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16 Jan Wrong link [Anne Bellenger ] 16 Jan ID ? [Anne Bellenger ] 16 Jan Three Short-tailed Hawk Morning Collier County [Vincent Lucas ] 16 Jan Banded Crested Caracara Info Needed [Vincent Lucas ] 15 Jan CEDAR KEY ["Murray Gardler" ] 13 Jan Neotropic Cormorant ["Murray Gardler" ] 12 Jan Neotropic Cormorant photos [Larry Manfredi ] 11 Jan Beginning Birding Tour MINWR 1-11-09 ["Betty Salter" ] 11 Jan Fw: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Press Release - Beginning Birding Tour ["Betty Salter" ] 10 Jan Collier County Birding 01/10/2009 [Vincent Lucas ] 10 Jan Collier County Birding 01/10/2009 [Vincent Lucas ] 10 Jan RE: Palm Warbler ["Jack Rogers" ] 10 Jan Palm Warbler ["Jack Rogers" ] 10 Jan Florida Birder sighted in Texas [Bradmartin321 ] 9 Jan RFI: Key West [Debra Shearwater ] 5 Jan Some very belated notes from the Bonita Springs/Estero area ["Dany Sloan" ] 5 Jan STA-5/Clewiston CBC Team Results [Vincent Lucas ] 05 Jan Just wanted to say hi! ["dutadusupermom30" ] 4 Jan Fw: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Press Release- Beginning Birding Tours ["Betty Salter" ] 4 Jan Fw: Merritt Island National Wildlfie Refuge Press Release - Eagle Watch ["Betty Salter" ] 3 Jan WEST PASCO COUNTY ["Murray Gardler" ] 1 Jan RE: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? ["Christian Newton" ] 1 Jan Collier County Century Run 01/01/09 [Vincent Lucas ] 1 Jan Re: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? ["Thomas J. Dunkerton" ] 1 Jan RE: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? ["Renne Leatto" ] 31 Dec Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? [Tom Palmer ] 30 Dec Banded Roseate Spoonbill Info Needed [Vincent Lucas ] 30 Dec Tagged Ring-billed Gull ["Murray Gardler" ] 29 Dec BROWN BOOBY ["Evan Barrientos" ] 27 Dec Marco Island/Tigertail Beach Banded Piping Plovers [Vincent Lucas ] 27 Dec STA-5 Tour Results for 27 December 2008 [Vincent Lucas ] 25 Dec THE 11th Zellwood-Mt. Dora Christmas Bird Count Friday, 26 December 2008 [Wes Biggs ] 24 Dec Key West - first week of January ["tbcash80" ] 23 Dec RE: RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation ["Renne Leatto" ] 23 Dec Re: RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation [Jeff Bouton ] 22 Dec RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation ["Renne Leatto" ] 22 Dec RE: Sparrow species i.d. request ["Jack Rogers" ] 22 Dec Sparrow species i.d. request ["Jack Rogers" ] 22 Dec Violet-green Swallow ["Murray Gardler" ] 21 Dec Zellwood Christmas count 26 December, 2008 [Wes Biggs ] 19 Dec Collier/Hendry Birding 12/19/2008 [Vincent Lucas ] 18 Dec Just a few more questions ["Evan Barrientos" ] 17 Dec Some specialty birds ["Evan Barrientos" ] 16 Dec Bullock's Oriole ["Murray Gardler" ] 15 Dec Black Point section of the MINWR CBC ["Betty Salter" ] 15 Dec Photo of Harris's Sparrow [Rex Rowan ] 14 Dec Results From STA-5 Tour 12/13/2008 [Vincent Lucas ] 12 Dec ICELAND GULL (kumliens) ["Murray Gardler" ] 9 Dec RFI Black-bellied Plover bill size ["Valeri Ponzo" ] 5 Dec CEDAR KEY & VICINITY ["Murray Gardler" ] 4 Dec White-throated Sparrow & Pine Siskin In Collier County [Vincent Lucas ] 3 Dec PALM HARBOR WATER TREATMENT PLANT ["Murray Gardler" ] Subject: Wrong link From: Anne Bellenger <cyclist2 AT strato.net> Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:48:56 -0500 Sorry that was the wrong link. http://www.pbase.com/anneb74/image/108203762 http://www.pbase.com/anneb74/image/108203793 Anne [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: ID ? From: Anne Bellenger <cyclist2 AT strato.net> Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:45:43 -0500 This was taken in Hardee County, intersection of SR 64 and Parnell Rd, pasture. Also it was taken through the windshield. Some kind of sparrow? I thought I saw a few orange feathers on top of its head as it was flitting around on the post. It was about the size of a cardinal and had a long tail. http://upload.pbase.com/edit_gallery/anneb74/january_2009 Anne Bellenger Avon Park [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Three Short-tailed Hawk Morning Collier County From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:07:53 -0500 All: Although visiting Alachua County birders Mary Landsman and Ellen Chen brought some nastily cold weather with them from "Up North", they apparently also brought some good luck with them as well. I say that because I have never seen three Short-tailed Hawks in Collier County in one day. However, this morning that is exactly what occurred. First, we saw a pair about one mile west of S.R. 29 on Oil Well Rd. (aka CR 858) and it was a pair containing one light morph and one dark morph! I've never seen a "mixed" pair before anywhere in Florida, although I have seen both light and dark morphs in the same day -- but separately. Next, we saw another dark morph STHA mixed in with a group of Black Vultures about another mile west on Oil Well Rd., west of where we had seen the first pair. All three of these birds seemed to "hover" right above us as they ascended on thermals. Way cool. We were delighted. The morning started out from my house in Naples at 8:30AM so that the birds could have a chance to "warm up". Our plan was to visit my friend's feeders in Immokalee for Painted & Indigo Buntings, White-winged Dove, Chipping Sparrow and whatever else was around. Before we reached Immokalee though, we found a banded Crested Caracara. (See my other post about this specific bird.) We had plenty of the buntings, sparrows and doves at my friend's feeders. Obviously, these birds were HUNGRY from spending the night in the cold. I counted about 6-7 Painted Buntings (at least three males), a dozen or more Indigo Buntings, two White-winged Doves and 15 or so Chipping Sparrows present at the feeders. We only spent about 45 minutes watching the feeders before we moved on. Needless to say, the ladies were very happy to see all of these birds so "easily". In a farm pond east of Immokalee, there were quite a few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs affording a nice side-by-side comparison. On CR 858 on the Collier/Hendry County line, we could not locate any Western Kingbirds nor Scissor-tailed Flycatchers probably because it was so windy and "cool". However, when we made the turn west on Oil Well Rd. by the Hendry County Correctional Facility, we did see two Western Kingbirds about 1/2 mile west after the right turn in the road. I saw two more WEKIs about 1/4 mile further west as well. A mile or so from Sunniland on Oil Well Rd., we stopped in the weedy field on the south side of the road to try for Grasshopper Sparrows. Although at least three were inquisitive when they heard their song via my iPod, none would show themselves well. The new town of Ave Maria didn't afford any new birds for the morning's list, but the ladies got to see this town and the "nouveau" Gothic-style oratory and college campus that seemingly "sprung-up" from the surrounding agricultural fields by the hands of billionaire Domino's Pizza King Tom Monaghan. Other nice birds this morning were Northern Harrier, Black-crowned Night-Heron and several of our pale Red- shouldered Hawks. Both Mary and Ellen visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary after we went our separate ways so they may have other birds to report. Good birding. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Banded Crested Caracara Info Needed From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:32:35 -0500 This morning, 01/16/2009, while guiding visiting Gainesville area birders Mary Landsman and Ellen Chen, we found a banded Crested Caracara on CR846 aka Immokalee Rd. not far from the turnoff for Ave Maria i.e. Camp Keais Rd. This is in Collier County. The bird was perched on a fence post and gave good looks for a full five minutes. We were able to see the band info through a spotting scope from 100 yards away. The right leg of the bird had a silver/metallic band i.e. "federal"(?) band. The left leg had a blue metallic band with the number "6" above "X" (vertical arrangement). Can anyone tell me who might have banded this bird and when or point me in the right direction so that I could find out this info? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CEDAR KEY From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:15:31 -0500 Birded with Pat Bazany this AM with the following highlights; Am. Avocet 60+ Black Skimmer 600 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4-5 Blue-headed Vireo 1 FL. Scrub Jay 6-8 Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 5 Shell Mound Song Sparrow 2 Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Neotropic Cormorant From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:26:57 -0500 Wes Biggs just called to advise me that he and David Simpson had just observed the bird. The subject bird was flying up the coast line in the company of Double-crested cormorants. Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Neotropic Cormorant photos From: Larry Manfredi <birderlm AT bellsouth.net> Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:32:24 -0500 Here are two photos taken by Carl Goodrich of the Neotropic Cormorant that he found this morning. http://www.southfloridabirding.com/images/tasphotos/netroco1.jpg http://www.southfloridabirding.com/images/tasphotos/netrco2.jpg Larry Manfredi Homestead, FL. E-mail: birderlm AT bellsouth.net http://www.southfloridabirding.com Subject: Beginning Birding Tour MINWR 1-11-09 From: "Betty Salter" <bettysalter AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:57:39 -0500 Another beautiful day out there! We had 4 cars following the van and visitors from as far away as England and Canada as well as several people who grew up in Florida before A/C. Having a larger group and more vehicles, we usually identify fewer species, and today was no exception. Those we did see were wonderful! The scrubjays hid from us as did the rails, but we did see many egrets and herons that are getting their breeding plumage. It is obvious that we are in our dry season and the water levels are very low. The nice thing about this is that the marshes and impoundments become a type of condensed 'soup'. The feeding activities are fascinating to watch. This winter has been unusually mild, perhaps that is why there are not as many birds out there as previous years...total numbers of birds seem to be down, though I have seen more American wigeons than in past years. Highlights from today include the Bald eagles feeding two young on the nest between stops 11 & 12, two snow geese and a Ross's goose flying not more than 10 yards over our heads, a red tailed hawk on the first eagle perch on the drive, beautiful views of egrets & herons, and equally beautiful views of the ducks. A large bobcat stalked through the impoundment on the right side at