Green Cay and Wakodahatchee Wetlands (1 Viewer)

On June 26th, I decided to go birding at Green Cay and Wakodahatchee Wetlands on my way to Miami from Lake Kissimmee. I usually go birding to these two locations in the morning, but this time I went in the late afternoon. It was great! I entered the parking lot of Green Cay Wetlands first at 4:15pm. It had just rained heavily and it was mostly cloudy. A fledgling Northern Mockingbird was in the parking lot begging for food from its parents. Common Grackles were making a ruckus, Northern Cardinals were singing, and Common Nighthawks were wielding overhead. A Red-bellied Woodpecker was working a palm tree. In a nearby dike, a Snowy Egret was hunting for food. While I was walking through the entrance, I startled a pair of White-winged Doves and a single Mourning Dove.

Entering into the wetlands proper, I saw a trio of Wood Storks feeding. Common Moorhens, with chicks, were abundant (counted over a hundred!), Anhingas and Double-crested Cormorants were roosting on a number of trees throughout the wetlands, and Boat-tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds were omnipresent. A pair of Mottled Ducks flew overhead at the start of the boardwalk, and I later saw several more in one of the hardwood hammock island areas. Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and Green Heron were also found throughout. Most of the Purple Martins had already entered the martin houses to roost, but there were still a few flying overhead. A trio of Fish Crows and an Osprey were also spotted overhead.

I walked into the first hardwood hammock area and, much to my surprise, I discovered that a lot of land birds use it as a roosting area. I counted over two dozen White-winged Doves, a dozen Mourning Doves, Blue Jay, European Starling, and more of all three blackbird species. Back into the wetland area, I saw many Least Terns on the other side, many feeding nearly full fledged young. Two pairs of Purple Gallinules had chicks, and while I watched these, I was approached by another Purple Gallinule on the boardwalk. It was literally just a couple feet away!

The wetland began to echo with the sound of Limpkins, and I discovered the birds making the noise less than ten feet off the boardwalk. Clear, beautiful views of these birds. Suddenly, I saw a Least Bittern fly out of the bulrush and dive into another clump of bulrushes. A trio of bright pink Roseate Spoonbills and White Ibis flew down into the wetlands, apparently to roost. There were several more Wood Storks up ahead, but this time they were all perched along the boardwalks. As I headed toward the exit, I saw an immature Great Blue Heron among the spikerushes, a pair of Black-necked Stilts with young, and a Black-crowned Night-heron perched on a palm tree leaning over the water. On to Wakodahatchee...

The parking lot at Wakodahatchee had many Blue Jay and European Starling. Northern Cardinal, Common Grackle, and Northern Mockingbird were also present. Entering Wakodahatchee proper, I quickly counted off Boat-tailed Grackle, Common Moorhen, and Red-winged Blackbird as well. I walked up to the first rookery island, where I saw Anhingas, Great Blue Herons, and Tricolored Herons nesting. On the second and third islands, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, and Great Blue Herons were roosting in abundance. Least Tern and Purple Martin were still feeding overhead. A Red-shouldered Hawk was flying in earnest across the wetlands, being mobbed by about a dozen grackles. On the fourth rookery island, Great Egret, Double-crested Cormorant, White Ibis, and more Anhingas were roosting. Glossy Ibis and Black-necked Stilts were still feeding in the mudflats. At the foot of the fifth island, there was a single Roseate Spoonbill and a Least Bittern out in plain view. Exiting the wetlands to head home, I saw a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-ducks standing in the mudflats behind the alligator flag. I left at around 6:30pm.

Species list:

1) Black-bellied Whistling-duck
2) Mottled Duck
3) Anhinga
4) Double-crested Cormorant
5) Wood Stork
6) Glossy Ibis
7) White Ibis
8) Roseate Spoonbill
9) Wood Stork
10) Least Bittern
11) Black-crowned Night-heron
12) Green Heron
13) Great Blue Heron
14) Great Egret
15) Tricolored Heron
16) Little Blue Heron
17) Snowy Egret
18) Cattle Egret
19) Osprey
20) Red-shouldered Hawk
21) Limpkin
22) Purple Gallinule
23) Common Moorhen
24) Black-necked Stilt
25) Least Tern
26) Mourning Dove
27) White-winged Dove
28) Common Nighthawk
29) Red-bellied Woodpecker
30) Fish Crow
31) Blue Jay
32) Purple Martin
33) Northern Mockingbird
34) European Starling
35) Northern Cardinal
36) Red-winged Blackbird
37) Boat-tailed Grackle
38) Common Grackle
39) Rock Pigeon (a pair on the roof of the visitor center)

Great sightings! I lived in Miami for a about a year a few years ago, and Wakodahatchee was on my long list of favorite birding places. It's where I got my lifer Least Bittern and Black-bellied Whistling Duck. I've also gotten fantastic views of Soras beneath the boardwalk during the winter.