens, rails or bitterns.

Short-tailed Hawk

Greater Yellowlegs

Saw many of these Common Buckeyes today

Birding in Cape Coral

Friday January 15th

Mangled lighting

Today we experienced severe weather including continuing tornado warnings. Just last Saturday residents of Cape Coral experienced a touch down of an EF-2 Tornado. More than two hundred homes were damaged and the baseball fields on Pelican Boulevard were damaged as well.

Some of the damage at the Baseball Fields

 

Monk Parakeet at Pelican Boulevard Ball Fields 

The ballfield was also home to a colony of nesting Monk Parakeets and several Burrowing Owls. On Monday I ventured into the area to conduct a birding survey of the Cape. 

The stop at a ballfield revealed damage to trees, fencing and the lighting structures. As for the birds I only spotted a single parakeet and no owls. 

Next headed to the Festival Park area (still undeveloped) at the interestion of Kismet and Chiquita. Finally spotted a Burrowing Owl, Eastern Meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrikes, Kestrel, and several Florida Scrub Jays.

The Monk Parakeet making adjustments to a surviving nest

More Birds of Cape Coral

Burrowing Owl at Festival Park

Eastern Meadowlark

Florida Scrub Jay

Python Challenge 2016

Thursday January 15th

Tomorrow kicks off the Python Challenge of 2016.  These exotic invaders have the real potential to be a devastating threat to South Florida ecosystems as the large snakes, being top predators, are already wiping out prey species.  Rabbits, raccoons and other small mammals are disappearing within the snakes range and they are a threat to many of the endangers species such as spoonbills and wood storks

Hundreds of hunters will be searching for these serpents in and around the Everglades in hopes of winning cash prizes. PETA types are concerned about any cruelty to the snakes, The hunt will last until Valentines Day and it wil be interesting to see how of these invaders are remove

Links to Python Challenge Sites

FWC Python Poster

2016 Python Challenge Web Site

Other Non-Native Species in the Everglades

2015 Review

Thursday December 31st

Had an enjoyable year of birding. Traveled from one end of Florida to the other, and added birding trips that took me to the Rio Grande Valley, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the shore lines of southeastern Virginia.

Variegated Flycatcher, an ABA Code 5 bird

 Lots of Lifers seen on these trips plus a few seen in my home state. These included American Flamingo, Variegated Flycatcher, a Mountain Bluebird, Thayers Gull, Golden-winged Warbler, Western Spindalis and Smooth-billed Ani.

Dipped on a few birds I should have seen like Mississippi Kite, Blue Grosbeak, Veery, Purple Sandpiper, White-collared Seedeater, Vesper Sparrow and Lark Sparrow.

Year List

YEAR LIST 2015 - (341)

