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SOUTH FLORIDA MBWEEK SUMMARY
January 7 - 13, 2013
I suppose I could understand why some would enjoy the 80-85 degree weather we experienced on a daily basis down in Florida. After all, temperatures close to zero were waiting for us back in Minnesota. But these record and near-record highs were relentless, and for me they mostly wore out their welcome after a few days. On the other hand, we mostly avoided Florida's other daunting challenge – traffic. True, driving into Miami to bird at Virginia Key on Thursday morning wasn't any fun, but this was about the only time we had to endure clogged roadways.
No matter what you thought of the weather and traffic, though, you'd have to agree that the birding went pretty well overall. While our attempts to find swamphens, bulbuls, and orioles may have been unsuccessful, useful information on the Western Spindalis and Bananaquit arrived too late to do us any good, and our limited itinerary did not include reliable scrub-jay locations, these were about our only disappointments. After all, we turned up 158 species, plus another 5 "non-countable" exotics, with nearly 50 of these not regularly found in Minnesota.
It's difficult to narrow down such a long list of birds into a manageable list of highlights, but some of my favorites were....
- Our full day in the Fort Myers area included a nice assortment of shorebirds during low tide at Bunche Beach, 2 (possibly 3) Razorbills near Sanibel Island's lighthouse, our first Snail Kite and second Limpkin at Harns Marsh, Monk Parakeets and Burrowing Owls in residential Cape Coral, and Nanday Parakeets on our second try near downtown Fort Myers.
- At Babcock-Webb WMA the next morning we found both Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Brown-headed Nuthatches at our first stop (along with hordes of ground-foraging Pine Warblers), an afternoon walk at Big Cypress Bend was highlighted by a family of Black Bears and a Barred Owl, our first Short-tailed Hawk later flew over the Tamiami Trail, and the afternoon ended with our best views of Snail Kites.
- After enduring a morning Miami rush hour, we found our first of two La Sagra's Flycatchers plus an unexpected Great Black-Hawk of dubious origin at Virginia Key, Yellow-chevroned Parakeets and two more Short-tailed Hawks were at Matheson Hammock, and a pair of entertaining (though non-countable) Hill Mynas appeared in Kendall.
- Our best birding day included a surprising group of cooperative White-crowned Pigeons at Paurotis Pond, a closely-heard Black Rail and a diurnal Barn Owl on the Coastal Trail, our first Purple Gallinule (and lifer #600 for Robin) at Anhinga Trail – all at Everglades National Park, and the day ended with those 4 western species of flycatchers just outside the park and the Common Mynas finally coming to roost near our motel.
- Short-tailed Hawk #5 flying low overhead in Kendall was the next day's highlight, and our final morning included our best Limpkin views, our second La Sagra's Flycatcher, and Painted Buntings at Green Cay – certainly a nice conclusion to our successful MBWeek.
Itinerary
Monday, January 7: noon arrival at Orlando airport; afternoon drive to Fort Meyers for first of 2 nights via Celery Fields near Sarasota and Oscar Scherer State Park; dinner at Gator Bites.
Tuesday, January 8: Bunche Beach, Sanibel Island lighthouse area, parakeet check at Broadway & Hanson, Calusa Nature Center, Harns Marsh, Cape Coral owls & parakeets, and successful return to Broadway & Hanson; dinner at Gator Bites / Fish Monger.
Wednesday, January 9: morning at Babcock-Webb WMA and Eagle Lakes Park; afternoon drive to Florida City for first of 3 nights via Faka Canal, Big Cypress Bend boardwalk, Oasis Visitors Center, and successful kite scan along Tamiami Trail; dinner at Mutineer.
Thursday, January 10: morning search for rarities at Virginia Key (twice) and Bill Baggs State Park; afternoon search for exotics at Matheson Hammock and Kendall area; dinner at El Toro Taco.
Friday, January 11: Everglades National Park (mostly at Paurotis Pond, Coastal Trail, Eco Pond, Flamingo, West Lake, Anhinga Trail, and Coe Visitors Center), late afternoon at Lucky Hammock / C-111 Canal, and successful evening myna search; dinner at Capri.
Saturday, January 12: morning at Cutler wetlands, return to Kendall & vicinity for exotics, and Pembroke Pines; afternoon drive to West Palm Beach for last night via scrub-jay searches at Juno Beach and Carlin Park; dinner at Carrabba's.
