csanchez7's 2008 list (1 Viewer)

My first ever pelagic trip was a great success today. I left in the morning from Crandon Marina with four other intrepid birders to the waters around the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. I got eight life/year birds added to my list!

Miami-Dade Pelagic Trip (9/13/08)
236) Red-necked Phalarope
237) Sooty Tern
238) Brown Booby
239) Cory's Shearwater
240) Bridled Tern
241) Pomarine Jaeger
242) Brown Noddy
243) Mississippi Kite

Stopped by at Bill Baggs State Park for some warbler migration. It was a nine warbler species day. Three more birds added to the year list.

Bill Baggs State Park (9/14/08)
244) Cape May Warbler
245) Black-throated Blue Warbler
246) Canada Warbler

I passed by the Annex Tuesday afternoon, after hearing that migration was really heating up in the extreme southern part of the county. Birds seen include Northern Flicker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Gray Kingbird, Prairie Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, and a beautiful male Baltimore Oriole.

The Annex (9/16/08)
247) Baltimore Oriole

I visited Castellow Hammock in the late morning hours to look for migrant warblers and hummingbirds in particular. I was not disappointed with the hummingbirds, as there were three feeding in the firebushes in front of the nature center. Migrant birds were few and far between, with Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Northern Parula being the most numerous. Ovenbird, American Redstart, Yellow-throated Vireo, and White-eyed Vireo rounded out the lot.

Castellow Hammock (9/17/08)
248) Ruby-throated Hummingbird

I made a plan to go to the C-111E Canal area in the Southern Glades Wildlife Trail just south of Florida City/Homestead Friday morning. I got up very early to make it there on time to have a couple of hours of birding before I had to head back to Miami for classes. As promised, this spot was very birdy with 4 species of flycatcher, 8 species of warbler, 3 species of raptor, Belted Kingfisher, Blue Grosbeak, Common Ground-dove, and many others represented. I had a great time birding this spot.

Southern Glades Wildlife Trail, C-111E Canal (9/19/08)
249) Hooded Warbler
250) Alder Flycatcher
251) Blue Grosbeak
252) Northern Harrier

September 20th was the North American Migration Count. I decided to participate in the Matheson Hammock County Park portion of the walk. Throughout the park, we managed to see 59 different species of bird, including six species of raptor, ten species of migrant warbler, six species of shorebird, and a very lost looking Seaside Sparrow.

Matheson Hammock Park (9/20/08)
253) Red-crowned Parrot
254) Chestnut-sided Warbler
255) Sharp-shinned Hawk
256) Seaside Sparrow

September 24th was relatively productive at Matheson, once again, which has turned into my favorite spot for migratory passerines. The fruiting tree near the entrance on the east side attracts a very large number of warblers. Today, it gave me two more year/life birds.

Matheson Hammock Park (9/24/08)
257) Tennessee Warbler
258) Veery

I went on an early start to the Southern Glades Wildlife Management Area just south of Homestead/Florida City. I stopped first at the C-111E Canal, where I witnessed a swarming movement of hundreds of Common Yellowthroat with a few American Redstarts, Prairie Warbler, and Northern Parula mixed in. I also saw my FOTS Palm Warbler and American Kestrel. Other good birds included Tennessee Warbler, a male Hooded Warbler, and a female Magnolia Warbler. Later, I stopped at The Annex where there was very little warbler activity. The best bird there was a very early Gray Catbird.

C-111E Canal, The Annex (9/26/08)
259) Magnolia Warbler
260) Gray Catbird

First time birding in Greynold's Park in North Miami Beach. It was quite productive, producing three species of vireo, a dozen species of warbler, Chuck-will's-widow, and various other migrant land birds.

Greynold's Park (9/27/08)
261) Orange-crowned Warbler
262) Swainson's Thrush

First time at Yamato Scrub Natural Area to look specifically for the two Least Grebes which are currently nesting at a small pond within the park. I got a male Summer Tanager as a bonus!