1   Muscovy Duck - Florida

2   Double-crested Cormorant - Florida, Texas

3   Anhinga - Florida, Texas

4   Snowy Egret - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

5   Tricolored Heron - Florida, Texas

6   White Ibis - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

7   Ring-billed Gull - Florida

8   Eurasian Collared-Dove - Florida, Texas

9   Wood Stork - Florida

10  American White Pelican - Florida, Texas

11  Brown Pelican - Florida

12  Great Blue Heron - Florida, Texas

13  Great Egret -  Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas

14  Little Blue Heron - Florida, Texas

15  Reddish Egret - Florida

16  Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Florida

17  Osprey - Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas

18  American Oystercatcher- Florida

19  Black-bellied Plover- Florida, Virginia

20  Semipalmated Plover- Florida

21  Piping Plover- Florida

22  Spotted Sandpiper- Florida, Texas

23  Willet- Florida

24  Long-billed Curlew - Florida, Texas

25  Marbled Godwit - Florida

26  Ruddy Turnstone - Florida

27  Sanderling - Florida

28  Dunlin - Florida

29  Least Sandpiper - Florida, Texas

30  Western Sandpiper - Florida

31  Short-billed Dowitcher - Florida

32  Laughing Gull - Florida, Texas

33  Herring Gull - Florida

34  Royal Tern - Florida

35  Sandwich Tern - Florida

36  Black Skimmer - Florida

37  Belted Kingfisher - Florida, Texas

38  Red-bellied Woodpecker - Florida

39  Eastern Phoebe - Florida, Texas

40  White-eyed Vireo - Florida, Texas

41  Fish Crow - Florida

42  Tree Swallow - Florida, Texas

43  Gray Catbird - Florida, Texas

44  Palm Warbler - Florida

45  Prairie Warbler - Florida

46  Northern Cardinal - Florida, Texas

47  Common Grackle - Florida

48  Boat-tailed Grackle - Florida

49  Black-bellied Whistling-Duck- Florida, Texas

50  Blue-winged Teal - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

51  Ring-necked Duck - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

52  Pied-billed Grebe - Florida, Texas

53  Green Heron- Florida, Texas

54  Glossy Ibis - Florida

55  Black Vulture - Florida, Texas

56  Turkey Vulture - Florida, Texas

57  Snail Kite - Florida

58  King Rail - Florida

59  Sora - Florida, Texas

60  Common Gallinule - Florida, Texas

61  American Coot - Florida, Texas

62  Limpkin - Florida

63  Killdeer - Florida, Texas

64  Mourning Dove - Florida, Texas

65  Loggerhead Shrike- Florida, Texas

66  Blue Jay - Florida

67  Northern Mockingbird - Florida, Texas

68  European Starling - Florida, Texas

69  Savannah Sparrow - Florida, Texas

70  Red-winged Blackbird - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

71  Wood Duck - Florida

72  Cattle Egret - Florida

73  Red-headed Woodpecker - Florida

74  American Kestrel - Florida, Texas

75  Rock Pigeon - Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas

76  Red-shouldered Hawk - Florida, Texas

77  Common Ground-Dove - Florida

78  Crested Caracara - Florida, Texas

79  Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Florida, Texas

80  American Robin - Florida, Virginia

81  Red-tailed Hawk - Florida, Texas

82  Eastern Whip-poor-will - Florida

83  Mottled Duck - Florida, Texas

84  Eastern Meadowlark - Florida, Texas

85  Black-crowned Night-Heron - Florida

86  Downy Woodpecker - Florida

87  Tufted Titmouse - Florida

88  Carolina Wren - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

89  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Florida, Texas

90  Black-and-white Warbler - Florida, Texas

91  Common Yellowthroat - Florida, Texas

92  Pine Warbler - Florida, Texas

93  Yellow-rumped Warbler - Florida

94  Brown-headed Cowbird - Florida, Texas

95  Wilson's Snipe - Florida

96  Pileated Woodpecker - Florida

97  Burrowing Owl - Florida

98  Monk Parakeet - Florida

99  Eurasian Wigeon - Florida, Texas

100 Lesser Scaup - Florida, Texas

101 Bufflehead - Florida

102 Red-breasted Merganser - Florida

103 Ruddy Duck - Florida, Texas

104 American Avocet - Florida

105 Great Crested Flycatcher - Florida

