Florida, Nov.-Dec. 2000

Six thirty in the morning, and Ellen and I are standing in a field in
south-central Florida staring at a woodpecker hole, and it is all Jerry
Blinn's fault. If it wasn't for that little counter at the bottom of my
AviSys computer program that Jerry wrote, I would have had no idea that the
next life bird I would see would be my 500th species for the ABA area. Since
I DID know, I wanted it to be something special. So here we are, as the
rising sun brings color to the pines and palmetto, waiting.
We had checked out the site the previous day, braving hunters with their
dogs, guns and Mad-Max swamp buggies to find this tree in daylight. It was
embarrassingly easy to find, there are signs by the side of the road telling
you where to look and the tree itself is marked with surveyor's tape. Now
it is getting lighter and lighter, an hour has past, and I am feeling a bit
silly staring at this tree with nothing happening. Finally, just as we were
trying to decide if we should quickly drive to another site, we hear
tapping. No bird, just tapping, but it is definitely coming from our tree.
Suddenly, he pops out! Calling, tapping, flying from tree to tree, we get
killer looks at species # 500, a RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER.
Our Florida excursion is off and running. We had a great trip along the Gulf
coast of Florida between Naples and St. Petersburg just after Thanksgiving.
Internet inquiries had proved very fruitful, with lots of tips from local
birders and several offers to take me out in the field. Lifers are listed
below, with apologies to those who also subscribe to Birdchat for the
cross-posting.
PALM WARBLER (501): Nice to find them minutes after the RCWO siting; it made
getting soaked in the subsequent rainstorm easier to tolerate. I might have
more luck locating them now in Washington.
FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY (502): After missing this bird at several sites around Ft.
Meyers, I thought I saw one on a wire as we approached the Briggs Wildlife
Center south of Naples. I get out of the car to get a better look. You know
the drill; gently open the car door, slowly walk back to the back of the
car, quietly open the trunk to get the bins, and Bingo! FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY it
is! A beautiful bird with the white forehead contrasting with the blue and
gray plumage. Of course, walking down the road the place is thick with
jays, I am soon almost stepping on them they are so tame. Unfortunately the
Shiny Cowbirds are yet to arrive at Briggs when we are there, I later find
that we missed them by just a few days.
NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW (503)
SEASIDE SPARROW (504)
SEDGE WREN (505): Many thanks to Don Robinson, a local birder from
Springhill FL who took his time to help me find these species. After
slogging through one needle-rush marsh and getting skunked, we started to
get some activity in the second site. We finally got reasonable looks at
both sparrow species, and a great look at the wren. I had been pessimistic
about getting the SEASIDE SPARROW, they are difficult to find that far
south. The wren was the last species of North American wren I had yet to
see, so I was a happy, yet muddy, birder by the time we were done.
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH (506)
BACHMAN'S SPARROW (507): Leaving the marshes, Don took me back to pine woods
habitat for these two target species. Just as in the marshes, to first place
we tried was dead. Just as in the marshes, with perseverance we got lucky!
Several nuthatches mobbed us in response to a Screech-Owl tape, and a trial
of a Bachman's Sparrow tape yielded a brief view of this notorious skulker.
BUDERIGAR (508): Leaving Don after our grand slam, I head off to Hernando
Beach for Budgies. As I was preparing for this trip, a friend who knew I was
planning to hit #500 told me "Be careful, it might turn out to be a Budgie!"
It seems escaped cage birds carry a stigma. After finding them easily on the
wires in Hernando Beach, I was surprised at how excited I was to find them.
They are beautiful little birds. Too bad we can't trade some Starlings or
Rock Doves for these diminutive jewels.
SANDWICH TERN (509)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (510): Flushed with success, I headed back south to
try for the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL that had been spotted in Redington
Beach. Having struggled with gulls in the Northwest over the years, I was a
little apprehensive about picking out one bird among many. It turns out to
be a slam-dunk. I just stroll out to the pier, scan the beach and there is
is! It actually was standing between a Herring and Ring-billed Gull, no
doubt to make comparisons easier. No posted signs or surveyors tape, but
close. The many SANDWICH TERNS on the beach were a bonus, I had seen them
before but not in the US.
It wouldn't be fair to not mention all the other wonderful birds seen on the
trip, a complete list is below. Thanks again to all the Florida birders that
helped me out with advice, support, and special thanks to Don Robinson.

SPECIES SEEN
>From 11/23/2000 to 12/4/2000 ~ Florida ~ 105 seen
GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe
CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant
ANHINGAS
Anhinga
PELICANS
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
DUCKS, SWANS, GEESE
Muscovy Duck*
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS
Reddish Egret
Tricolored Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
IBIS AND SPOONBILLS
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
STORKS
Wood Stork
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
OSPREY
Osprey
HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
FALCONS AND CARACARAS
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
RAILS AND COOTS
Clapper Rail
Common Moorhen
CRANES
Sandhill Crane
SANDPIPERS
Common Snipe
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Ruddy Turnstone
Long-billed Dowitcher
Red Knot
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Piping Plover
GULLS AND TERNS
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Rock Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Ringed Turtle-Dove*
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
PARROTS
Budgerigar
Monk Parakeet
OWLS
Barred Owl
KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher
WOODPECKERS
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
CROWS AND JAYS
Blue Jay
Florida Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
VIREOS AND ALLIES
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
SHRIKES
Loggerhead Shrike
MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
STARLINGS
European Starling
NUTHATCHES
Brown-headed Nuthatch
WRENS
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
House Wren
GNATCATCHERS
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
KINGLETS
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
CHICKADEES, TITS
Tufted Titmouse
OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow
NEW WORLD WARBLERS
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES
Swamp Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Bachman's Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Boat-tailed Grackle
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
////---- STATISTICS ----/////
Species seen - 105
*=not ABA countable