Yamato Scrub Natural Area (9/28/08)
263) Least Grebe
264) Scarlet Tanager

Thursday was a very strange day, but a very productive birding day! I had classes cancelled for the afternoon, so I decided to spend the extra time doing a second round of birding. I went to two parks I usually do not visit -- Bill Sadowski and Kendall Indian Hammock Park. Got four new year/life birds!:

Bill Sadowski Park (10/2/08)
265) Grey-cheeked Thrush

Kendall Indian Hammock Park (10/2/08)
266) Black-throated Green Warbler
267) Eastern Wood-pewee
268) Blackburnian Warbler

Saturday was another double park day, with three more new birds for the year list:

A.D. Barnes Park (10/4/08)
269) Spot-breasted Oriole
270) Broad-winged Hawk

Kendall Indian Hammock Park (10/4/08)
271) Golden-winged Warbler

Sunday, I spent a little over an hour at Bill Sadowski in search of Philadelphia Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Least Flycatcher. I got the vireo, but missed out on the other two. As a consolation prize, however, I saw my very first Blue-winged Warbler!

Bill Sadowski Park (10/5/08)
272) Philadelphia Vireo
273) Blue-winged Warbler

Went to Castellow Hammock today for hummingbirds. There were many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a Rufous Hummingbird!

Castellow Hammock (10/6/08)
274) Rufous Hummingbird

Today, I passed by Kendall Indian Hammocks to spot the Nashville Warbler reported there. I got it!

Kendall Indian Hammocks (10/10/08)
275) Nashville Warbler

Then, I went to Bill Baggs State Park to do some work before going to class. I got Cliff Swallow among a mixed flock of migrating swallows.

Bill Baggs State Park (10/10/08)
276) Cliff Swallow

Finally, I went back to Kendall Indian Hammocks to see what other birds I could dig up. Got a couple of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

Kendall Indian Hammock (10/10/08)
277) Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Had a great birding weekend! I went on a Tropical Audubon Society walk on Saturday to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Fort Myers Beach. On Government Road in Broward County, we saw many Crested Caracara, Mottled Duck, Sandhill Crane, Wild Turkey, Roseate Spoonbill, Belted Kingfisher, and most of the various herons/egrets. At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, there were many migrant warbler species, Great Crested Flycatchers, Downy Woodpeckers, and an Eastern Wood-pewee. The highlight was a Brown-headed Nuthatch. At Fort Myers Beach, I had the opportunity of seeing American Oystercatchers, Forster's Terns, Sandwich Terns, Black Skimmers, Reddish Egret, Osprey, and many more. It was a great day.

Government Road (10/11/08)
278) Crested Caracara
279) Wild Turkey

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (10/11/08)
280) Brown-headed Nuthatch

Fort Myers Beach (10/11/08)
281) Forster's Tern
282) American Oystercatcher

On Sunday, I birded with several other birders at The Annex and Lucky Hammock in the Southern Glades Wildlife Management Area. It was a very birdy area today, with White-crowned Pigeons, Least Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, House Wren, Gray Kingbird, Merlin, and Short-tailed Hawk as favorites. Later, we went on to Kendall Indian Hammock to see if we could pick up any more migrants. I picked up a Peregrine Falcon there, another dark morph Short-tailed Hawk, more Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a late Worm-eating Warbler.

Lucky Hammock (10/12/08)
House Wren (first for Florida)
283) Painted Bunting
284) Indigo Bunting
285) Bell's Vireo
286) Least Flycatcher

Kendall Indian Hammock (10/12/08)
287) Peregrine Falcon

There was a report of a Caribbean Flamingo at Cutler Wetlands. Although I did not get to see the bird, I did get to see Wilson's Snipe. A new bird for the year!

Cutler Wetlands (10/14/08)
288) Wilson's Snipe

Today, I decided to do quite a bit of birding. Although I did not get Yellow-breasted Chat this weekend, I did get some other great birds.

The Annex (10/19/08)
289) Western Kingbird

A.D. Barnes Park (10/19/08)
290) Bay-breasted Warbler

Birding this morning at Bill Baggs State Park produced several raptor and warbler species, plus a migrant Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a Hermit Thrush - a very rare wintering bird for South Florida!

Bill Baggs State Park (10/21/08)
291) Hermit Thrush

Just south of the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, lives a family of Smooth-billed Anis -- a very rare and declining species in Florida. I decided to go pay them a visit.

Old Griffon Road (10/25/08)
Smooth-billed Ani (first for Florida)

On the 26th of October, I went to Lucky Hammock/Annex to look for sparrows and migrant passerines. I picked up one new bird while I was there. I then went inside Everglades National Park, where I picked up an American Wigeon at Mzarek Pond. At the end of the day, I decided to visit Cutler Wetlands for more ducks. There were many. A passing flock of swallows was the finale for this day, which included Barn, Cave, Northern Rough-winged, and Tree Swallows.