Sunday, January 13: final morning at Spanish River Park and Green Cay; departure for airport at noon for afternooon flights home.
Bird List
- "non-countable" exotics listed in parentheses
- "non-Minnesota" species (i.e., not on Minnesota Regular list) in boldface
(Egyptian Goose - if they count muscovys, why not these?)
Muscovy Duck (considered countable by the FL records committee)
Wood Duck (wild or injured bird at the Mutineer?)
Gadwall
Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Wood Stork (even grazing along freeways)
Magnificent Frigatebird (flying over Fort Myers)
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
American Bittern (seen by some at Green Cay)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret (Bunche Beach)
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Silver Lakes Park)
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill (Paurotis Pond)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Snail Kite (Harns Marsh and along Tamiami Trail)
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
(Great Black-Hawk - status uncertain at Virginia Key)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk (5 individuals at 4 sites: Tamiami Trail, Virginia Key, Matheson Hammock, and Kendall!)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon (Spanish River Park)
Black Rail (scolding notes at close range; heard-only along Coastal Trail)
King Rail (close, very vocal, but heard-only at Celery Fields)
Sora (Green Cay)
Purple Gallinule (Anhinga Trail and Green Cay)
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Limpkin (closest at Green Cay)
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
Wilson's Plover (Bunche Beach)
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover (also at Bunche)
Killdeer
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot (Bunche Beach)
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern (Sanibel fly-bys)
Black Skimmer (best at Bunche Beach)
Razorbill (2 or 3 at Sanibel; part of an unusual influx of this alcid!)
Rock Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeon (several unexpectedly easy at Paurotis Pond!)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove (Kendall)
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Barn Owl (hunting by day along the Coastal Trail!)
Eastern Screech-Owl (Spanish River Park)
Burrowing Owl (residential yards in Cape Coral)
Barred Owl (Big Cypress Bend)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker (easily at Babcock-Webb)
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Monk Parakeet (best at Cape Coral)
Nanday Parakeet (finally at Broadway & Hanson in Fort Myers!)
(Mitred Parakeet - best in Kendall and potentially "countable")
(Yellow-chevroned Parakeet - best at Matheson Hammock; also potentially countable)
Eastern Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher (male at C-111 Canal)
Great Crested Flycatcher
La Sagra's Flycatcher (seen twice: Virginia Key and Green Cay!)
Tropical Kingbird (near Lucky Hammock)
Western Kingbird (ditto)
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo (Spanish River Park)
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Purple Martin (early "spring" migrants)
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Green Cay)
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch (Babcock-Webb)
House Wren
Sedge Wren (mostly heard at Coastal Prairie Trail)
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Common Myna (finally flew in near the Travelodge)
(Hill Myna - potentially "countable" in Kendall)
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird (Spanish River Park)
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler (Spanish River Park)
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler (especially numerous at Babcock-Webb)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting (Spanish River Park and Green Cay)
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird (unexpected at C-111 Canal)
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Significant Others:
Black Bear (amazingly tame at Big Cypress Bend!)
White-tailed Deer
Raccoon
American Alligator
American Crocodile (2 at Flamingo marina)
Common Snapping Turtle
Red-eared Slider
Green Iguana
Green Anole
Brown Anole
Brown Water Snake
Southern Cricket Frog (heard-only)
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WINTER FLORIDA PHOTO GALLERY
Common Ground Dove (Jeff Stephenson photo)
Great Black-Hawk (origin unknown), Virginia Key
(2013, Ann Inouye photo)
Short-tailed Hawk, Key Largo (Jeff Stephenson photo)
Purple Gallinule, Anhinga Trail (2013, KRE photo)
Limpkin (Jeff Stephenson photo)
White-crowned Pigeon (2013, Ann Inouye photo)
Burrowing Owl, Cape Coral (Jeff Stephenson photo)
Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Babcock-Webb WMA
(Ray Tervo photo)
La Sagra's Flycatcher, Green Cay (2013, KRE photo)
Common Myna, Florida City (Jeff Stephenson photo)
Wood Stork (Jeff Stephenson photo)
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Ocean Bank (Bill Sullivan photo)
Painted Bunting, Frog Pond WMA (Bill Sullivan photo)
Gray-headed Swamphen (Bill Sullivan photo)
Florida Scrub-Jay, Cape Coral (Bill Sullivan photo)
Spot-breasted Oriole, Lake Worth (Ray Tervo photo)
"Great White" Heron (2013, KRE photo)
Also see the PHOTO GALLERY
following the summaries of the 2020 and 2013 MBWeeks.
