This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0021_01BE7946.230BCC80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Back in October, Joe Halpin posted a message to MDOsprey requesting = info about finding birds in south Florida. I saved his message and a few = responses that were given because I knew I'd eventually make it down = there (my and my wife's families live down there). Well, I just got = back from a week long stay in FL and wanted to thank Joe, Norm Saunders = and Marcia Watson-Whitmyre for their input. The birding was great! It wasn't a birding trip per se, and most of my birdwatching was = done in the company of my non-birding ("Haven't you looked at that bird = long enough, Andy?") loved ones, but I was lucky enough to see plenty of = cool birds, including 10 or so lifers (some of which are seen in MD = regularly, but only by those who are not as 'land-lubberish' as I am). Highlights included: Spot-breasted Orioles, Smooth-billed Ani, = Purple Gallinules, Sandhill Crane, Sora, Yellow Rail (see note below), = Loggerhead Shrikes, White Winged-doves, Black-necked Stilts, Merlin, = Tricolored Herons, Glossy Ibis, Great White Heron and Magnificent = Frigatebirds. Maybe I was fortunate or maybe the birds were just too = hot and tired to move, but I got great looks at most of the birds; they = were quite cooperative.=20 =20 I won't bore you with the details of the 'hunt' for each bird, but = if anyone's planning to go there soon, feel free to e-mail me and I'll = tell you what I can about finding them (including a spot where a = Smooth-billed Ani is building a nest in Loxahatchee). By far, the best = places I visited were Loxahatchee and Wakodahatchee (the Huntley Meadows = of Florida), both in the Boynton Area. Another pleasant surprise, not = mentioned in any of the above-mentioned e-mail postings, is the Wild = Bird Center in Key Largo. They have plenty of (non-countable) captive = rehabilitating birds which easily maintain the interest of non-birding = spouses and parents alike. It is located near the beach where plenty of = wading birds and Black-necked Stilts were hanging out. While I was = there, I also picked up a guide to birding in the Keys for $2. I didn't = get to use it, but plan to the next time I visit. It contains fairly = detailed directions to birdy spots in the Keys and where to find certain = species of birds. (about the Yellow Rail) I'm almost positive the bird I saw was a Yellow Rail, but would like = others' input. I saw the bird at Wakodahatchee. It was in shallow = water, generally acting in the same way rails do. There was a Sora = nearby, so a size comparison was easy. It was noticeably smaller and = thinner than the Sora. Its bill was also smaller. It was running in and = out of the tall vegetation there, so I didn't get great looks at much = else on the bird. The one thing that I did notice was a bold cinnamon = colored eyebrow. I know this isn't much information on which to base an = ID, but if anyone knows anything about whether this is a likely place to = find a Yellow Rail or if there is another similar looking bird that I = might have confused with the rail, I'd appreciate the help. Thanks again to those who inadvertently helped me on my trip. = Florida is still too damn hot, but I can't wait to get back there again = for another (more intensive) birding vacation. And if what I saw down = there is any indication of what we're to see in the coming months, there = will be no shortage of Palm or Prarie Warblers in our future. Still sunburned, Andy Rabin Gaithersburg, MD andyrab@wam.umd.edu ------=_NextPart_000_0021_01BE7946.230BCC80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">