Lucky Hammock/Annex (10/26/08)
292) Savannah Sparrow

Everglades National Park (10/26/08)
293) American Wigeon

Cutler Wetlands (10/26/08)
294) Green-winged Teal
295) Tree Swallow
296) Northern Pintail

On the last day of October, I went to Crandon Park Beach to find a reported Snowy Plover -- a very rare bird for the county. Amusingly, it was the last bird I saw on this outing. It was at the tail end of a large flock of Piping and Semipalmated Plovers (with a few Wilson's Plovers for good measure).

Crandon Park Beach (10/31/08)
297) Snowy Plover

On the first of November, Peter (a British birder) and I decided to head off to Lucky Hammock in search of sparrows, chat, and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Although we got neither the chat or the flycatcher, we had an amazing day. Our first bird was a Swainson's Hawk, a rare migrant in extreme southern Miami-Dade. We also had a Bell's Vireo, another rare migrant and winter visitor from the western USA. At the hammock itself, we had an early Ruby-crowned Kinglet. We also had a shocking Snow Goose flyover -- a first for the area and a very rare bird for South Florida.

Lucky Hammock (11/01/08)
298) Swainson's Hawk
299) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
300) Grasshopper Sparrow
301) Snow Goose

Later, a birder there invited us to go to Snake Bight in Everglades National Park by canoe to search for the ONLY wild American Flamingos in the continental USA. It was an amazing spectacle just getting there, with hundreds of shorebirds (Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Calidris sp., Black-bellied Plover), gulls (Lesser Black-backed and Laughing), raptors (Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier), pelicans (American White and Brown Pelicans, plus Double-crested Cormorant), Belted Kingfisher, and all the waders (Reddish Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Black-crowned Night-heron, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron). However, the stars of this amazing concentration of seabirds, wading birds, and shorebirds were two American Flamingos feeding out in the distance. They then flew off to join seven other flamingos which we scoped out (we counted nine individuals, total). What an amazing day!

Everglades National Park - Snake Bight (11/01/08)
302) American Flamingo

On November 2nd, a Tropical Kingbird, an accidental bird to South Florida, made an appearance at Dump Marsh. A new addition to my Florida list, as I went to go see the bird today (November 3).

Dump Marsh (11/03/08)
Tropical Kingbird (first for Florida)

Went by the neighborhood north of Kendall Baptist Hospital in search of Red-whiskered Bulbul, an ABA-countable exotic. This was the fifth time or so I go into this neighborhood to search for them. I did not miss them this time!

Kendall Baptist Hospital Area (11/05/08)
303) Red-whiskered Bulbul

Went birding again today, picking up several much desired birds! I got great looks at two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on a wire on the intersection between 312 street and 217 ave. I also went into the Everglades for Anhinga Trail. I got killer looks at an American Bittern stalking fish only five feet or so away!

Homestead Agricultural Area (11/06/08)
304) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Everglades National Park - Anhinga Trail (11/06/08)
305) American Bittern

Tried to get Lesser Nighthawk November 8th at Lucky Hammock by waiting until sunset. I got a calling Whip-poor-will instead, which popped out of the hammock, circled it a couple times, then wooshed just a few feet in front of me before continuing out into the fields to the east! The next morning, I went to Lucky Hammock again and had yet another successful outing, picking up three new species to my year list.

Lucky Hammock (11/08/08)
306) Whip-poor-will

Lucky Hammock (11/09/08)
307) Wilson's Warbler
308) Clay-colored Sparrow
309) Chipping Sparrow

Today, I went to the Miami Canal Area and Stormwater Treatment Area 5. My primary goal was to concentrate on the waterfowl. I also saw a pair of the exotic, invasive Purple Swamphen. I added three new birds to my year list:

Miami Canal (11/15/08)
310) Red-tailed Hawk

Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (11/15/08)
311) Marsh Wren
312) Ruddy Duck

On November 16th, I head off to Lucky Hammock for sparrows. It was way too windy! I decided to chase the Rusty Blackbird in Everglades National Park, which I saw and get to add to my year list! Another good bird seen near the Rusty Blackbird spot was a lone Snail Kite. Also, saw my first of season Yellow-rumped Warbler there!

Everglades National Park (11/16/08)
313) Rusty Blackbird

On November 17th, I went to A.D. Barnes Park before class. There was a lot of bird activity going on at that park. Some great birds include Broad-winged Hawk soaring high on thermals, two White-crowned Pigeons, Yellow-throated Vireo, two Baltimore Orioles, several Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers, a Summer Tanager, a Magnolia Warbler, a Cape May Warbler, and many more! I also saw my first Blue-headed Vireo.

