The Day of the Raptor

 Sunday, December 26th

Belted Kingfisher

In the quest for some final year birds went out to chase a Cassin's kingbird found in Holey Land WMA in Palm Beach County on Christmas Eve. Tried to access the location by driving south along the Miami Canal from US 27.  Seemed to be the most direct route when traveling from the Gulf Coast. But it is not.  Encountered closed roads and detours but did arrive just yards from the location only to be blocked by a water management project that had removed a bridge. 

Barn Owl

Okay so I doubled back to try to access the property from another direction.  Planned to go east along Bolles Canal but encountered a locked gate on this road adjacent to a pumping station. Have access this road many times over the years and hadn't ever seen it closed before. Elected to head home from here.

But before leaving I did take a look for any Barn Owls at the pumping station and did find an owl. This was actually a nice addition to todays. Because I had already encountered a number of interesting raptors while driving around the cane fields.

There were many dozens of American Kestrels present. Added a couple Peregrine Falcons, a couple of Caracaras, several Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers. White-tailed Kites were working the fields, observed a lone Swainson's Hawk. saw a couple of Bald Eagles, several Ospreys and at least one Short-tailed Hawk. Turkey and Black Vultures round out the raptors seen today. Hundreds of Tree Swallows and a single Northern Rough-winged Swallow, plus Belted Kingfishers, Grackles, Cormorants, Anhingas, Wading Birds, Meadowlarks, Phoebes, Palm warblers and Common Yellowthroats were seen too.

Eastern Meadowlark seen along the Miami Canal

Northern Harrier seen along the Miami Canal

Bald Eagle seen on Blumberg Road

Peregrine Falcon seen on Rogers Road

Fort De Soto Park

 Friday December 24th

Red Knot

As a Lister, I set a goal every year, as to how many species I can locate and more importantly get that photo of. My 2021 goal is 300 species of birds. Should have easily reach my goal earlier this if not for the numbers of birds I have dipped on or hadn't worked hard enough. Some of the awesome sightings I had seen this year included Whooping Cranes in Florida and Wisconsin, Trumpeter Swans in Wisconsin and Illinois, the Iceland Gull that showed up on Fort Myers Beach, Yellow-Green Vireo at Biscayne Bay National Park, a lifer Brown Creeper in Wisconsin, Brown and Black Noddies at Dry Tortugas National Park, a Lifer Sabines Gull out in the Gulf of Mexico thanks to Dave McQuade and Edwin Wilke and a Grove-bill Ani in Cape Coral Florida to name a few. 

Tagged Piping Plover 

What have I dipped or slipped up on chasing? Dipped on the lapwing longspur that spent few days at the Venice Airport, winter wrens or golden-crowned kinglets in the panhandle, hermit thrushes, vesper sparrow, least grebe in Miami, whip-poor-will, spot-breasted oriole, American golden plover, gray-tailed tattler in the Keys, Mississippi kite, Rose-ringed parakeet, Acadian flycatcher and Red-legged thrush that was at Key West to name a few

So, with running out days on the calendar I elected to head up to Fort De Soto for the potential of seeing the last two species needed to reach my goal. Targets were horned grebe and the American golden plover reported there. Missed on seeing the plover, which was photographed in the park today.  But added three Horned Grebes. 

With the removal of the Australian Pines, the character of North Beach has really changed, Miss all the shade. But it seems that their removal may have improved habitat for shore birds. Counted at least 15 Piping Plovers, 6 Snowy Plovers and several Black-bellied Plovers, Red Knots, Sanderling, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Dunlins and a Wilson's Plover. Other species encountered included Common Loons, Red-breasted Mergansers, Brown and White Pelicans, Laughing, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, Forsters Terns, Kestrels and Nanday Parakeets.

Herring Gull

Christmas Count

 Monday December 20th

Joined with Vince McGrath and Toni Sutton on Monday the 20th for the annual Audubon Christmas Count. Due to conflicts with my work schedule, I had never participated in the count in the past. No excuse now that I've retired. So, meet up with Vince and Toni at 7 am at Lakes Regional Park in Fort Myers to start the day. 

Arrived at Lakes Park as large clouds of birds - Fish Crows, White Ibis, Boat-tailed Grackles, Glossy Ibis, Cormorants and Snowy Egrets were leaving their roosts to start a new day.  Other good finds included King Rail, Northern Waterthrush, Summer Tanager, A Sharp-shinned Hawk, Limpkins, Least Bittern, a Great Blue Heron gathering nesting material, a momma Mourning Dove feeding a pair of begging juveniles and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Dipped on a sora, hummingbirds and Great Horned Owl.