__________
WINTER FLORIDA MBWEEK SUMMARY
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 2, 2020
Considering that our first birding stop on Day 1 was to see a White-cheeked Pintail, and our last bird before heading to the airport for our flights home was a Bachman’s Sparrow posing right in front of us...well, it would be hard to think of a Minnesota Birding Week with a better start and finish!
That pintail at Lely Resort was a life bird for all, including Jeff and me who have birded Florida several times before, as well as a new species for the all-time MBW composite list. (By recent decree from ABA, the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet was also a new countable lifer for all, and it represented another addition to the MBW list which now stands at 718 species.) And we did not expect to find a Bachman’s Sparrow, which seldom sings in winter, but during our second visit to Babcock-Webb one started to sing, we carefully stalked it, and it ultimately popped up out of a thicket to provide point-blank, eye-level, five-minute views for all – this had to be the closest and most prolonged look I’ve ever had of this species.
Of course, during the week in between there were several other highlights, including the pleasant weather with highs each day generally in the 70s and rain on only our last afternoon. Even the traffic presented fewer problems than expected, with the only real delays around Miami on the afternoon we went to Ocean Bank and the Biltmore to look for parakeets. In all, we came up with a total of 155 species (including Wild Turkey, Least Bittern, and Barred Owl found by Brett and Janice), more than 50 (or one-third) of these were “non-Minnesota” birds, and there were 3 other non-countable exotics (Red-faced Parakeet, Orange-winged Parrot, Scaly-breasted Munia) for an overall total of 158.
In addition to that pintail and sparrow, some of our more memorable birds in the Fort Myers area were: our first Purple Gallinule at Lakes Park and first swamphens at Harns Marsh; our best shoreline birding at Bunche Beach and Gulfside Beach, which included Piping and Wilson’s plovers, Red Knot, Lesser Blacked-backed Gull, and Sandwich Tern; at Babcock-Webb there were Red-cockaded Woodpeckers at two spots (plus another pair at the Belle Mead horse trails), Brown-headed Nuthatches (heard-only that day, but finally seen nicely there on our final morning), and an overwhelming wave of Pine Warblers in response to my screech-owl recording; at Cape Coral we found Burrowing Owl, Monk Parakeet, and Florida Scrub-Jay, and the same day we found Nanday Parakeet near downtown Ft Myers; and there were Limpkins, Wood Storks, herons, egrets, and ibis all week standing along the road – even on the busiest of highways.
Our drive across the interior of Florida to the east coast only had a few highlights, including Roseate Spoonbills, Crested Caracaras, a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and a brief look at a female Shiny Cowbird (well, I’m 99% sure we saw one!). On the next morning at Lake Worth we found (with the help of some timely local tips) a pair of Spot-breasted Orioles (which are easy to miss) plus Painted Buntings. Incredibly nice, close looks at everything at Wakodahatchee Wetlands followed, including Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, countable Egyptian Geese, and more swamphens. Nearby Loxahatchee NWR followed and provided our best looks at an adult male Snail Kite. And that afternoon brought us to the traffic-clogged Miami area, but at least we found Yellow-chevroned and non-countable Red-masked parakeets (but no White-wingeds).
After a false start, we found the way to Everglades National Park the next morning. Though Frog Pond just outside the park entrance had little other than another Scissor-tailed and more Painted Buntings, at Gate 13 at Hidden Lake were a staked-out La Sagra’s Flycatcher (though not everyone saw it) and a close but heard-only Brown-crested Flycatcher. And certainly our best find that afternoon at Key Largo was a great look at our only Short-tailed Hawk that circled low overhead; we also found White-crowned Pigeons, but they were only fly-overs except for one that briefly and distantly perched, and an even more distant Magnificent Frigatebird was seen by some.