A.D. Barnes Park (11/17/08)
314) Blue-headed Vireo

My goal for today was to find a Wood Duck at Okeeheelee, the only reliable place for Wood Duck in South Florida. It took a while, but I managed to flush a male and female pair from a shaded portion of a pond in the "NO TRESPASSING" part of the park.

Okeeheelee Nature Center (11/18/08)
315) Wood Duck

I went to the Chekika Unit of Everglades National Park to look for Swamp Sparrow and came out with three new sparrows for my year list. Heron and egret numbers were high. Other highlights included four species of raptor (including spectacular views of a Red-tailed Hawk), Wilson's Snipe, and several Eastern Meadowlarks. No ducks.

Everglades National Park -- Chekika Unit (11/20/08)
316) White-crowned Sparrow
317) Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
318) Swamp Sparrow

This Thanksgiving weekend turned into a big birding weekend for me! On Friday, I headed off to Lucky Hammock before first light and got three life/year birds. At noon, I was at Cutler Wetlands where I picked up another bird. Nearby at Black Point, I got another one. At twilight at Dump Marsh, I ended the day with yet two more life birds.

Lucky Hammock (11/28/08)
319) Yellow-breasted Chat
320) Lincoln's Sparrow
321) Yellow-headed Blackbird

Cutler Wetlands (11/28/08)
322) Franklin's Gull

Black Point Park (11/28/08)
323) Red-breasted Merganser

Dump Marsh (11/28/08)
324) Great Horned Owl
325) Lesser Nighthawk

The next day, I went with a local birder to Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge to chase the Fork-tailed Flycatcher. I also got five other life birds at that location. Once I got back home, I got a report of a Canada Goose at the Wastewater Treatment Plant near Cutler Wetlands -- a very rare bird for South Florida.

Pelican Island NWR (11/29/08)
326) Fork-tailed Flycatcher
327) American Goldfinch
328) Sedge Wren
329) Hooded Merganser
330) Lesser Scaup
331) Northern Gannet

Miami-Dade Landfall Wastewater Treatment Plant (11/29/08)
332) Canada Goose

I haven't been birding all month due to final exams. This weekend, I decided to take a little break and bird the Treasure/Space Coast and participate in the Merritt Island CBC. I picked up 11 more birds on this mini-trip:

Pelican Island NWR (12/14/08)
333) Virginia Rail
334) Common Loon
335) Bufflehead

Merritt Island NWR (12/14/08)
336) Gadwall
337) Ross's Goose
338) American Robin
339) Song Sparrow

Merritt Island NWR (12/15/08)
340) Eastern Screech-owl
341) Canvasback
342) Horned Grebe
343) Clapper Rail

I have not been able to bird as much as I'd like in the month of December, but I still got several great birds during this month. Perhaps the last bird of the year will be this one, American Woodcock, found during a Christmas Bird Count in the state.

Everglades National Park (12/22/08)
344) American Woodcock

If my list were to end right here, I would be extremely proud as this was my first year of birding, and I only really started to add to my list around the first of May. I officially started birding in mid-February. Here are some statistics:

337 World Year List (Florida and family trip to Venezuela)
277 ABA-countable species Florida Year List

Highlights of the year:

Pelagic September 13th: Brown Booby, Bridled Tern, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Pomarine Jaeger, Cory's Shearwater, Red-necked Phalarope, migrating Mississippi Kite

34 species of Wood Warbler (Parulidae): Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blackburnian Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, and Kentucky Warbler among the difficult to find species for Florida

Snake Bight Everglades Canoe Trip November 1st: two hours of rowing against the tide to go see the ABA area's only truly wild flock of American Flamingos. Thousands of shorebirds, waders, and pelicans made this entire trip one to remember.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher November 29th: incredible views of this incredible bird species, I'm glad I went up to go see it at Pelican Island.

Venezuela Family Trip: although not a real birding trip, it was a memorable experience to go birding at Henri Pittier National Park and see birds like Golden Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Swallow Tanager, and Long-tailed Sylph. I need to go back some day to really bird this country.

I spoke too soon! I had an unexpected life and year bird on Christmas day right after eating breakfast at a local restaurant.

Shopping Plaza at 40th St and 87th Ave
345) Bronzed Cowbird