Thirty-four birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for what was scheduled to be a full day of birding in Everglades National Park. The rains from an approaching cold front held off until noon, allowing us to visit four different locations in the park before calling it a day.
At Coe Visitor Center, we found twenty species: Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Common Grackle, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler and Northern Cardinal. A Great Horned Owl was heard in the adjacent pine rockland habitat by two birders who had wandered away from the group. Wood Stork, White Ibis, Great Egret, and Boat-tailed Grackle were seen around Taylor Slough as the group drove to Royal Palm Visitor Center.
On Anhinga Trail, we tallied forty species, including at least eight Purple Gallinules, twenty Anhinga (one was a youngster in a nest) and two American Bitterns. Other new birds seen while on the trail included Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle (a juvenile), Red-shouldered Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk (a light morph), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Merlin, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Purple Martin, Carolina Wren (singing, but stayed hidden from view), Northern Waterthrush and Orange-crowned Warbler.
Our next stop was the Gate 13 area near Hidden Lake. Many ducks were found in the wetlands there, mostly Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal but among them were at least ten Northern Pintail and a couple of Ring-necked Ducks. We were very surprised to find five Black Skimmers among them, a rare sight at this inland location. Other new birds seen there included American Coot, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Glossy Ibis, Tricolored Heron and Belted Kingfisher. Three Bald Eagles were also present, including an adult that perched nicely for us.
Our last stop was at Long Pine Key picnic area, where after having lunch, we found our last three new birds of the trip: Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern Towhee and Pine Warbler. We ended our abbreviated day with 61 species; all are listed in this eBird trip report.
Purple Gallinule: Photo by Brian Rapoza