On Saturday, December 6, twenty-two birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for a full day of birding along Tamiami Trail in Collier County. The trip began at the Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve. While in Big Cypress, we also made brief stops at Monument Lake Campground and H.P. Williams Wayside Park. Continuing west, we explored Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park’s Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk, including the just reopened and newly restored section of the boardwalk leading into the heart of Fakahatchee’s old growth cypress swamp. In Naples, we visited Eagle Lakes Community Park and Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. Heading back towards Miami, we made a final stop at the Marsh Trail and observation tower at Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Thirty-five species were tallied at Oasis Visitor Center, including Common Ground-Dove, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Black-crowned Night Heron, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Savannah Sparrow and Northern Yellow Warbler. A yellow-variant House Finch and a huge flock of Tree Swallows were found at Monument Lake Campground. Twenty-five species were seen during about 15 minutes of birding at H.P. Williams Wayside Park, including Belted Kingfisher and Downy Woodpecker.
Highlights at Big Cypress Bend included an American Bittern near the interpretive pavilion, and along the newly restored section of boardwalk, a very photogenic Bald Eagle perched on a snag and an alligator with babies riding on its back. We found forty-six species at Eagle Lakes Park, including Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Forster’s and Royal Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird, Glossy Ibis, Northern Harrier, a light morph Short-tailed Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon having lunch.
At Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, we were hoping to see a Dark-eyed Junco that was discovered there earlier in the week, but birders present when we arrived told us that they had been unable to find it. Highlights of our final stop, at Ten Thousand Islands NWR included Blue-winged Teal, American White Pelican and a dark morph Short-tailed Hawk. We ended the day with 74 species, all of which are listed in this eBird trip report.
Bald Eagle. Photo by Brian Rapoza