From Lakes Park we explored Vince's assigned territory stopping at various locations and venues in the area. we were able to add Blue-winged Teal, Spotted Sandpiper, nesting Bald Eagles, Anhingas, Ring-billed Gull, Brown Pelicans, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Coots, Red-tailed Hawk, Ospreys, Gnatcatchers, Loggerhead Shrikes, Muscovy Ducks, Red-shouldered Hawks, House Finches, House Sparrows, Common Gallinule, Tufted Titmouse, Gray Catbirds and a Black-and-White Warbler.

I believe we scored 65 species which Vince lamented on this as a low number. He focused on how the residential development of the area has affected the numbers and varieties of birds.

The Summary created by Toni Sutton

eBird Checklist Summary for: Dec 20, 2021

Number of Checklists: 18
Number of Taxa: 65

Checklists included in this summary:
(1): Lakes Park
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 7:13 AM
(2): 15290 Bass Rd, Fort Myers US-FL (26.5221, -81.9120)
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 9:34 AM
(3): 14943–14973 A and W Bulb Rd, Fort Myers US-FL (26.5245, -81.9196)
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 9:50 AM
(4): 10032 Forest River Ln, Fort Myers US-FL 26.53282, -81.92023
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 10:08 AM
(5): 14245–14259 A And W Bulb Rd, Fort Myers US-FL 26.53733, -81.91991
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 10:13 AM
(6): McGregor Pointe Shopping Center, Fort Myers US-FL 26.52047, -81.93945
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 10:24 AM
(7): Ruttenberg Park
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 10:39 AM
(8): 8932 Banyan Cove Cir, Fort Myers US-FL 26.56811, -81.90129
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 11:31 AM
(9): Edwards Kontinos Dr, Fort Myers US-FL 26.59544, -81.89017
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 11:48 AM
(10): 1470 Royal Palm Square Blvd, Fort Myers US-FL (26.5937, -81.8869)
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 11:56 AM
(11): 4785 Barkley Cir, Fort Myers US-FL (26.5914, -81.8812)
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 12:09 PM
(12): 5652–5666 Sunrise Dr, Fort Myers US-FL 26.58596, -81.88513
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 12:28 PM
(13): 5298 Cedarbend Dr, Fort Myers US-FL 26.58140, -81.88108
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 12:58 PM
(14): Auto selected 26.57837, -81.88160
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 1:01 PM
(15): 5249 Summerlin Commons Blvd, Fort Myers US-FL 26.57850, -81.87901
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 1:03 PM
(16): Florida Southwestern State College - Lee Campus, Fort Myers US-FL 26.55404, -81.88901
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 1:13 PM
(17): US-Florida-Fort Myers-13250 University Center Boulevard - 26.548x-81.885
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 1:41 PM
(18): Lakes Park - US-Florida-Fort Myers 
Date: Dec 20, 2021 at 2:23 PM

