On Saturday, November 7th, thirty-eight 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 participants found Great Egret, Green Heron, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and twelve other species. At Royal Palm Visitor Center’s Anhinga Trail, the group spotted Purple Gallinule, American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Short-tailed Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Cape May Warbler and thirteen other species. On the unpaved road leading through the Hidden Lake area, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Stork, Reddish Egret, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Tree Swallow and five other species were seen.
At the Long Pine Key picnic area, where the group had lunch, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Northern Houe Wren, Eastern Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, Pine Warbler and nine other species were found. At the Pa-hay-okee Lookout Tower, the group had incredible close-up views of a Barred Owl devouring a snake it had caught! A dozen other species was also found there. An Ovenbird was added to the trip list at Mahogany Hammock, but not much else was seen there. More time would have been spent at this stop if the mosquito levels had been lower. Quick stops were also made at Paurotis Pond and West Lake, but these locations proved to unproductive as well.
The group’s luck changed dramatically upon arrival in Flamingo. Several birds were spotted in a flooded area along the side of the road just before Eco Pond, including American Avocet, Prairie Willet, Greater Yellowlegs and Snowy Egret. Large numbers of shorebirds were found along the beach between the amphitheater and glamping tent areas, including hundreds of Dunlin and smaller numbers of Marbled Godwit and Prairie Willet. A few other shorebirds were mixed in, including Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Western Sandpiper. At one point, a Roseate Spoonbill flew in and joined the party! Other birds seen in this area included Wood Stork, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Great White Heron (the white morph of Great Blue Heron), Osprey, American Kestrel and Loggerhead Shrike. Unfortunately, mosquito levels were also very high in this area. As the group was leaving, two participants found several White-crowned Sparrows in the grass near the parking area. A few participants stopped at the Flamingo marina store before heading home and were rewarded with the sighting of a very large American crocodile swimming past!
The number of birds tallied by trip’s end was nearly seventy species. All are listed in this eBird trip report.
Barred Owl. Photo by Brian Rapoza