Fla. Junk Bird Wrap-up Plus Gr. Flamingoes
Dendroica@aol.com
Mon, 15 Feb 1999 13:13:36 EST
Inspired by postings to MDOsprey late last year by Marcia Watson-Whitmyre and
Gregory Miller (I thank you both), I birded Florida from 2/3 thru 2/10 to fill
in some gaps in my ABA area life list:
Budgerigar -- Found on utility lines on Gulf View Drive and Gulf View Circle
in Hernando Beach. Eurasian Collared-Doves are common here as well.
Shiny Cowbird -- At least a dozen at feeders at the Briggs Nature Center near
Naples. A volunteer working on a Florida Scrub Jay introduction project there
told me someone had counted 28 Shiny Cowbirds a few days earlier. Looks like
another invasion might be underway similar to that of the Eurasian Collared-
Doves.
Monk Parakeet -- Since the Rehoboth, Del. nesters are not countable, I sought
out the numerous Monk Parakeets at the nursing home on the corner of Curtiss
Pky. and Navarre St. in Miami, north of the airport, and found them. Also saw
Red-crowned Parrots and Green Parakeets on nearby Morningside Drive. I
understand that Bill Pranty who authored the ABA Florida guidebook, is
initiating a project to locate all Monk Parakeet nests in Dade County. Based
on my observations, the total should be an impressive number.
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet -- I had more trouble with this bird. I could not
find them at either the nursing home or the Baptist hospital in Kendall on my
first try. On my final day on the way to the airport, I checked out the
hospital area again, finding Monk Parakeets only, until I decided to try the
residential area directly across Kendall Ave. It took only minutes before I
found 20 Yellow-chevroned Parakeets feeding in a fruiting tree. As a bonus, I
saw several Red-whiskered Bulbuls in this neighborhood.
Greater Flamingo -- A junk bird, not. It took two trips down the Snake Bite
trail in the Everglades to pin them down, but saw 22 silhouetted against the
rising sun at about 7:30 am on Feb 8th. On my first attempt, I arrived at the
boardwalk right at high tide, about 8:45am. and searched in vain until
10:30am. On Feb 8th., I was on the boardwalk by 7:30am and immediately saw
the birds feeding in not-too-distant shallows viewed from the left-hand corner
of the boardwalk. At 8:10 am they took flight, and with their long legs and
long necks, looked like flying pipes as they disappeared from view off the
right-hand corner of the boardwalk. Advise: Get there as early as you can,
once it is light enough to walk the trail. You'll have a better chance to see
the birds, and surprisingly, I found the mosquitoes on the trail much less
abundant earlier in the morning, than when walking back at midmorning. A
headnet, rain jacket and pants, a lot of insect spray, and a fast pace kept me
from being bitten, though pursued by a black trail of insects.
Stripe-headed Tanager--I came within ten minutes of seeing it on the last day
it was reported, Feb. 6, on the Gumbo Limbo Trail in the Everglades. Having
been searching for it for about three hours, I decided to take a break and
bird the Anhinga Trail. I left the three Ft. Lauderdale birders who were to
find the singing male about 10:30am and had gotten back to the parking lot,
when the male birder in the trio ran up to say they had the bird. We ran the
1/4 mile back toward the spot, only to find the other two birders waving that
it had flown. I tried that afternoon and from Sun thru Wed, together with
many others, to relocate the bird without success.
The search for the Striped-headed Tanager was not without its rewards. On my
first morning on the Gumbo Limbo Trail, I found a Barred Owl perched atop a
broken-off palm tree, as well as an excellent view of a perched white-phased
Short-tailed Hawk. The Trail also yielded twelve species of warblers during
my extended quest of the tanager, including pristine Yellow-Throated, Prairie,
and Black-Thr. Blue Warblers. Three dark-phased Short-tails were also seen
kettling over the entrance road to the Gumbo Limbo/Anhinga Trails area.
Excellent views of Purple Gallinule and American Bittern along the Anhinga
Trail were added bonuses.
Ralph Wall
Great Falls, Va.