On Saturday, October 25, twenty-two birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for a full day of birding in Everglades National Park. The trip began at the Coe Visitor Center, where Pied-billed Grebe, Anhinga, Great Egret, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Cardinal and 10 other species were encountered.
At Royal Palm Visitor Center, we explored both Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo Trails, tallying 31 species, including White-winged Dove, Purple Gallinule, Sandhill Crane, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk (four at once!), Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Painted Bunting.
Our next stop was at Long Pine Key picnic area, where we found Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Northern House Wren, Eastern Towhee and 10 other species. We then drove to West Lake, where during our lunch break, were visited by a large and hungry American Crocodile. Black Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk and a couple of unidentified terns were seen during a quick walk on West Lake’s boardwalk.
It was approaching low tide by the time we reached Flamingo, so the group spent about an hour scanning the exposed mudflats from the Guy Bradley Visitor Center. Among the 24 species found during this stop were Black-bellied Plover, Marbled Godwit, Short-billed Dowitcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Caspian Tern, Wood Stork (circling overhead), Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron (white morph), American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Northern Harrier and Merlin.
As we headed back towards the park entrance, we made our final stop of the day at Mahogany Hammock but only found seven species there, including another Northern Harrier. By trip’s end, the group had tallied 64 species, which was not bad considering the blustery conditions we had to deal with for most of the day. A complete list can be viewed in this eBird trip report.
Great Blue Heron. Photo by Brian Rapoza