18 Muscovy Duck (Established Feral) -- (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (15), (16)
8 Blue-winged Teal -- (8)
1 Mottled Duck -- (1)
30 Mallard x Mottled Duck (hybrid) -- (1), (8), (11), (15), (16)
2 Pied-billed Grebe -- (1)
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (17)
4 Eurasian Collared-Dove -- (1), (3)
2 Common Ground Dove -- (1)
24 Mourning Dove -- (1), (2), (3), (5), (6), (17)
1 King Rail -- (1)
22 Common Gallinule -- (1), (10), (11), (18)
8 American Coot -- (1)
4 Limpkin -- (1)
1 Spotted Sandpiper -- (11)
1 Laughing Gull -- (18)
3 Ring-billed Gull -- (1)
1 Wood Stork -- (1)
20 Anhinga -- (1), (6), (9)
52 Double-crested Cormorant -- (1), (6), (9), (10), (11)
4 Brown Pelican -- (1)
1 Least Bittern -- (1)
12 Great Blue Heron -- (1)
8 Great Egret -- (1), (4), (7), (10), (16)
21 Snowy Egret -- (1), (16)
2 Little Blue Heron -- (1),(16)
10 Tricolored Heron -- (1), (7), (11)
5 Cattle Egret -- (6), (7)
1 Green Heron -- (1)
562 White Ibis -- (1), (7), (11), (17)
46 Glossy Ibis -- (1)
12 Black Vulture -- (3),(18)
10 Turkey Vulture -- (2), (3), (8)
9 Osprey -- (6), (7), (13), (16), (18)
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk -- (1)
2 Bald Eagle -- (3),(18)
2 Red-shouldered Hawk -- (3), (11)
1 Belted Kingfisher -- (16)
2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -- (1), (12)
9 Red-bellied Woodpecker -- (1), (3), (18)
5 Downy Woodpecker -- (1), (11), (16), (18)
2 Pileated Woodpecker -- (3), (5)
4 Eastern Phoebe -- (1), (12)
1 Blue-headed Vireo -- (1)
6 Loggerhead Shrike -- (1), (6), (7), (12)
12 Blue Jay -- (1),(2),(3),(8)
214 Fish Crow -- (1), (5), (7)
1 Tufted Titmouse -- (18)
42 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- (1), (3), (7), (10), (12), (18)
1 House Wren -- (1)
148 European Starling -- (1), (5), (6), (7), (15), (16), (17)
8 Gray Catbird -- (1),(4),(18)
7 Northern Mockingbird -- (1), (7), (11), (16)
6 House Sparrow -- (17)
2 House Finch -- (16)
75 Common Grackle -- (1)
152 Boat-tailed Grackle -- (1), (2)
1 Northern Waterthrush -- (1)
1 Black-and-white Warbler -- (18)
3 Common Yellowthroat -- (1)
48 Palm Warbler -- (1), (2), (5), (7), (12), (16)
12 Pine Warbler -- (18)
15 Yellow-rumped Warbler -- (1), (2), (8)
2 Yellow-throated Warbler -- (1), (7)
1 Summer Tanager -- (1)
10 Northern Cardinal -- (1), (18)

This trip summary was created using the eBird app for iPhone and iPad.
See eBird for more information.

Some Recently Seen Birds

 Wednesday November 24th

Some of the birds spotted around Lee County this month.

Loggerhead Shrike
Seen at Harns Marsh - Lehigh Acres, Florida

Florida Scrub Jay
Lehigh Acres, Florida

Tufted Titmouse
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Blue-headed Vireo
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Black-and-White Warbler
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Pine Warbler
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Downy Woodpecker
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Pine Warbler
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

Tufted Titmouse
Six-Mile Cyress Slough Preserve

 Thursday, November 18th

Caracara

Was checking out the orange groves and fields along Church Road at Felda, looking for interesting birds.  This is a great location for finding Crested Caracara and Turkeys. Can often find Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbirds this time of year when they arrive for winter.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Red-bellied Kingbird

Western Kingbird

Walked Carlos Point

 Monday November 15th

Appears to be a problem for someone

Walked Carlos Point beach, At the south point of Estero Island. Large numbers of shorebirds were present, mostly nestling in the sand on this cool morning. 

A lone Marbled Godwit on the beach

Came across a resting flock of American Oystercatchers.  Counted 35 birds and looked for any wearing leg bands. Noted two - CA2 and HM - were birds I had photographed back on December 28, 2019, on the same beach.

Other birds included a large number of Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, Sanderlings, Willets, Snowy Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Wilson's Plovers, Dunlins and a few Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, a couple of Forster's Terns and my FOS Ring-billed Gulls.

Several flotillas of American White Pelicans passed  overhead.  Well over a hundred pelicans were seen.

Snowy Plover

Snowy Plover

Snowy Plover

Dunlin

Least Sandpiper

Sanderling

Where Are the Birds?

 Friday, October 22nd

For whatever reason, the Fall Migration has been relatively weak in our corner of Florida this. There have been a few rarities spotted, like warbling vireo, Philadelphia vireo and Nashville warbler, but the number of birds has actually been low. Certainly no fallouts for us.

Not a bird, but there is lots of nature to observe while birding
Green Iguana at Sanibel Lighthouse

 So what's going on? I haven't seen anything yet for an explanation. Seems the winds were more in favor of the birds to fly past and not make a pit stop. Another thought going around is a lack of food. There are plenty of berries and seeds, but we may have a decrease in insects. Some believe that the ecosystem hasn't yet recovered from Hurricane Irma, 2017. Another thought is that cold weather has yet to push many of the neotropical birds to migrate, aka climate change. 

Did get a few photos recently 

Snail Kites at Harns Marsh.
Harns used to be very reliable for finding snail kites,
but they had become scarce here lately

Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Ding Darling NWR - Sanibel Island

Wood Duck at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Pileated Woodpecker at Rotary Park

Eastern Wood-Pewee at Rotary Park

Black-and-White Warbler at Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve

Northern Parula

Northern Parula

The Gray Catbirds have arrived