Green Cay / Wakodahatchee wetlands (1 Viewer)

[csanchez7]

Yellow-throated Warbler is only found in south Florida from around mid-July through April. It is one of the first warblers to depart during spring migration, and one of the first warblers to arrive again by the end of July.

They breed in northern Florida and points north, but they are not resident here.

Carlos

 

[stonechat1]

Thanks, Carlos, for the additional info.
I´ll stay until July 12th so the chances aren´t too bad.
Arriving in Miami but accommodated in Boca Raton. You can pick us up


No, no, just kidding.

Cheers, Roman

 

[csanchez7]

Roman,

My early date for Yellow-throated Warbler in Miami-Dade is July 15. Will this be a somewhat serious birding trip? The warblers you can expect to find in southeast Florida as breeders are:

Prothonotary Warbler (Sweetwater Strand in Big Cypress National Preserve)
Common Yellowthroat (widespread in extensive wetlands)
Northern Parula (Big Cypress National Preserve is very good)
Prairie Warbler (mangroves)
Yellow Warbler (coastal mangroves south of downtown Miami, Key Largo, or Flamingo in ENP)
Pine Warbler (pinelands in Everglades NP)

Unlike the rest of the US, we actually lose most of our warbler diversity in the spring-summer months. We regularly record 20+ warbler species in the winter (along with Summer Tanager, both Indigo and Painted Bunting, Orchard Oriole, various flycatchers, etc). We're a wintering site.

Summer is great for searching out the Caribbean migrants and residents, though.

Carlos

 

[Zackiedawg]

My early date for Yellow-throated Warbler in Miami-Dade is July 15.

Looking through my photos, my earliest date here in Palm Beach county is July 2. The photo I posted on the last page is July 7...those were in two different years - so at least in PB, there seems to be a decent chance at them during the first two weeks of July. Both of my early shots of them were at Green Cay, so that would be where I'd recommend looking for them.

 

[stonechat1]

Roman,
My early date for Yellow-throated Warbler in Miami-Dade is July 15. Will this be a somewhat serious birding trip?

As sure as my name is Roman
Sure I have to spend some time with my family which is accompanying me (my daughter want to swim with manatees!) but main goal is to explore Floridas avifauna, of course other wildlife en route is also welcome.
What I meant with "no,no, just kidding" was the suggestion to pick us up at the Miami airport.

The warblers you can expect to find in southeast Florida as breeders are:

Prothonotary Warbler (Sweetwater Strand in Big Cypress National Preserve)
Common Yellowthroat (widespread in extensive wetlands)
Northern Parula (Big Cypress National Preserve is very good)
Prairie Warbler (mangroves)
Yellow Warbler (coastal mangroves south of downtown Miami, Key Largo, or Flamingo in ENP)
Pine Warbler (pinelands in Everglades NP)

Unlike the rest of the US, we actually lose most of our warbler diversity in the spring-summer months. We regularly record 20+ warbler species in the winter (along with Summer Tanager, both Indigo and Painted Bunting, Orchard Oriole, various flycatchers, etc).

Have seen those in bold letters often in Canada, some lifers like Painting Bunting, Anhinga, Rosean Spoonbill, White Ibis, Wood Storks, etc. would be great! For my daughter every species is new, she never was before in The US or Canada and know your birds only from my photos respactable from my books.

We're a wintering site.

Based on highschool holidays I was forced to choose this date instead as planned before (May). Too much examinations in May, and tough we needed the agreement of the headmaster because she´s leaving school a week before the end of the year. It´s impossible to leave school 3 weeks during the semesters, no one will allow it and without you´re risking a hefty fine.

Summer is great for searching out the Caribbean migrants and residents, though.
Carlos

Well, we´ll see. Hoping the best therewhile.

Roman

 

[stonechat1]

Thanks also to you, Justin! Seems really near to the place where we´ll stay. I guess your cars over there are also, like in Canada, automatics without manual clitch? Need to become familiar then with them again.
Any specialities what not to do when driving (excluding the consume of alcohol) or on the roads?
I also registered on the e-birds sighting and rarities alerts. Keeping an eye on what is flying around. Though I estimate a bigger change on the summer species. And of course I subbed this thread, so I will not miss any news ;-)

 

[Zackiedawg]

If you're renting a vehicle, it's probably 99% sure you'll have an automatic transmission. Certainly they are more common in America in general, as those who want a manual transmission often special order one, or sometimes might find them more commonly in sports cars. Rental agencies almost never offer manual transmissions except for specialty rental shops that deal in exotics or sports cars.