106 Northern Shoveler - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

107 Green-winged Teal - Florida

108 Roseate Spoonbill - Florida, Texas

109 Sandhill Crane - Florida

110 Black-necked Stilt - Florida, Texas

111 Greater Yellowlegs - Florida, Texas

112 Lesser Yellowlegs - Florida

113 Long-billed Dowitcher - Florida

114 Caspian Tern - Florida

115 American Crow - Florida

116 House Wren - Florida, Texas

117 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Florida, Texas

118 Yellow-throated Warbler - Florida, Texas

119 Swamp Sparrow - Florida

120 Hooded Merganser - Florida

121 Indigo Bunting - Florida, Texas

122 House Sparrow - Florida, Texas

123 Short-tailed Hawk - Florida

124 Western Kingbird - Florida

125 White-winged Dove - Florida, Texas

126 Horned Grebe - Florida

127 Bald Eagle, - Florida

128 Wilson's Plover - Florida

129 Blue-headed Vireo - Florida

130 Northern Bobwhite - Florida

131 Eastern Towhee - Florida

132 American Bittern - Florida

133 Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Florida

134 Northern Flicker - Florida

135 Brown-headed Nuthatch - Florida

136 Eastern Bluebird - Florida

137 Canvasback - Florida

138 Greater Scaup - Florida

139 Common Loon - Florida

140 American Goldfinch - Florida

141 Purple Gallinule - Florida

142 Redhead - Florida

143 Forster's Tern - Florida, Tern

144 Clapper Rail - Florida

145 Brewer's Blackbird - Florida

146 House Finch - Florida

147 Whooping Crane - Florida

148 Carolina Chickadee - Florida, Tern

149 Gadwall - Florida, North Carolina, Texas

150 Northern Harrier - Florida, Texas

151 Hermit Thrush - Florida

152 Song Sparrow - Florida

153 Rusty Blackbird - Florida

154 Northern Gannet - Florida

155 Thayer's Gull - Florida

156 Lesser Black-backed Gull - Florida

157 Great Black-backed Gull - Florida

158 American Wigeon - Florida

159 Northern Pintail - Florida

160 Nanday Parakeet - Florida

161 Nelson's Sparrow - Florida

162 Florida Scrub-Jay - Florida

163 Painted Bunting - Florida

164 Egyptian Goose - Florida

165 Neotropic Cormorant - Florida, Texas

166 Gray-headed Swamphen - Florida

167 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Florida, Texas

168 White-crowned Pigeon - Florida

169 Eastern Screech-Owl - Florida, Texas

170 Black Scoter - Florida

171 Grasshopper Sparrow - Florida

172 White-crowned Sparrow - Florida

173 American Pipit - Florida, Texas

174 Merlin - Florida

175 Purple Martin - Florida

176 Common Myna - Florida

177 Cooper's Hawk - Florida, Texas

178 Canada Goose - Virginia, North Carolina

179 American Black Duck- Virginia, North Carolina

180 Brant - Virginia

181 Mallard - Virginia, North Carolina

182 Surf Scoter - Virginia

183 White-winged Scoter - Virginia

184 Long-tailed Duck - Virginia

185 Common Goldeneye - Virginia

186 Red-throated Loon - Virginia

187 Bonaparte's Gull - Virginia

188 Tundra Swan - Virginia, North Carolina

189 Cackling Goose- North Carolina

190 Mute Swan - North Carolina

191 Golden-crowned Kinglet - North Carolina

192 Fox Sparrow - North Carolina

193 Snow Goose - North Carolina

194 Sharp-shinned Hawk - North Carolina, Florida, Texas

195 American Woodcock - North Carolina

196 Chipping Sparrow - North Carolina, Texas

197 White-throated Sparrow - North Carolina

198 Dark-eyed Junco - North Carolina

199 Say's Phoebe - Florida

200 Northern Parula - Florida, Texas

201 Cedar Waxwing - Florida

202 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Florida

203 Wild Turkey - Florida, Texas

204 Peregrine Falcon - Florida, Texas

205 Swallow-tailed Kite - Florida

206 Cinnamon Teal - Florida, Texas

207 Snowy Plover - Florida

208 Bronzed Cowbird - Florida, Texas

209 Whimbrel - Florida

210 Yellow-throated Vireo - Florida, Texas

211 Barred Owl - Florida

212 Ovenbird - Florida

213 Broad-winged Hawk - Florida, Texas

214 Black-throated Green Warbler - Florida

215 Red-eyed Vireo - Florida

216 Worm-eating Warbler - Florida

217 Prothonotary Warbler - Florida

218 Swainson's Warbler - Florida

219 Hooded Warbler - Florida

220 Northern Waterthrush - Florida

