On Saturday, January 25, thirty-one birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for a cool but sunny morning of birding at two iconic birding locations in southern Palm Beach County: Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach and Peaceful Waters Sanctuary in Wellington. Nancy Freedman was scheduled to lead this trip, but unfortunately, she was a bit under the weather this week and couldn’t make it.
As participants began to assemble at Wakodahatchee, they were treated to an early morning frenzy of avian activity in the retention pond adjacent to the parking lot. Several dozen Forster’s Terns were swirling over the pond, with many diving repeatedly as they attempted to catch a fish or two for breakfast. A few Bonaparte’s Gulls later joined them. The banks of the pond were lined with all sorts of wading birds, including a Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbills, Great and Snowy Egrets and Little Blue and Tricolored Herons, all of them jockeying for position as they joined the feeding frenzy. A few Blue-winged Teal, Mottled Ducks, American Coots, Common Gallinules and Double-crested Cormorants were also in the mix.
Eventually, we tore ourselves away from the retention pond and began our exploration of Wakodahatchee’s famous boardwalk. Wood Storks were already actively building nests in the pond apple trees all along the boardwalk. Several large flocks of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circled overhead, with many eventually landing, allowing us to obtain better looks. A few Northern Shovelers and a female Hooded Merganser were the only new ducks encountered along the boardwalk. Many other waterbirds were seen, including Purple Gallinule, Gray-headed Swamphen, Killdeer, Royal Tern, Ring-billed Gull, Pied-billed Grebe, Anhinga, White and Glossy Ibis, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-Herons, Great Blue and Green Herons and Western Cattle Egrets. Several birds of prey were spotted, including Black and Turkey Vultures, Osprey and Cooper’s, Red-shouldered and Short-tailed Hawks. Other birds seen or heard there included White-winged Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Nanday Parakeet, Fish Crow, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula and Black-and-white, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Palm and Yellow-throated Warblers.
At mid-morning, we moved on to Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, located within Village Park in Wellington. Our first target bird at this location was a Virginia Rail that had been present for a couple of weeks, but we were unable to find it. Our first Sora of the morning was found while looking for the Virginia Rail. Minutes later, an adult Bald Eagle soared right over our heads as we made our way down the boardwalk. Other new birds encountered there included Egyptian Goose (with goslings), Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Limpkin, Wilson’s Snipe, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-throated Vireo, Tree Swallow, Common Grackle and Prairie Warbler. We also saw more Purple Gallinules, Roseate Spoonbills and other waterbirds. By the end of the trip, we had tallied 56 species at Wakodahatchee Wetlands and 45 species at Peaceful Waters, with a combined total of 72 different species. All are listed in this eBird trip report.
Northern Pintails: Photo by Brian Rapoza