Spring 2010
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An impressive 503 bird species have now been documented in Florida; a Townsend's Solitaire, found near Orlando in March 2008, was the latest edition to the list. To see every species on the state list in one's lifetime is but a dream; some of the birds haven't been seen in Florida in over a century! Beyond 300 species, adding to one's Florida list typically involves chasing some rarity from the Caribbean, the western U.S. or beyond. Often, these vagrants are discovered in some far-flung corner of the state; I've chased birds from Pensacola to the Dry Tortugas and just about everywhere in between. For those of us who have devoted ourselves to building a Florida list of over 400 species, we now rarely experience the thrill of finding new state birds ourselves; rarer still is to discover them close to home. But that's exactly what happened to me this past April. During an otherwise un-birdy stroll through Kendall Indian Hammocks Park, just three miles from home, I serendipitously happened upon a Black-headed Grosbeak, a songbird normally found in western North America. It's a vagrant that I have previously chased, unsuccessfully, all the way to Pensacola. Not only was I able to add the grosbeak to my Florida list (#426), but also many local birders were able to share in my discovery and add it to their life lists. The bird was last seen three days later, during a TAS walk I led through the park.
Though spring birding in southeast Florida was somewhat slow for neotropical migrants, there were plenty of other exciting avian discoveries during the season. In late March, a Bar-tailed Godwit was found near the Flamingo campground in Everglades National Park. The godwit, of the subspecies baueri, which breeds in Alaska and western Asia, was spotted intermittently during the following week. Also in late March, a Townsend's Warbler was a one-day wonder at Bill Sadowski Park in Palmetto Bay. An impressive list of Caribbean vagrants were found in the state this spring, among them a Loggerhead Kingbird and Thick-billed Vireo, both found in the Key West area in late March. A Western Spindalis spent a few days in early April at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne and a Bahama Mockingbird did the same during mid-May at Ft. DeSoto County Park in St. Petersburg. The wintering La Sagra's Flycatcher at Bill Baggs continued through late April; another La Sagra's was found in late May at Royal Palm Hammock in Everglades National Park; this bird may have been the same individual that wintered nearby. The Smooth-billed Ani at Royal Palm Hammock and the Red-footed Booby at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station continued to be seen throughout the season. Topping all of these sightings, arguably, was the Red-legged Thrush photographed in Melbourne at the end of May. If accepted, this will be the first North American record for this Caribbean species!
Spring was also a good time to look for local specialties. Red-whiskered Bulbuls and Spot-breasted Orioles were consistently found in the Baptist Hospital area in Kendall, while White-winged Parakeets were reliably seen on LeJeune Road south of Miami International Airport. Mangrove Cuckoo, a reclusive species typically difficult to find, were repeatedly seen and heard during May at Black Point Marina in Cutler Bay. Yellow-billed Cuckoo could also be found there; on one day in mid-May, a Black-billed Cuckoo joined them. White-crowned Pigeons were widespread, with reports in early May as far north as Boca Raton in Palm Beach County. Shiny Cowbirds were reported from a number of locations and were often seen around the Flamingo visitor center in Everglades National Park. In early April, Black Rails were calling along the main park road near Mahogany Hammock, in an area also reliable for breeding Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows. By late April, Antillean Nighthawks returned to Marathon airport and Black-whiskered Vireos were widespread in the Keys. By mid-May, Roseate Terns could be seen on and around Marathon Government Center; both Roseate and Bridled Terns, along with the usual Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies, were breeding in the Dry Tortugas.
—Brian Rapoza
TAS Field Trip Coordinator