Update on Wako & Green Cay from New Year's Weekend...It's been absolutely excellent the past few days - really starting to get some great sightings of the more elusive birds lately. Saturday at Green Cay, I counted 15 sora, easily...many right out in the open...half a dozen purple gallinules, lots of palm and yellow-rumped warblers but also several pines and prairies, blue headed vireo, blue grey gnatcatchers, and black-and-white warblers. Northern harrier was on good display as was red-shouldered hawk. Heading to Wako, kingfishers were out and about, and American bittern was an easy spotting. Roseates still hanging there, and of course the usual GBH breeding/nesting, and all the usual heavy volume of egret & heron varieties. I spotted an unusual looking hawk - I need to get the photos up for an ID, for the chance it may not have been a red-shoulder...and I watched a great sequence (with a few shots too) of a red-shouldered hawk swooping down on a rat, taking it to shore, holding it down, then flying off with it.
Sunday, I stopped by Green Cay after visiting Arthur Marshall - and had another great run - starting with pine warblers, then northern harrier and red-shoulder hawk fighting eachother, then a huge number of painted buntings - at least 5 male and 2 female all over the feeder. A least bittern, followed by a screetch owl sitting in the hole of one of the owl boxes, lots more sora, black-crowned night heron, and the usuals.