stop 8. The ducks, geese, ibis, indeed all the birds took flight swirling around to come back down behind him or in another impoundment. This is the second time we have seen a bobcat of this size during one of our tours, and the other sighting was in the same area, but on the other side of the dike. Below is our list from todays tour, there is a number of species that had been seen either before the tour or after we passed through... Pied-billed Grebe Brown Pelican(a very young individual just past stop 4) Double-crested Cormorant Anhinga Great Blue Heron Great Egret Tri-colored Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis Snow Goose (stop 8 in flight) Ross's Goose (stop 8 in flight) Mottled Duck Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Blue-winged Teal American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Hooded Merganser Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Red-tailed Hawk Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Osprey American Coot Killdeer Willet Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Dunlin American Avocet Ring-billed Gull Laughing Gull Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Northern Mockingbird European Starling Common Yellowthroat Boat -tailed Grackle Common Grackle Savannah Sparrow We truly enjoy introducing people to birding, we don't claim to be experts, but we do manage to teach others how to use the field guides and what field marks are. Many of those who have gone out with us quickly become avid birders. They already had a desire to learn and we just helped them on their way. There is always something going on at Black Point Wildlife Drive and on the refuge in general. You just need to get out there early and have your eyes wide open. Some of the birds that were seen before or after our tour include: Scrubjay, Roseate Spoonbill, King Rail, Sora, Clapper Rail, Reddish Egret and American Bittern. Happy Birding, Betty Salter MINWR Volunteer P.S. The butterflies are still active, primarily Great Southern White, Gulf Fritillary and Common Buckeye. Friday on Catfish Creek I also had large numbers of Mangrove Buckeye as well as some Salt Marsh Skippers, Eastern Pigmy Blues, Ceraunus Blues, Common Checkerd Skipper, Gulf Fritillary, a Dainty Sulpher, a Palatka Skipper and lots of Great Southern Whites. Gator Creek had Great Southern White, Gulf Fritillary, Queen, Eastern Pigmy Blues, Ceraunus Blues, Obscure Skippers, and Salt Marsh Skippers. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fw: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Press Release - Beginning Birding Tour From: "Betty Salter" <bettysalter AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:10:02 -0500 FYI Betty Salter MINWR Volunteer ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy_Corona AT fws.gov To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 3:02 PM Subject: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Press Release - Beginning Birding Tour NEWS RELEASE U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Nancy Corona DATE: 1/11/09 OFFICE PHONE: 321-861-5601 February Beginning Bird Watching Tours Take a driving tour of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with a trained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer to learn how to identify the many birds that frequent the Refuge. One tour per day leaves the Refuge Visitor Center at 9 am and last for approximately three to four hours. Suggested items to bring include binoculars, camera, field guides, bug repellant, water and a snack. Loaner binoculars are available. To off-set costs, a $3.00 fee per person will apply starting the first week of February 2009. Children under 16 will remain free. Tour Dates: Thursdays: 2/5, 2/19 & 2/26 Saturday: 2/7, 2/14, 2/21 & 2/28 Sundays: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15 & 2/22 Space is limited. Please call 321-861-5601 to make reservations. The Visitor Center is located on SR 402, 5 miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville. *** On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive Order creating Pelican Island as the country’s first national wildlife refuge. Roosevelt went on to establish an additional 54 national wildlife refuges during his two terms and set historic conservation values for America. These values have grown into a system, which today, consists of 547 National Wildlife Refuges on more than 95 million acres of America’s most important wildlife habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 546 national wildlife refuges and over 3000 “mini-refuges” called Waterfowl Production Areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological Services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. X X X [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Collier County Birding 01/10/2009 From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:56:25 -0500 Oops! I forgot one. Alan, Bob & I saw about 6-7 Hooded Mergansers in Naples after the "official" CCAS fieldtrip was over. That makes 91 species. Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Collier County Birding 01/10/2009 From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:48:37 -0500 All: Today, 01/10/2009, I was fortunate enough to be part of a Collier County Audubon Society fieldtrip to the Immokalee area lead by two of the nicest and most gracious folks you're ever going to meet -- Paul & Reina Midney of Immokalee. The trip was organized by CCAS fiedtrip chairperson Roberta Marten. All birds seen were in Collier County. We saw some very good birds to say the least and after the "official" fieldtrip ended, Alan Murray, visiting birder Bob Schmidt from the Seattle area and I, saw some even rarer birds for the county! I am not at liberty to disclose all of these locations so please do not ask. Beside, some are on private or government land and access is restricted. Not all birds were seen by all fieldtrip participants. Unless otherwise indicated, all birds were seen in the Immokalee area. Species preceded with an asterisk (*) were seen after the official field ended by Alan, Bob and myself. Species in ALL CAPS are uncommon or rare species for Collier County. Here's our day list: BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK -- x75 *Muscovy Duck (Naples) Mottled Duck (Immokalee & *Naples) Blue-winged Teal Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant (Immokalee & *Naples) Anhinga American Bittern (x1) Great Blue Heron GREAT WHITE HERON (x1) Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron *Black-crowned Night-Heron (Near Sunniland in extreme eastern Collier County) White Ibis *Glossy Ibis (Near Sunniland in extreme eastern Collier County) Wood Stork Black Vulture Turkey Vulture *Osprey (south of Immokalee on SR29) Northern Harrier Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Crested Caracara American Kestrel Sora (x3) Purple Gallinule (x1) Common Moorhen American Coot Sandhill Crane (x2) Killdeer *Greater Yellowlegs (x2) (Ave Maria) Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Wilson's Snipe *Laughing Gull (Naples area) *Ring-billed Gull (Naples area) *Herring Gull (Naples area) Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove WHITE-WINGED DOVE Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher RED-HEADED WOODPECKER (x1) Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker *RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER (x3) (Naples area) *Northern Flicker (x1) (Naples area) *Pileated Woodpecker (x1) (Naples area) Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher *WESTERN KINGBIRD (x5) (CR858 on Collier County/Hendry County line) *SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER (x2) (CR858 on Collier County/Hendry County line) Loggerhead Shrike White-eyed Vireo Blue Jay FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (x3) *American Crow (x1) (Near Sunniland in extreme eastern Collier County) Tree Swallow *BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH (x2) (Naples area) Marsh Wren (x3) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird European Starling Northern Parula (x1) Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler (x1) Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Black-and-white Warbler (x1) Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow (x10) Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow (x2) Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting (x12) Painted Bunting (x6) Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird American Goldfinch House Sparrow ________ Total Species: 90 Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Palm Warbler From: "Jack Rogers" <jrogers62 AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:51:03 -0500 Thanks to all who responded confirming my i.d. Cheers, Jack From: Jack Rogers [mailto:jrogers62 AT cfl.rr.com] Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 12:41 PM To: 'FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com' Subject: Palm Warbler Hi All, Once again I seek your knowledge J I captured this image of what I think is a Palm Warbler at Lake Kissimmee Thursday. Just looking for some confirmation on my i.d. Thanks in advance to any who take the time to have a look. Cheers, Jack http://www.pbase.com/image/107991512 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Palm Warbler From: "Jack Rogers" <jrogers62 AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:40:39 -0500 Hi All, Once again I seek your knowledge J I captured this image of what I think is a Palm Warbler at Lake Kissimmee Thursday. Just looking for some confirmation on my i.d. Thanks in advance to any who take the time to have a look. Cheers, Jack http://www.pbase.com/image/107991512 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Florida Birder sighted in Texas From: Bradmartin321 <Bradmartin321 AT aol.com> Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:50:13 -0500 http://news.aol.com/article/rare-bird-migrates-to-us-for-first-time/300545 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RFI: Key West From: Debra Shearwater <debi AT shearwaterjourneys.com> Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 18:23:52 -0800 Hello, Floridians, I will be in Key West for part of the day of February 9th. If there are any rarities, or any birding places that I just should not miss, please let me know. Please reply off the list, to me directly. Thank you, in advance. Debra Debra Shearwater Shearwater Journeys, Inc. PO Box 190 Hollister, CA 95024 831.637.8527 debi AT shearwaterjourneys.com www.shearwaterjourneys.com *Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Some very belated notes from the Bonita Springs/Estero area From: "Dany Sloan" <danymsloan AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 14:25:37 -0800 On Dec. 31 at Tigertail Beach, in addition to seeing six plover species, I saw one soaring Short-tailed