The next morning could have hardly gone any better! Our first Common Mynas posed on a traffic light near our motel in Homestead. A short drive north to Pinewoods Park gave us some quite local and oft-elusive Red-whiskered Bulbuls (along with non-countable Scaly-breasted Munias). White-crowned Pigeons were surprisingly easy to see as they perched on wires at Snapper Creek Park. A brief detour to Fairchild Botanical Gardens brought us more Yellow-chevroned Parakeets (plus some non-countable but noisy Orange-winged Parrots). And a Swainson’s Warbler which had been wintering at A. D. Barnes Park was much easier to see than expected (that is, after we found that boardwalk).
Then it was a somewhat anti-climactic and rainy drive back to Fort Myers, but en route we saw our only Manatees, American Oystercatchers, and Black Skimmer, plus another pair of Red-cockadeds. Still, this relatively uneventful afternoon by comparison made our final morning with the Bachman’s Sparrow and nuthatches at Babcock-Webb all that more of an event.
Itinarary
January 26 – Early afternoon arrival at Ft Myers airport (RSW); Lely Resort ponds, Eagle Lakes Park, and Manor Park; dinner at Two Meatballs in the Kitchen, and first of 3 nights in Ft Myers.
January 27 – Lakers Park, Bowditch and Bunche beaches, Dink Darling NWR, Bowman and Gulfside beaches, and return to Lakes Park; dinner at Fancy’s Southern Cafe.
January 28 – Babcock-Webb WMA, Yucca Pens, Festival Park, Pelican Blvd ballfields, Cape Coral library, Ft Myers Cemetery & Guava St, and Harns Marsh; dinner at Fancy’s/Two Meatballs.
January 29 – Return to Ding Darling, Bunche Beach, Flint Pens, and drive to West Palm Beach via Sem-Chi rice mill; dinner at Island Jack’s and night in West Palm Beach.
January 30 – Palmway & 4th Ave in Lake Worth, Snook Island, Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Loxahatchee NWR, Ocean Bank and Biltmore Hotel, and drive to Florida City for first of 2 nights; dinner at Capri.
January 31 – Audubon Park, Frog Pond WMA/Lucky Hammock, Coe Visitors Center, Gate 13 at Hidden Lake, Long Pine Key, Card Sound Rd, and Key Largo Hammock; dinner at Buzzard’s Roost.
February 1 – Return to Audubon Park, Pinewoods Park, Snapper Creek Park, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, and A D Barnes Park; return to Ft Myers via Tamiami Trail, Shark Valley/Miccosukee Village, Oasis Visitors Center, Monument Lake, Big Cypress Welcome Center, Everglades City, and Belle Mead horse trails; dinner at Two Meatballs and final night in Fort Myers.
February 2 – Return to Babcock-Webb WMA; mid-morning return to RSW for flights home.
Bird List
• boldfaced species = “non-Minnesota” birds (i.e., absent / Accidental / Casual in MN)
• (species in parentheses) = “non-countable” introduced exotics
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Egyptian Goose
Muscovy Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Mallard
Mottled Duck
White-cheeked Pintail
Ring-necked Duck
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Common Ground Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sora
Purple Gallinule
Gray-headed Swamphen
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Limpkin
Sandhill Crane
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Wilson's Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmer
Wood Stork
Magnificent Frigatebird
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Snail Kite
Red-shouldered Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Screech-Owl (heard-only)
Great Horned Owl (heard-only)
Burrowing Owl
Barred Owl (heard-only)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (heard-only)
Northern Flicker (heard-only)
Pileated Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Merlin
Monk Parakeet
Nanday Parakeet
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
(Red-masked Parakeet)
(Orange-winged Parrot)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher (heard-only)
La Sagra’s Flycatcher
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Florida Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Brown-headed Nuthatch
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Common Myna
Cedar Waxwing
(Scaly-breasted Munia)
House Sparrow
Bachman's Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Meadowlark
Spot-breasted Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Shiny Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Swainson’s Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting
Also seen (a partial list): Manatee, American Alligator, Red-eared Slider, Green & Brown anoles, Green Iguana, Southern Cricket Frog
Boat-tailed Grackles (Bill Sullivan photo)
Bachman's Sparrow, Babcock-Webb WMA (Bill Sullivan photo)
Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pinewoods Park (Bill Sullivan photo)
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Babcock-Webb WMA (Bill Sullivan photo)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Ray Tervo photo)
White Ibis (Bill Sullivan photo)
Egyptian Goose (Bill Sullivan photo)
Magnificent Frigatebird, Sanibel Island (Ray Tervo photo)
Roseate Spoonbill (Ray Tervo photo)
