On Saturday, February 14, thirty-six birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for a pleasant morning of birding at Black Point Park and Cutler Wetlands in south Miami-Dade. We began by hiking the jetty trail at Black Point Park, where we found twenty-six species, including Spotted Sandpiper, Laughing, Ring-billed and American Herring Gulls, Pied-billed Grebe, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Brown Pelican, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied, Downy and Piliated Woodpeckers, Great Crested Flycatcher, Fish Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Myna, Northern Mockingbird, Common Grackle and Common Yellowthroat. We also spotted a couple of West Indian manatees along the jetty.
The group then drove to Cutler Wetlands, where we discovered that the gate to the new parking area was locked, forcing everyone to park along the road. We walked along the bike path that leads east from the parking area, where we found twenty-five species, including Red-breasted Merganser, Forster’s Tern, Wood Stork, White Ibis, Little Blue, Tricolored, Green and Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egret, Western Cattle-Egret, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered and Short-tailed Hawks, Blue Jay, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle and Palm Warbler. Several American Crocodiles were also present in the wetland alongside the bike path.
We ended the morning with forty-three species, all of which are listed in this eBird trip report. The two eBird checklists that were shared with all participants will be incorporated into the global results for this weekend’s Great Backyard Bird Count.
Spotted Sandpiper, American Crocodile. Photos by Brian Rapoza