Hawk. Later that day in the Bonita Springs area (near the Coconut Point shopping center), I saw one White-winged Dove, which seems rather uncommon for the area. Cheers, Dany Sloan LA, CA / Bonita Springs, FL Subject: STA-5/Clewiston CBC Team Results From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 12:27:34 -0500 All: On Saturday, January 3rd, I took part in the second STA-5/Clewiston CBC. STA-5, for those who don't know, is south of Clewiston in Hendry County. Although I do not have access to all of the teams' totals, here is my team's totals. We did the two cells immediately to the left of the gate (facing south). At dawn and dusk, STA-5 is unlike ANY place in the entire state for the sheer numbers of birds as far as I'm concerned and I have birded most of the "hotspots" in the state. Margaret England, the compiler for the STA-5 CBC, will undoubtedly post all of the results for the entire circle soon. Here are my team's results. Note: species are not in taxonomic order. . . . Anhinga -- 143 American Bittern -- 3 Red-winged Blackbird -- 597 Double-crested Cormorant -- 46 American Coot -- 37,543 (conservative estimate) Common Ground-Dove -- 8 Long-billed Dowitcher -- 1369 American Wigeon -- 37 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck -- 15 Blue-winged Teal -- 2,699 (conservative estimate) Canvasback -- 1 Fulvous Whistling-Duck -- 75 Gadwall -- 3 Green-winged Teal -- 368 Mallard -- 3 Mottled Duck -- 144 Northern Pintail -- 49 Northern Shoveler -- 75 Ring-necked Duck -- 1,043 (conservative estimate) Ruddy Duck -- 37 Dunlin -- 24 Bald Eagle (adult) -- 1 Bald Eagle (immature) -- 1 Cattle Egret -- 342 Great Egret -- 24 Snowy Egret -- 66 Peregrine Falcon -- 1 Purple Gallinule -- 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- 1 Boat-tailed Grackle -- 4,936 (conservative estimate) Common Grackle -- 1 Pied-billed Grebe -- 353 Northern Harrier -- 69 Cooper's Hawk -- 1 Red-shouldered Hawk -- 4 Black-crowned Night-Heron -- 1 Great Blue Heron -- 57 Great White Heron (Great Blue Heron "white morph") -- 2 Green Heron -- 9 Little Blue Heron -- 74 Tricolored Heron -- 45 Glossy Ibis -- -- 84 White Ibis -- 24 American Kestrel -- 3 Killdeer -- 75 Belted Kingfisher -- 30 Snail Kite -- 11 Limpkin -- 8 Eastern Meadowlark -- 2 Common Moorhen -- 1,474 (conservative estimate) Osprey -- 35 American White Pelican -- 16 Eastern Phoebe -- 1 Black-bellied Plover -- 8 Sora -- 6 Least Sandpiper -- 2,001 (conservative estimate) Stilt Sandpiper -- 175 Black Skimmer -- 2 Wilson's Snipe -- 45 Savannah Sparrow -- 4 Swamp Sparrow -- 4 Roseate Spoonbill -- 1 Black-necked Stilt -- 102 Wood Stork -- 54 Northern Rough-winged Swallow -- 61 Tree Swallow -- 14,737 (conservative estimate) Pur4ple Swamphen -- 20 Caspian Tern -- 41 Black Vulture -- 67 Turkey Vulture -- 548 Common Yellowthroat -- 26 Palma Warbler -- 102 Marsh Wren -- 6 Greater Yellowlegs -- 29 Lesser Yellowlegs -- 630 (conservative estimate) And this was only two cells/impoundments at STA-5! Big misses in my area of the circle were Eurasian Wigeon, of which there have been at least two present in recent weeks, Lesser Scaup, Cave Swallow and King Rail. Thanks goes out to all the members of my team who stuck it out to the bitter end after most everyone else left early: Margaret England, Alan Murray, Bill & Roberta Marten & David Gardner. I took some photos of Stilt Sandpipers associating with Long-billed Dowitchers and they can be seen here: http://www.caloosabirdclub.org/VPL/STA-5CBC1.jpg http://www.caloosabirdclub.org/VPL/STA-5CBC2.jpg http://www.caloosabirdclub.org/VPL/STA-5CBC3.jpg Note: the photos are large so they may take some time to download. Once the photo is opened, you can click on it and a larger version will appear. The Dunlin were too far out for my photography equipment. I'm hopeful that someone else got photos of them but you can bet they WERE Dunlin and not Stilt Sandpipers. Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Just wanted to say hi! From: "dutadusupermom30" <dutadusupermom30 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:57:11 -0000 Hello, my name is Heather I'm from Fort Walton Beach FL. I'm a avid bird lover and just got into watching birds. I have posted some of my Bird Photography it's under "Heathers Bird Photography" I am haveing some trouble with some of the ID's I would love it if someone could take a look and let me know :o) Subject: Fw: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Press Release- Beginning Birding Tours From: "Betty Salter" <bettysalter AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:22:28 -0500 FYI Betty Salter MINWR Volunteer ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy_Corona AT fws.gov To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 1:36 PM Subject: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Press Release- Beginning Birding Tours NEWS RELEASE U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Nancy Corona DATE: 1/4/09 OFFICE PHONE: 321-861-5601 January Beginning Bird Watching Tours Take a driving tour of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with a trained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer to learn how to identify the many birds that frequent the Refuge. One tour per day leaves the Refuge Visitor Center at 9 am and last for approximately three to four hours. Suggested items to bring include binoculars, camera, field guides, bug repellant, water and a snack. Loaner binoculars are available. Tour Dates: Thursdays: 1/8, 1/15, 1/29 Saturday: 1/10, 1/17, 1/31 Sundays: 1/11, 1/18 Space is limited. Please call 321-861-5601 to make reservations. The Visitor Center is located on SR 402, 5 miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville. *** On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive Order creating Pelican Island as the country’s first national wildlife refuge. Roosevelt went on to establish an additional 54 national wildlife refuges during his two terms and set historic conservation values for America. These values have grown into a system, which today, consists of 548 National Wildlife Refuges on more than 95 million acres of America’s most important wildlife habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges and over 3000 “mini-refuges” called Waterfowl Production Areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological Services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. X X X [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fw: Merritt Island National Wildlfie Refuge Press Release - Eagle Watch From: "Betty Salter" <bettysalter AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:20:44 -0500 FYI Betty Salter MINWR Volunteer ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy_Corona AT fws.gov To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 12:59 PM Subject: Merritt Island National Wildlfie Refuge Press Release - Eagle Watch 1 NEWS RELEASE U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Nancy Corona DATE: 1/4/09 OFFICE PHONE: 321-861-5601 January Eagle Watch at Merritt Island NWR Join a Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer to get close up view of adult American Bald Eagles and their young through a spotting scope. No need to make reservations, just drive your own vehicle to the site. Weather permitting; a volunteer will be stationed along the Black Point Wildlife Drive between Stops 11 and 12 on the following days: Wednesdays: 2 pm to 4 pm Saturdays: 10 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm Sundays: 2 pm to 4 pm Call 321-861- 5601 for information. The Black Point Wildlife Drive is located along State Road 406, 5 miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville. *** On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive Order creating Pelican Island as the country’s first national wildlife refuge. Roosevelt went on to establish an additional 54 national wildlife refuges during his two terms and set historic conservation values for America. These values have grown into a system, which today, consists of 548 National Wildlife Refuges on more than 95 million acres of America’s most important wildlife habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges and over 3000 “mini-refuges” called Waterfowl Production Areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological Services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. X X X [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: WEST PASCO COUNTY From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 08:30:32 -0500 While doing the Xmas count with Chris Rasmussen and Pat Bazany we had the following highlights. White-winged Scoter 6 Anclote fishing pier fly bys. Pine Siskin 1 Hudson Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? From: "Christian Newton" <cnewton2 AT roadrunner.com> Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 22:46:05 -0500 Hey all, having worked with birds in an a captive situation for years, plain in simple (like what has already been said) WHITE BREAD is not good for anything including birds and maybe most of all birds because its all carbs which makes fat and apparently its not an easy fat to burn off, hence why its apparently worse for birds (don't ask me why, thats what a nutritionists told me). However; if bread is to be fed, a multi-grain or at least wheat bread is much better to feed. However knowing what your feeding is a must as well, a puddle duck is probably OK to throw some wheat bread to, a sea duck type not OK, but a gallinule who's diet is probably mainly aquatic vegetation and the occasional invertebrate is probably not OK to throw any bread products to. So if I where on my property and saw someone throw an un-salted peanut to a scrub-jay, I probably wouldn't care that much because corvid's have a huge range of diets that they can eat, then if I saw the same person throw a piece of whole grain bread to a gallinule I would ask them not to because their digestive system is based on aquatic vegetation for the most part. This was a Hypothetical scenario as I live in Buffalo, NY and do not have scrub-jays or gallinules in my yard, but you all get my drift. Lastly- if you don't know the bird you're feeding and you don't know much about different foods then you probably should refrain from feeding birds until you learn what you're your doing (a simple search on Google will answer most questions) and if you see someone who is not a birder or a naturalist feeding a bird you might just want to tell them it's not a good thing to feed wild animals. Now with that said I'm going to have a granola bar, because the last Twinkie I had 3 years ago I'm pretty sure is still with me:-) Happy New Year and good birding, Chris Newton Holland, NY _____ From: FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Thomas J. Dunkerton Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2009 9:13 PM Cc: FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [FlaBirding] Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? While I certainly think this was an innocent inquiry, the adverse effects of this action should be addressed along with the simple yes or no as to the direct health of the bird. In the situation described by Renne, it would seem the birds have been imprinted to become more of a "pest" than a novelty. Purple Gallinules, being native waterfowl, will begin to be taken for granted, if not already, in this area and thus the unknowing visitors will never know the value of a natural inhabitant but simply see them as a side show. It would be foolish to expect that you could stop an attraction like that once it's begun but in the interest of Florida's wildlife or any wildlife for that matter, this cannot or should not be a simple yes or no answer. Can Florida Scrub-jays digest peanuts? Whether or not they can, it may cost you $175 !!! Just ask Roy! ;-) Again, addressing the situation described by Renne: When these Gallinules continue to rummage through trash, and they are deemed a nuisance, who would pay the price? And will the people who started the trend of feeding them bread, will they be around to accept the blame? Will they take in the nuisance birds rather than have them "relocated"? Will they care at all? After all, most people engaged in this act end up never getting educated as to the reasons why Purple Gallinules shouldn't be eating bread. As a member of the birding community, wouldn't you want to share those reasons before giving someone license to continue a bad practice? After all is said an done, and we look at the big picture, beyond the physiological ability of one's digestive tract, bread is not good for Purple Gallinules. And while we're at it, they can't have any of my twinkies either! ;-) Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Tom Dunkerton Titusville, FL On Thu, Jan 1, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Renne Leatto com> wrote: > Tom, > > I can't answer from any knowledge of bird physiology, but I do know this: > > At Venetian Gardens in Lake County there's a very healthy and numerous > population of Purple Gallinules and they all eat a lot of bread. It seems > to > me that if they had any trouble digesting it, they wouldn't live long > enough > to get so comfortable with the human visitors there, from whom they > incessantly and aggressively beg for bread. Even their young get into the > bread begging habit before they're fully grown. When the PGs at Venetian > Gardens are not hitting up the humans for bread, they're rummaging through > the trash cans for pizza crusts. See pic below. > > Hope that helps. > > Renne > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Collier County Century Run 01/01/09 From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 21:41:57 -0500 All: As has been a tradition of mine for the last 6-7 years, I always start out the new year by doing a "century run" in Collier County. A century run is a made-up phrase by which I try to get 100 species all within Collier County in the approximately 11 hours of available daylight at this time of year. In recent years, I've been accompanied by Alan Murray. Today was no exception. Last year's total was 113 species. Today we had 110 species, so, if anything, we're pretty consistent. BTW, our first bird of the new year was a Killdeer. We could have easily topped last year's total had we not missed some "gimmes" like Fish Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Common Ground-Dove and several species of ducks that I know are here in Collier County but missed because we ran out of daylight. On the other hand, we had some very nice "unexpected" and/or uncommon birds for the county. They are listed below in ALL CAPS. We canvassed as much of Collier County as we could without spending too much time in one location but because Collier is so big (2nd largest county in the state), we still missed several key sites like Eagle Lakes Park & Sugden Park, North Naples Waste Water Treatment Facility, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, etc. The locations we did bird today were a few locations in Immokalee, including a friend's feeders; extreme Eastern Collier County along CR858; the town/campus of Ave Maria; Everglades City & Chokoloskee; Wagonwheel Rd. & Turner River Rd. in the Big Cypress National Preserve; Kirby Storter Boardwalk; Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk; Mackle Park on Marco Island including several side streets for Burrowing Owls and finally Tigertail Beach where we ended the day as the sun set (sans green flash) over the Gulf of Mexico. It was a great day of birding with my buddy Alan. Here's our day list to start the first day of 2009: Note: this list is not in taxonomic order. . . . Anhinga American Bittern x1 (town of Ave Maria) Redwinged Blackbird Indigo Bunting (Immokalee) Painted Bunting (Immokalee) Crested Caracara x2 (along CR846 in eastern Collier County) Northern Cardinal Gray Catbird Double-crested Cormorant American Coot Brown-headed Cowbird American Crow Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Rock Pigeon WHITE-WINGED DOVE Short-billed Dowitcher Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Mottled Duck Muscovy Duck Red-breasted Merganser x2 (Tigertail Beach) Dunlin Bald Eagle (adult on nest at Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk) Cattle Egret Great Egret Snowy Egret PEREGRINE FALCON x1 (Tigertail Beach) Great Crested Flycatcher Magnificent Frigatebird x2 (Tigertail Beach) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Boat-tailed Grackle Common Grackle Pied-billed Grebe Herring Gull (2nd cycle bird at Tigertail Beach) Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Northern Harrier SHORT-TAILED HAWK (DARK MORPH) x1 (along Wagonwheel Rd. in the Big Cypress National Preserve) Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Black-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Great Blue Heron Green Heron Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Glossy Ibis White Ibis Blue Jay FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY x1 (Immokalee) American Kestrel Killdeer WESTERN KINGBIRD x8 (along CR858 in extreme eastern Collier County) Belted Kingfisher Eastern Meadowlark Northern Mockingbird Common Moorhen Osprey Burrowing Owl x1 (Marco Island) American White Pelican x40 (Chokoloskee) Brown Pelican Eastern Phoebe Black-bellied Plover PIPING PLOVER x5 including one banded bird (Tigertail Beach) Semipalmated Plover SNOWY PLOVER x6 (Tigertail Beach) Wilson's Plover (Tigertail Beach) Sanderling Sandhill Crane x2 (Immokalee) Least Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Loggerhead Shrike Wilson's Snipe CHIPPING SPARROW x4 (Immokalee) GRASSHOPPER SPARROW x1 (along Oil Well Rd. Sunniland) Swamp Sparrow x3 Savannah Sparrow House Sparrow Roseate Spoonbill x1 (Immokalee) European Starling Wood Stork Tree Swallow NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW x30 (along CR846 in eastern Collier County) Caspian Tern x4 (2 at Chokoloskee and 2 at Tigertail Beach) Royal Tern Brown Thrasher x2 (Immokalee) Eastern Towhee (heard only in Immokalee) Wild Turkey x2 (Immokalee) Ruddy Turnstone Blue-headed Vireo White-eyed Vireo Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH x1 (Kirby Storter Boardwalk. -- Bird has been there since at least December 6, 2008) Willet Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker RED-HEADED WOODPECKER x1 (Immokalee) Red-bellied Woodpecker Carolina Wren Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs _________ Total 110 species Cheers and happy birding in 2009! Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? From: "Thomas J. Dunkerton" <woundedmallard AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 21:13:19 -0500 While I certainly think this was an innocent inquiry, the adverse effects of this action should be addressed along with the simple yes or no as to the direct health of the bird. In the situation described by Renne, it would seem the birds have been imprinted to become more of a "pest" than a novelty. Purple Gallinules, being native waterfowl, will begin to be taken for granted, if not already, in this area and thus the unknowing visitors will never know the value of a natural inhabitant but simply see them as a side show. It would be foolish to expect that you could stop an attraction like that once it's begun but in the interest of Florida's wildlife or any wildlife for that matter, this cannot or should not be a simple yes or no answer. Can Florida Scrub-jays digest peanuts? Whether or not they can, it may cost you $175 !!! Just ask Roy! ;-) Again, addressing the situation described by Renne: When these Gallinules continue to rummage through trash, and they are deemed a nuisance, who would pay the price? And will the people who started the trend of feeding them bread, will they be around to accept the blame? Will they take in the nuisance birds rather than have them "relocated"? Will they care at all? After all, most people engaged in this act end up never getting educated as to the reasons why Purple Gallinules shouldn't be eating bread. As a member of the birding community, wouldn't you want to share those reasons before giving someone license to continue a bad practice? After all is said an done, and we look at the big picture, beyond the physiological ability of one's digestive tract, bread is not good for Purple Gallinules. And while we're at it, they can't have any of my twinkies either! ;-) Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Tom Dunkerton Titusville, FL On Thu, Jan 1, 2009 at 11:26 AM, Renne Leatto wrote: > Tom, > > I can't answer from any knowledge of bird physiology, but I do know this: > > At Venetian Gardens in Lake County there's a very healthy and numerous > population of Purple Gallinules and they all eat a lot of bread. It seems > to > me that if they had any trouble digesting it, they wouldn't live long > enough > to get so comfortable with the human visitors there, from whom they > incessantly and aggressively beg for bread. Even their young get into the > bread begging habit before they're fully grown. When the PGs at Venetian > Gardens are not hitting up the humans for bread, they're rummaging through > the trash cans for pizza crusts. See pic below. > > Hope that helps. > > Renne > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? From: "Renne Leatto" <rennel AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:26:04 -0500 Tom, I can't answer from any knowledge of bird physiology, but I do know this: At Venetian Gardens in Lake County there's a very healthy and numerous population of Purple Gallinules and they all eat a lot of bread. It seems to me that if they had any trouble digesting it, they wouldn't live long enough to get so comfortable with the human visitors there, from whom they incessantly and aggressively beg for bread. Even their young get into the bread begging habit before they're fully grown. When the PGs at Venetian Gardens are not hitting up the humans for bread, they're rummaging through the trash cans for pizza crusts. See pic below. Hope that helps. Renne [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Does feeding marsh birds bread hurt them? From: Tom Palmer <tomp47 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:16:03 -0800 (PST) Dear All, � I've had a couple of people ask me whether feeding marsh birds such as Purple Gallinules bread is harmful to the birds in the sense that they have trouble digesting it. � I don't know the answer and I wonder if anyone knows the answer. � Thanks.