221 Gray Kingbird - Florida

222 Hairy Woodpecker - Florida

223 Magnificent Frigatebird - Florida

224 Barn Swallow - Florida, Texas

225 Chuck-will's-widow - Florida

226 Brown Thrasher - Florida

227 Bachman's Sparrow - Florida

228 Solitary Sandpiper - Florida

229 Common Nighthawk - Florida

230 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Florida, Texas

231 Bank Swallow, - Florida

232 Yellow Warbler - Florida

233 Blackpoll Warbler - Florida

234 Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Florida

235 Orchard Oriole - Florida

236 Stilt Sandpiper - Florida

237 Chimney Swift - Florida

238 Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Florida

239 American Redstart - Florida

240 Magnolia Warbler - Florida, texas

241 Mangrove Cuckoo - Florida

242 Eastern Kingbird - Florida

243 Black-whiskered Vireo - Florida

244 Cape May Warbler - Florida

245 Scarlet Tanager - Florida

246 Least Tern - Florida

247 Red Knot - Florida

248 White-rumped Sandpiper - Florida

247 Semipalmated Sandpiper - Florida

250 Bobolink - Florida

251 Black-throated Blue Warbler - Florida

252 Least Bittern - Florida

253 Tropical Kingbird - Florida, Texas

254 Mitred Parakeet - Florida

255 Red-whiskered Bulbul - Florida

256 Yellow-chevroned Parakeet - Florida

257 Shiny Cowbird - Florida

258 Roseate Tern - Florida

257 Antillean Nighthawk - Florida

260 Masked Booby - Florida

261 Brown Booby - Florida

262 Brown Noddy - Florida

263 Sooty Tern - Florida

264 Cliff Swallow - Florida

265 White-winged Parakeet - Florida

266 Scaly-headed Parrot - Florida

267 Red-masked Parakeet - Florida

268 Common Hill Myna - Florida

269 Cave Swallow - Florida, Texas

270 Fulvous Whistling-Duck - Florida

271 American Flamingo - Florida

272 Smooth-billed Ani - Florida

273 Black Tern - Florida

274 Gull-billed Tern - Florida

275 Pectoral Sandpiper - Florida

276 Louisiana Waterthrush - Florida

277 Eastern Wood-Pewee - Florida

278 Barn Owl - Florida

279 Common Tern - Florida

280 Blackburnian Warbler - Florida

281 Chestnut-sided Warbler - Florida

282 Wilson's Phalarope - Florida

283 Great Horned Owl - Florida, Texas

284 Summer Tanager - Florida

285 Gray-cheeked Thrush - Florida

286 Swainson's Thrush - Florida

287 Tennessee Warbler - Florida

288 Golden-winged Warbler - Florida

289 Bay-Breasted Warbler - Florida

290 Variegated Flycatcher - Florida

291 Blue-crowned Parakeet - Florida

292 Great-tailed Grackle - Texas

293 Inca Dove - Texas 

294 Least Grebe - Texas

295 Eared Grebe - Texas

296 White-tailed Kite - Texas

297 White-tipped Dove - Texas

298 Common Pauraque - Texas

299 Buff-bellied Hummingbird - Texas

300 Ringed Kingfisher - Texas

301 Green Kingfisher - Texas

302 Vermilion Flycatcher - Texas

303 Great Kiskadee - Texas

304 Couch's Kingbird - Texas

305 Black-crested Titmouse - Texas

306 Long-billed Thrasher - Texas

307 Nashville Warbler - Texas

308 Golden-fronted Woodpecker - Texas

309 Chihuahuan Raven - Texas

310 Harris's Hawk - Texas

311 Western Meadowlark - Texas

312 Green Parakeet - Texas

313 Black Phoebe - Texas

314 Gray Hawk - Texas

315 Green Jay - Texas

316 Audubon's Oriole - Texas

317 White-tailed Hawk - Texas

318 Swainson's Hawk - Texas

319 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl - Texas

320 Ladder-backed Woodpecker - Texas

321 Northern Beardless Tyrannulet - Texas

322 Plain Chachalaca - Texas

323 Bewick's Wren - Texas

324 Curve-billed Thrasher - Texas

325 Orange-crowned Warbler - Texas

326 Pyrrhuloxia - Texas

327 Red-crowned Parrot - Texas

328 Red-lored Parrot - Texas

329 White-faced Ibis - Texas

330 Hook-billed Kite - Texas

331 Clay-colored Thrush - Texas

332 Olive Sparrow - Texas

333 Altamira Oriole - Texas

334 Lesser Goldfinch - Texas

335 Aplomando Falcon - Texas

336 Greater White-fronted Goose - Texas

337 Franklin's Gull - Texas

338 Marsh Wren - Florida

339 Mountain Bluebird - Florida

340 Western Spindalis - Florida

341 Spot-breasted Oriole - Florida

2010 Year List (279)

2011 Year List (275)

2012 Year List (286)

2013 Year List (286)

2014 Year List (311)