�� � Tom Palmer Winter Haven Follow my environmental musings at www.lakebluescrub.blogspot.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Banded Roseate Spoonbill Info Needed From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:16:32 -0500 On 12/13/2008, Alan Murray and I found a banded Roseate Spoonbill -- yellow band with no alphanumeric code over a metal band on the ROSP's left leg. The bird was found in the wetlands on the west side of CR833 aka Government Rd., just north of its intersection with CR835 south of Clewiston in Hendry County. We saw the bird in the morning on the drive out to STA-5 from Naples. I have already reported this sighting to FloridaAudubon.org but never received a reply as to where it was banded. Can anyone help? Thanks. BTW, Happy New Year to all. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Tagged Ring-billed Gull From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:12:31 -0500 While taking some friends of mine from IL birding we observed an orange wing tagged Ring-billed Gull at Pine Island in Hernando County. We did not know where to report our observation so if anyone has the reporting information please reply to me and I will pass along the information. Thank you. Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: BROWN BOOBY From: "Evan Barrientos" <ebarrientos AT wi.rr.com> Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:34:03 -0600 Hello everyone, I just returned from an abosolutely AMAZING trip to Florida. I have about 1,500 photos to go through but once I choose the best ones and touch them up I will post them to my webpage and send the link to you all, I'm sure you'll love them. I'm only wrighting this email now because I wanted to report what I am 90% sure was a BROWN BOOBY off the west coast of Longboat Key, Sarasota. The bird was about 300 yards out but I did get these photos. I don't know how rare of a find this is but my maps say that that this bird was at least a couple hundred miles out of its range. Here are the photos: http://www.pbase.com/barrientos/brown_booby More photos coming soon! Evan B. Milwaukee, WI [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Marco Island/Tigertail Beach Banded Piping Plovers From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:01:08 -0500 Last week, I guided two different British couples to Tigertail Beach on Marco Island in Collier County. On each occasion, I found a different banded Piping Plover among the many shorebirds present. I sent in the info to the authorities and just got back a reply stating that both birds were banded in Vermillion (yes, with 2 "l's"), South Dakota. One bird was banded as an adult in 2007 and the other was banded as a chick in 2005. Both were banded by researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Nice to find out this info. BTW, there are great numbers of shorebirds at Tigertail Beach at this time. Each day out there over the last week has yielded 15-20 Snowy Plovers, 20-25 Piping Plovers, 50+ Wilson's Plovers as well as many Semipalmated & Black-bellied Plovers. Red Knot, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Least & Western Sandpipers, Sanderling, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone and Lesser Yellowlegs round-out the other shorebirds. A few Northern Gannets and Magnificent Frigatebirds have been seen on the Gulf side of the beach. Peregrine Falcon, Red- breasted Merganer, American White Pelican, white morph Reddish Egret, Red-breasted Merganser and herring Gull have also been seen along with other "common" species. There are Burrowing Owls present just outside Tigertail Beach in the residential neighborhood. Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: STA-5 Tour Results for 27 December 2008 From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:38:09 -0500 All: 51 individuals showed-up at STA-5, south of Clewiston in Hendry County today for today's STA-5 tour. Barring my good friend and tour co-leader Alan Murray's absence (he was helping do the Naples CBC), Jos� Padilla drove me out to STA-5 from my house in North Naples. We really didn't do much birding on the way out this time but instead, spent more time on Blumber Rd. leading to STA-5 from CR835. It paid off! We found two co-operative Barn Owls in one of the abandoned ag buildings off of Blumberg. But the best was yet to come. Just past where the paved road ends and the dirt road begins leading to the main gate at STA-5, we found a mixed flock of sparrows in a weedy field. Among them was a Swamp Sparrow and a Grasshopper Sparrow, which was a new species (#166) for STA-5. (Our checklist includes birds seen along Blumberg Rd.). Another surprise was a Sedge Wren in the same area -- another new species (#167)! We had good looks at these birds and in fact, Jos�, as well as some birders from the Sarasota/Venice area, which happened to be driving by at the time and who stopped to see what we were looking at, photographed both birds. Sweet. Others reported seeing a White-tailed Kite along Blumberg Rd., possibly the same bird seen last fall. I've yet to see this bird anywhere in the STA-5 vicinity. It was a FANTASTIC day of birding at STA-5! The weather was superb and the birds were varied and numerous. A contingent of birders from Cleveland, OH, who turned out to be old birding pals from the Kirtland Bird Club in Cleveland, were also on the tour. I think it is safe to say that they were blown away by the birds and the whole experience! Here is today's list of birds seen at STA-5. Note: note all birds were seen by all participants. Unusual or uncommon species are in CAPS: Fulvous Whistling-Duck 25+ GADWALL 2 EURASIAN WIGEON 2 American Wigeon 50+ Mottled Duck Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal 5-6 Canvasback 2 Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup 2 Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe American White Pelican 150+ Double-crested Cormorant Anhinga American Bittern 2 Great Blue Heron Great White Heron 2 Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron 50+ White Ibis Glossy Ibis Roseate Spoonbill 50+ Wood Stork Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey WHITE-TAILED KITE 1 Snail Kite 4-5 Bald Eagle 2 Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Crested Caracara 2 American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon 4 KING RAIL 1 (seen by some and heard only by others) Sora 1 Purple Swamphen 10+ Purple Gallinule 1 Common Moorhen American Coot Limpkin 4-5 Black-bellied Plover 8t Killdeer (a huge upturn in population -- Has anyone else noticed the larger than normal numbers of Killdeer this winter?) Black-necked Stilt 50+ Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper DUNLIN 4-5 (Yes Bill, INLAND Dunlin -- imagine that!) Long-billed Dowitcher 1000+ Wilson's Snipe 1 Caspian Tern 13-14 Black Skimmer 1 Common Ground-Dove Mourning Dove Barn Owl 2 Belted Kingfisher Eastern Phoebe CASSIN'S KINGBIRD 1 Western Kingbird Loggerhead Shrike Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow CAVE SWALLOW 1 SEDGE WREN 1 Marsh Wren 1 Northern Mockingbird Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat Savannah Sparrow GRASSHOPPER SPARROW 1 Swamp Sparrow Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting 1 Red-winged Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle On the way back to Naples, along CR835, several of us found 2-3 Snail Kites along the canal at the Farm 8 Wetlands and a very obliging Scissor-tailed Flycatcher near the Ocean Boy Organic Shrimp Farm. Good birding and Happy New Year! Cheers. Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: THE 11th Zellwood-Mt. Dora Christmas Bird Count Friday, 26 December 2008 From: Wes Biggs <birdsatfnt AT bellsouth.net> Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:27:22 -0500 11th ZELLWOOD/MT DORA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT Friday 21 December 2007 Merry Christmas All, Some people have asked me about the name of this count. There was for a number of years a Mt Dora Xmas Count. In fact, over 20 years ago the first date I had with my now wife was participation in the Mt Dora count. Our area in the southern part of the count circle included the northern part of what is now the Lake Apopka Restoration Area. In 1998 the St. Johns Water Mgt. District bought out the farms in the area & left the agricultural fields in a flooded state for weeks. This condition led to unprecedented numbers of species & individuals. The Mt. Dora Christmas Count by that time had become defunct, so I decided to create a new count that would include almost all of the North Lake Apopka area. Because so much of the old Mt Dora Christmas Bird Count falls within the Zellwood count area the powers that be in N.Y. said the the old name needed to be incorporated into the new counts name. The center of the Zellwood - Mt. Dora Xmas Bird Count is the intersection of Highway 441 & Jones Ave. on the north side of the town of Zellwood, which is exactly one mile south of the center of the old Mt. Dora Christmas Bird Count. The first Zellwood - Mt. Dora Xmas Count took place in 1998. At that time, the only inland Florida Xmas Count to crack 150 species was Lake Placid, & they did it twice. I guess I should say we did it, because I had the pleasure of participating in both counts. Well, that first year not only did we join Lake Placid as the only other inland Florida count to crack the 150 mark, we totaled 174 for the best inland count in the history of North America. Since that time Gainesville has become the third Florida inland count to top 150 species. A few days ago they did it again! In the past decade the Zellwood count has always been in the high 140s-170s. But all was not rosy, please check out the following web site, & look about half way down the page: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/99thsummary.html Last year Florida had 8 counts that broke the 150 species mark. mark. The Zellwood count recorded 160 species, tied with Jacksonville for the forth highest count in the state. The big hit was the state's fourth documented record of Say's Phoebe that was found by perennial count participant Gian Basili. That bird also made history as the individual that tied Andy Bankert with his long time mentor David Simpson for the best ever Florida year list. Andy went on later in the month to tally two more species & take the record. Gallus Quigley in now over 350 species for the year & moving in on the record. The Say's is back again this winter & so are Andy, David & Gallus!! Three years ago the big highlight was the first Fork-tailed Flycatcher ever recorded on a North American Xmas Count. Many thanks to Trey Mitchell!! Two years ago there were 11 Florida Counts that recorded 150 or more species. For only the second time in 9 years we broke the 170 Mark. Our 170 finished second to Bill Pranty's West Pasco count that recorded 171 species. This is an invitation to all past Zellwoodiens, & all other experienced birders to be a part of something really grand, one of the very best Christmas Bird Counts on the continent. WHEN & WHERE TO MEET: This year the Zellwood count will take place on Dec. 26, 2008. As last year we will be meeting at 6:00 AM on the property of Laurie Marsell. Laurie's connection to the area goes back many decades, as her grand parents started farming in the Zellwood area back in the 1920s. Part of the Lake Apopka Restoration Area was at one time farmed by her family. Her family still owns land that we will have access to within the count circle. The building where we will be meeting in the morning, and for some of us at noon as well, and for the count-down dinner is located just three tenths of a mile from the center of the count circle. DIRECTIONS: >From Jones Ave. & US 441 go South three tenths of a mile. You'll see an Advance Discount Auto Parts store on the East side of 441 at this point. Turn right & cross the RR tracks. You will be on Ponkan Rd. There is a street sign on the other side of 441 but not where you will have turned right. If you will be coming from the South, Ponkan Rd, is 5.2 miles north of the intersection of US 441 & SR 429. After turning West onto Ponkan the third house on the left is a two story with a red tile roof & a sign that reads "The Old Nest". Drive past the house to the next driveway & turn left. The second building behind the house is where we will be meeting. & there is plenty of parking. The building has a complete kitchen, plenty of seating & a bathroom. BREAKFAST: Bring breakfast fixins with you that you don't need to cook, any time before 6:00 AM to the meeting place, & eat there. Things like sticky buns, donuts or prepared breakfast items from a convenience store. Lunch: For those of us who will not be birding through lunch, be back at The Old Nest at noon to compare bird lists. There are also fast food places in town. If you plan to bird through lunch you need to bring it with you, & please have someone call my cell phone to report what you have, bird wise, up to that point. Dinner: Dexter's Restaurant will be providing us with a great meal at the count down. Try to be back at The Old Nest at about 6:00 PM. If you're out looking for Owls, don't worry about being late. My wife Bettye is at this very moment preparing deserts. Overnight Accommodations: The best deal I found is Motel 6 #791 in Winter Park which is 10.2 miles from Robinson's Restaurant, & 16.6 miles from "The Old Nest". Call the 800 number for the best rate, 800-466-8356. I was quoted $35.99 for a one person Queen + 12.5% tax, & $41.99 for two people in a room with two double beds. There is a discount for those with an AARP card or anyone over 60 years of age. To get there from I-4 just north (west) of Orlando take exit 88, Lee Road & go west for about a quarter of a mile to Adanson Rd., the motel is on the right. To get to the restaurant from the motel go west on Lee Road for 1.6 miles to US 441, (Orange Blossom Trail)& turn right & go 8.6 miles to Robinson's or 15 miles to "The Old Nest" There are other motels in Apopka & Mt. Dora that would be about 5 miles closer but cost twice as much. In Apopka try Crosby's Motor Inn on US 441, 407-886-3220, rate $69.00 + 12.5% tax. And, Ho. Jo. Express Inn also on OBT, 407-886-1010, rate $59.99, & AAA & AARP discount. In Mt. Dora again on 441 the Comfort Inn & Suites, 352-383-3400, rate $79.99 + 11% tax & 10% AARP AAA discounts. Also in Mt. Dora on US 441 is the Hampton Inn, 352-383-4267, rate is $99.00 with a 5% AAA discount & a 10% AARP discount. A little north of Mt. Dora in Tavares on US 441 is the Day's Inn, 850-584-5311, rate $59.00 for a one bed room & $66.00 for a two bed room + 11% tax, & a 10% AAA & AARP discount. Each party should have a screech owl tape for attracting birds. If you have one please bring it. Also please bring your cell phone.. See you all soon, Wes Biggs Orlando Home 407-384-9766 Cell 407-376-6967 Subject: Key West - first week of January From: "tbcash80" <markymarkyate AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:26:32 -0000 Hi all UK birder travelling for a whirlwind trip to Key West (a conference) in early January. Will have a vehicle but limited spare time. I know it's the wrong time of the year, but ... would really appreciate anyone's help for any easily accessible sites and any interesting birds in the Keys area. Many thanks in advance - Mark Subject: RE: RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation From: "Renne Leatto" <rennel AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:56:50 -0500 Thanks so much, Jeff. We probably will get two books! Renne Subject: Re: RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation From: Jeff Bouton <jbouton2 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:52:33 -0800 (PST) Renne and all, � All of these guides are good but some offer different points of view than others. Below, I'll offer a brief comparison between these guides below as I own them all! ;p � Hawks from Every Angle: How to identify Raptors in Flight - Jerry Liguori ���� List: $19.95, listed as low as $13.57 online new ($12.95 used) This excellent guide is a photo guide with fantastic images and information from a very talented hawk watcher. Jerry wrote this from a hawkwatcher's perspective so as the subtitle implies though there are no images or even mention of characteristics for perched raptors. However, the flight characteristic information herein is excellent, intuitive, and very useful. Covers plumage variation of western Buteos and varying subspecies very thoroughly and it is the newest of all of the books considered (2005). � Hawks in Flight: The Flight Identification of North American Migrant Raptors �� Pete Dunne, Clay Sutton, and David Sibley (1987) - List $14, new $11.20 online As with the last guide, this guide deals primarily with flight characteristics and things not written, shown, or talked about in other guides. Even though it is the oldest of the three this book is stil wonderfully useful as a complimentary piece. Even in the forward the authors� explain they intend this to be a complimentary piece to be read at home rather than a true field guide. What Liguori accomplishes through photo, this book accomplished through the written word with a boost from Sibley's line drawings. The three authors cumulative observational skills coupled with Pete's skill with the written word make this still a viable book IMHO. I know I've used a number of the passages for years since reading them which are actually useful. Stuff similar to, '... if you believe you are watching a Merlin and it passes another raptor without harrassing it you are likely wrong...' or similar, I'm not Pete Dunne and didn't reread the passage! ;p This was comical yet smacks of the truth, the authors go on to explain how Merlins are considerably more terrirtorial even on migration than other raptors. Another one that was absolutely invaluable in helping me to identify Peregrine Falcons in flight was Pete's analogy to the motion of a peregrine's long handed wing to a bull whip, '... rising in a high smooth curved arc, then a powerful downstroke with the motion rolling down the wing like a bullwhip with a crack at the end as the wrists snapped inward...' This is barely close to actual wording I haven't re-read the passage since 1987 likely but will say after reading that and watching my next Peregrine Falcon I was able to note the very distinct wing flap and have been able to identify distant Peregrines based solely on this ever since. � Peterson Field Guide to Hawks of North America - Brian Wheeler and Bill Clark �� List - $22 hardbound, used as low as $1.88 ;p� Originally written in '87 updated once since. Like most Peterson guides, this is a true guide in the classic since with plates covering nearly all variation on varying age/sex, and subspecies, color morphs... 312 pp, 40 color plates, covering 40 species. The text area is interspersed with range maps, color photos, and detailed measurement ranges listing entire known size variation even split between male and female of the species. A very good resource which covers a mix of perched and flight characters. Typical of Peterson guides primary emphasis here is on the actual field marks rather than flight characteristics as the prior two have (complete with the arrows). This part of the reason all of these guides are still valid is that they compliment each other very well. This is the first bird guide on the Peterson series that Roger allowed in the series that he didn't personally author illustrate. This is a great guide for those who like the typical guide size and feel, be sure to get the second edition though! As you'd expect since 40 species are covered in >200 pages there is great detail on varying plumages. Not surprisingly, the infinitely variably Red-tailed Hawk is covered in 4 plates and 15 pages of text (including seperate coverage of the "Harlan's" Hawk which many still believe deserves to be a seperate species). � A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors -�Brian Wheeler, William Clark �� List - $24.95, new as low as $16.47 online About one year after the 2nd edition revision of Peterson's Hawks, the authors produced this photographic guide due to their now extensive collection of high quality images since production of the first Peterson Hawks in '87. This was aided in part by the capabilities of modern image-stabilised lenses and fast microprocessors in the newer camera bodies. The goal of this guide was to cover the same range of variation as in the Peterson guide using only photos. They do have nice images and they are much larger on the page but given that the book is only 195 pages there are clearly less examples and information than in the Peterson Guide. While I suspect either one of these two would suit most people's needs if choosing one or the other, I believe the Peterson guide offers more as it has more information in the larger text section, covers more species overall, has�better and more examples of plumage variation in the plates, and still has some color images to accentuate points. � Raptors of Eastern North America: the Wheeler Guides - Brian Wheeler �� List $29.95 as low as $19.77 online new I have to confess that I never got this guide so can't comment as well on this. Brian and I had many conversations about varying pecies as he was developping the guide and he threatened to send me some but never did when they came out, and honestly I felt I had a pretty thorough collection of suitable tools by the time it was released. This guide came out within a few years after Brian & Bill colaborated on the above guide. I'm certain it is a fantastic tome though knowing Brian and considering that the Eastern book (also a seperate western version) is nearly 420 pages in all that is telling in of itself. Brian is a very meticulous field observer and very thorough on raptor ID. I'm certain the images in this guide are infinitely better than the collaboration with Bill above as is the information provided. Unfortunately I can not speak intelligently about specifics. For example, I don't know how thoroughly western variations of Red-tailed Hawk plumages are covered. These don't occur as commonly in the east, naturally but when they do they cause most Eastern birders (even very qualified observers fits). For example, I know that right now there is banter about�a bird photographed on a GA CBC that is thought to be a dark Short-tailed Hawk that is actually an immature dark Red-tailed Hawk likely of the harlani subspecies. Unfortunately, since eastern birders rarely see these unless they travel and study these birds elsewhere, they are invariably mis-identified when encountered in the east. � In summary, if I were going to get one all around guide of the above I think I'd suggest the Peterson, Hawks guide first as it offers the most versatility of the group offering plates with perched and flying birds, supplimentary images, and good maps & thorough text covering the full range of variation. � Again, adding the caveat that I have not seen or read the Wheeler guides (sorry Brian) I would look to the Jerry Liguori's, "Hawks from Every Angle" as a great supplemantary photo guide. Not only does it cover the range of plumage variations well, but more over Jerry does a great job at offering images that show proper and varying wing profiles for birds gliding, versus soaring and as the title suggests at all angles. e.g at eye level, from above, from below... it's a great resource. Lastly I'd also recommend that anyone serious about this also AT LEAST borrow "Hawks in Flight" from the library and give it a read. It is relatively short, and given Pete's gift with the written word it flows nicely and is actually a fun and amazingly informative read. If you like it you can always go and buy it after this. At any rate, that's my take on the this complex group given what I know. � Hopefully, someone can add more on the subject of Brian's eastern guide as well, but as it stands I find I most often turn to the Peterson guide more than any of the others and suspect most would find the same. Even though many of the others offer the same information they are not as easy to use as much of the information is buried in less structured text and photos may be 50 pages apart versus plates that are right next to each other, etc. and each species account is broken down identically in different sub categories (description, similar species, flight, molt, behavior, status & distribution, fine points, subspeciea, etymology, & measurements).�If you were going�to get just one I'd have to give Peterson the nod but would heartily recommend one of� the complimentary tomes to offer a more complete view of markings and flight characteristics. Given the extreme reduced prices available online, you can get two for the price of one at the bookstore anyway why not get a couple! ;) � Happy holidays & good birding, � Jeff Bouton Port Charlotte, FL jbouton2 AT earthlink.net � � � � --- On Mon, 12/22/08, Renne Leatto wrote: From: Renne Leatto Subject: [FlaBirding] RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation To: FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, December 22, 2008, 6:49 PM Hey everyone, I need your recommendations for the best book I could buy on hawk/raptor identification. When we visited the hawk migration count team down in the Keys this fall, they had a wonderful book for IDing raptors but we can't remember the title. So we're wondering what books some of the raptor ID experts here might recommend, as well as books found helpful by those just learning the skill. I have a few titles in mind but I'm not sure of the value of any of them in particular. They are: - Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight by Jerry Liguori and David Sibley - Hawks in Flight: The Flight Identification of North American Migrant Raptors by Clay Sutton, Peter Dunne, and David Allen Sibley - A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors by Brian K. Wheeler and William S. Clark If you would recommend one of the books above or a different one, please email me privately and/or post it on this list. Thanks in advance, Renne Leato Windermere, Orange County [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RFI: Need hawk ID book recommendation From: "Renne Leatto" <rennel AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:49:05 -0500 Hey everyone, I need your recommendations for the best book I could buy on hawk/raptor identification. When we visited the hawk migration count team down in the Keys this fall, they had a wonderful book for IDing raptors but we can't remember the title. So we're wondering what books some of the raptor ID experts here might recommend, as well as books found helpful by those just learning the skill. I have a few titles in mind but I'm not sure of the value of any of them in particular. They are: - Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight by Jerry Liguori and David Sibley - Hawks in Flight: The Flight Identification of North American Migrant Raptors by Clay Sutton, Peter Dunne, and David Allen Sibley - A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors by Brian K. Wheeler and William S. Clark If you would recommend one of the books above or a different one, please email me privately and/or post it on this list. Thanks in advance, Renne Leato Windermere, Orange County [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Sparrow species i.d. request From: "Jack Rogers" <jrogers62 AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:51:51 -0500 Hi All, I was right, it took folks on this list microseconds to let me know my bird was a Savannah Sparrow. Thanks to all who replied, Jack From: FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:FlaBirding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jack Rogers Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 11:31 AM To: 'FlaBirding Yahoogroups'; 'Floridabirds-L' Subject: [FlaBirding] Sparrow species i.d. request Hi All, I'm sure this will be easy for most on this list. I captured these images at Viera Wetlands in the grasses along the shorelines. I'm a novice and there are what seems to me to be hundreds of species of Sparrows here now so I thought I'd take the easy way out and ask for help on the i.d. J Thanks, Jack http://www.pbase.com/paleojack/image/107341534 http://www.pbase.com/paleojack/image/107341578 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Sparrow species i.d. request From: "Jack Rogers" <jrogers62 AT cfl.rr.com> Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:30:45 -0500 Hi All, I'm sure this will be easy for most on this list. I captured these images at Viera Wetlands in the grasses along the shorelines. I'm a novice and there are what seems to me to be hundreds of species of Sparrows here now so I thought I'd take the easy way out and ask for help on the i.d. J Thanks, Jack http://www.pbase.com/paleojack/image/107341534 http://www.pbase.com/paleojack/image/107341578 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Violet-green Swallow From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:18:08 -0500 Carl Goodrich and I looked for several hours on Sunday morning for the subject bird (armed with cameras set to fast shutter speeds) without success. We checked both locations where it was observed on Saturday. Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Zellwood Christmas count 26 December, 2008 From: Wes Biggs <birdsatfnt AT bellsouth.net> Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:43:23 -0500 Hi All, I'm putting the finishing touches on the Zellwood Xmas Count which will be held this Friday. If you've taken part in the past & would like to help out again this year, please let me know if you haven't already done so. We'll be meeting at the party house behind the old nest at 6:00 AM Thanks, Wes Biggs Zellwood Xmas Count Compiler PS Bob & Janet Epstein, please let me know as soon as you can. H 407-384-9766 C 407-376-6967 Subject: Collier/Hendry Birding 12/19/2008 From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:28:32 -0500 All: Today I had the pleasure of guiding visiting British birders Malcolm & Angela Richards to some of my favorite birding hotspots in Collier & Hendry Counties. I won't burden you with everything we saw today but just the highlights. The weather was perfect and the birding was very good. . . . At friends' feeders and surrounding yard in Immokalee (Collier County) Chipping Sparrow Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting White-winged Dove Pine Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Great Crested Flycatcher Other areas in Immokalee: Florida Scrub-Jay Red-headed Woodpecker Orange-crowned Warbler Crested Caracara Sandhill Crane House Wren Eastern Towhee White-eyed Vireo CR846, CR833 & CR835 (Hendry County) Snail Kite Roseate Spoonbill Great White Heron Wild Turkey Krider's Red-tailed Hawk Black-necked Stilt Eastern Meadowlark Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Western Kingbird Northern Rough-winged Swallow Common Ground-Dove Northern Shoveler Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Just a few more questions From: "Evan Barrientos" <ebarrientos AT wi.rr.com> Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:08:02 -0600 Thanks again to everyone for helping me, I'm making good progress. I start driving to Sarasota on Saturday and I can't wait. Just a few more questions: Could someone give me a few roads or trails to check at Ocala NF? I've never been there and I have no idea what parts i should go to. I think I'm going to visit Blue Springs State Park for the Manatees. Could someone give me directions? Are there any good places around Lake Apopka? (I've heard about Oakland NP) Thank you very much Evan Barrientos www.pbase.com/barrientos [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Some specialty birds From: "Evan Barrientos" <ebarrientos AT wi.rr.com> Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:19:57 -0600 Hi again, Thanks to everyone who responded to my first email seeking help. This time I'm asking for locations to see some specialty birds around orlando and sarasota. Some birds I'm looiking for: Northern Gannets painted buntings Chuck-will's widows (if they're around) Red-cockaded Woodpeckers Fulvous Whistling Ducks (if they're that far north) Sharp-tailed Sparrows (both species) Bachman's Sparrows Seaside Sparrows Burrowing Owls Gray Kingbird (Sanibel Island?) Thanks everyone Evan Barrientos www.pbase.com/barrientos [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Bullock's Oriole From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:45:47 -0500 A first year male has been reported to me ( eating Chinese Tallow berries) having been observed in Citrus County. Directions below. Take State 44 A west (West Fort Island Trail) off US 19 (the road only goes west). Drive through the golf course (Plantation, on both sides of the road) and over the bridge until you get to Greenleaf Forest Road N (not far and it only goes left). Take this a short distance to Plantation Lane W (turn left). Plantation Lane meets Country Club Drive about a long block up. You might want to check the beach out also as the Iceland Gull (kumliens) was sighted there recently. Get to the beach early before the sunbathers, otherwise the gulls will be gone. Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Black Point section of the MINWR CBC From: "Betty Salter" <bettysalter AT bellsouth.net> Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:44:51 -0500 Good News! The Eurasian Wigeons and the Snow Geese are still there. The tough part is looking through the 1,000s of American Wigeons to find any of the three Eur. Wigeons. Two males and one female have been seen. The snow geese stand out as you would expect. There are one adult and two immature white phase Snow Geese. We saw them on the right just past stop 7 on the drive. The Eur. Wigeons were in the ponds on the left side just north of stop 2. We recorded 83 species and all but 6 of the species were seen or heard from the wildlife drive. We counted 83 species and several thousand individuals, we had a great team that included a duck hunter and a song bird specialist who could bird by ear. We had one novice with us who acted as recorder, but also began to call out on some of the waders the rest of us often overlooked. Cary and I will again be leading the Sunday Beginning Birding Tours starting with the tour this coming Sunday. Happy Birding, Betty Salter MINWR Volunteer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Photo of Harris's Sparrow From: Rex Rowan <rexrowan AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:33:19 -0500 Bob Wallace got a very nice picture of the Harris's Sparrow at Paynes Prairie. It's been posted here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30736692 AT N00/3109904621/in/set-72157594281975202/ Subject: Results From STA-5 Tour 12/13/2008 From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:23:45 -0500 All: It was another amazing day at Stormwater Treatment Area #5 (STA-5) south of Clewistion in Hendry County yesterday, 12/13/2008. There were 44 participants on the tour from as far away as Seattle, WA & Scranton, PA. Also included was a group of photographers doing their "thing" and a group from Broward County Audubon. We saw a total of 80 species/subspecies on yesterday's tour including some uncommon species for South Florida. The good news is that the wintering ducks have returned! The bad news (from a birding perspective) is that duck hunting season is about to commence. SFWMD has even built a so-called "duck blind" (actually more like a pier that juts out into one of the cell/impoundments) for mobility-impaired hunters so that they can "enjoy" shooting their prey. Read about it here: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl- flspwaters12-12sbdec12,0,6866648.column I wish SFWMD would build a high observation platform for birders at STA-5 so that we could better "enjoy" our recreational pursuit. The chances of that happening are about nil I would think. Before I list the great birds we saw yesterday at STA-5, including several rarities(!), I want to relate that Alan Murray and I found a banded Roseate Spoonbill (yellow band with no alphanumeric code) over a metal band on the ROSP's left leg. I have already reported this sighting to FloridaAudubon.org. The bird was found in the wetlands on the west side of CR833 aka Government Rd., just north of its intersection with CR835. We saw the bird in the morning on the drive out to STA-5 from Naples. A few other notable birds seen on the drive- out were two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on the wires above the Ocean Boy Shrimp Farm property on CR835 and four or so Snail Kites with as many Limpkins at the Farm 8 Wetlands just north of Ocean Boy. Those numbers are way down from our normal previous totals for these species due to the natural and man-induced "dry-down" of the wetlands. Also present were a pair of Painted Buntings along the canal at Ocean Boy. The drive back to Naples was uneventful although, thanks to a "heads-up" from my friend Kermit "Spike" Updegrove of Naples, Alan and I were able to make a brief stop at the North Naples Waste Water Treatment Facility (aka Sewage Plant) on Goodlette-Frank Rd. between Vanderbilt Rd. & Immokalee Rd. to see the nice male Redhead (duck) that Spike found earlier in the day. Redhead is an uncommon duck in Collier County. Also present were two dozen or so Lesser Scaup. There may be a Greater Scaup in there as well but we didn't have enough daylight left to study the ducks too closely and from such a long distance. Also present at the sewage plant were two dozen or so Hooded Mergansers, 6-8 Ring-necked Ducks, some Mottled Ducks and a few other waders, etc. With the Redhead & Lesser Scaup, Alan and I saw a total of 17 species of ducks in South Florida on 12/13/2008. Not too shabby! Here's the complete list of the birds seen at on the December 13, 2008 STA-5 tour. Rare/uncommon species for our area and especially inland Florida areas such as STA-5 are highlighted in CAPS: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 30 Fulvous Whistling-Duck 15 Wood Duck 1 GADWALL 2 EURASIAN WIGEON 2 or possibly 3 American Wigeon Mottled Duck Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal CANVASBACK 3 Ring-necked Duck RED-BREASTED MERGANSER 1 Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe American White Pelican 50+ Double-crested Cormorant Anhinga Great Blue Heron GREAT WHITE HERON 1 Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron White Ibis Glossy Ibis Roseate Spoonbill 100+ Wood Stork Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Crested Caracara 2 American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Sora 1 Purple Swamphen 6-8 Purple Gallinule 1 Common Moorhen American Coot Limpkin 2 Sandhill Crane 2 Killdeer Black-necked Stilt Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper STILT SANDPIPER 6 Long-billed Dowitcher 600+ Wilson's Snipe Caspian Tern 2 Mourning Dove Common Ground-Dove BARRED OWL 1 Belted Kingfisher Eastern Phoebe Western Kingbird 2 CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (same bird that has been seen in the last few months at STA-5) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 1 Loggerhead Shrike Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow CAVE SWALLOW 1 Barn Swallow 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat Savannah Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Boat-tailed Grackle Cheers and good birding! Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: ICELAND GULL (kumliens) From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:44:27 -0500 A friend of mine, Pat Bazany, just sent me an email to tell me that the subject gull is back at Fort Island Beach (Citrus County). It was observed Friday AM. Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RFI Black-bellied Plover bill size From: "Valeri Ponzo" <vponzo AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 20:53:39 -0500 I am currently studying Black-bellied Plovers and am looking for information on range of variation of bill size, epecially in comparison with American Golden-plovers. Does anyone know of any good sources, studies, etc? Valeri Ponzo Sarasota, FL vponzo AT comcast.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: CEDAR KEY & VICINITY From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 16:01:32 -0500 HIGHLIGHTS; Merlin 2 Am. Avocet 74 Am. Oystercatcher 73 Dunlin 1500 Barred Owl 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 (eating Southern Red Cedar berries) Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 6-8 (2 subspecies) Song Sparrow 1 (same location as last year) Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: White-throated Sparrow & Pine Siskin In Collier County From: Vincent Lucas <vplucas AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2008 17:49:48 -0500 All: Thanks to a "heads up" by former fellow Clevelander Phil Nye, who acts as a volunteer at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, I was able to get over there today, 12/04/2008 to see and photograph a White- throated Sparrow that has been skulking around the feeders at the Bunting House. The bird is pretty secretive and disappears fairly often. It doesn't like movement around it, being very skittish. The WTSP was first found yesterday at Corkscrew by another volunteer there. This is a new bird for me for Collier County. Per the seriously out-of-date & somewhat inaccurate Collier County Audubon Field Checklist compiled by Ted Below I think back in 1991, both White-throated Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow are listed as "V- W-4" meaning "Visitor - Winter - Occasional i.e. Not Seen Every Year". I'll say. In nearly 12 years of birding in this county, I've never seen one WTSP and no one I know who regularly birds this county has either. I have seen a WCSP once in Collier over those years. Per James Rising's __A Guide To The Identification And Natural History Of The Sparrows Of The United States And Canada__, this bird appears to be an adult 'white-striped' morph. Anyway, you can see a photographic montage of this sparrow here: http://www.caloosabirdclub.org/VPL/WTSPMontage.jpg Earlier this week, a Pine Siskin was also seen at the same feeders but it was not seen today. Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL vplucas AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: PALM HARBOR WATER TREATMENT PLANT From: "Murray Gardler" <mangrovefirst AT tampabay.rr.com> Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 11:03:39 -0500 Today there were 49 Hooded Mergansers and 29 Lesser Scaup in the main pond. Murray Gardler Brooksville, FL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]