Florida drivers are not the best - fortunately, the roads mostly have lower speed limits, and are generally quite wide - many 4-6 lane wide roads around here - almost all intersections have stoplights and 4-ways, rather than roundabouts. We have an unfortunate combination here of very elderly drivers who are highly unaware when driving, often at well under the posted speed limits and sometimes unpredictably changing lanes, even unintentionally at times...and very young drivers who are often listening to ear-bleeding volume music with lowered Japanese import cars that can barely turn and massive loud coffee-can sized exhaust, who like to drive around the elderly drivers like they are chicanes on a Formula One course. Those two diametrically opposed drivers make for an interesting combination on our roads, while the rest of us try to avoid BOTH types of drivers. Drive confident, generally at or around 5-10MPH over the posted limit, and be aware of your surroundings, and you should be fine. Police here are generally lenient for basic 5-10MPH speeding, but clamp down on higher - they dislike weaving and racing much more...but be somewhat aware if here at the end of a month when they're more likely to set up tax-revenue collection sites (called 'speedtraps' around here) and pass out many more tickets than usual to hit their department and city quotas.

Indeed, keep an eye on sites like the TASboard (Tropical Audubon Society) as they usually keep a good running list of what's been spotted at various locations - they're Dade-county-centric, but also often post updates if something interesting has been seen in Broward or Palm Beach.

I'm usually at Green Cay and Wakodahatchee every weekend unless I'm out of town - feel free to post on here when you're down this way, and if I'm around town, I'd probably be at the parks and might run into you or arrange a meet.

 

[stonechat1]

Thanks Justin, for the extraordinary details. Never did like racing drivers so no problem that I´ll go too fast.
I will let you guys know when I´m packing my luggage.
Did search if there are birdingpals over there in this region but no luck. I´m a birdingpal here in my area and do/did trips with birders from the US, Norway etc..
Hope we can met in the sunshine state once. Most thing what worries me are the unknown roads, will sure lose a few times the orientation. In Pt. Pelee (Canada) I was already familiar with roads and routes to the different sites.

Roman

 

[Zackiedawg]

It's been a while since anyone updated here...just in case anyone is still following this area, and updating on migration over the past month...Green Cay has been very busy with excellent migration sightings for the past 4 or 5 weeks now, right up to this Sunday. Species spotted this past month have been:
prairie warbler, palm warbler, common yellowthroat, yellow-throated warbler, red-eyed vireo, white-eyed vireo, blue-headed vireo, swainson's thrush, northern waterthrush, magnolia warbler, yellow warbler, prothonotary warbler, worm-eating warbler, hooded warbler, ovenbird, blue-grey gnatcatcher, and american redstart. Sora and American bittern have returned to the wetlands, purple swamphens growing in population, coopers and red-shouldered hawks numerous, whip-poor-will spotted twice, several screetch owls resident, and belted kingfishers have returned in force.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Lovely black-throated blue warbler at Green Cay this weekend. Also, roseated spoonbills returned in HUGE numbers - flock of more than 40 of them circled around after being stirred from the northeast side of the park on Saturday - stayed high up for 30 minutes, then some came back down. Wood storks also returning in big numbers - dozens of them at a time flying in.

 

[Jaybrams]

I will be heading back out there this weekend.

 

[stonechat1]

I will be heading back out there this weekend.

No wonder, just a half hour drive from Boca :t:

 

[Zackiedawg]

Depending on speed and catching the stoplights at the right time, I can be there in 20 minutes. It's nice to be close.

I'll be out there as well, Jay - definitely Saturday, and maybe Sunday too if I can carve out the time. I'm usually there after noon on Saturday, so if you're still there, keep an eye out for a Sony DSLR with a big black Tamron 150-600mm lens...and a big guy with a goatee carrying it.

 

[Jaybrams]

If I'm there at that time i'll look for you. I'm short and carrying a tripod with 7d and 400/5.6.

 

[Zackiedawg]

This past weekend, the roseate spoonbills continue to be there in slightly smaller numbers - 5-10 of them in different sections of the park. Belted kingfishers have been very active - spotted at least 4 of them. Sora are coming back in good numbers - half a dozen along the back stretch to the north. Painted buntings in decent numbers - at front feeders and southwest feeders. Black-throated blue warblers continue - 1/2 dozen or so along the tree line where the pond trail meets with the main boardwalk. At the alligator pond, spotted a nice northern waterthrush. Purple swamphens really starting to populate the park - now at least 12. Red-shouldered and cooper's hawks both active and flying often around the park skies. Yellow-throated warblers, blue-grey gnatcatchers, ovenbirds, grey catbirds all abound around the chickee hut. Common yellowthroats also becoming numerous throughout the grassy wetlands areas. Black-and-white warblers in the cypress tree stand...along with several palm warblers that have returned. Wood storks all over the place. Blue-winged teals have returned - no other ducks other than those and mottled so far. Pied-billed grebes numerous.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Just a few snaps from the parks, of some of the aforementioned birds.

 

[snowyowl]

I'm going to try to get there this year. Probably sometime before Christmas.

 

[Zackiedawg]

I realized yesterday that there's something very revealing in my gallery, that would help show how chock-full of birds these parks can be.

If you start from this photo:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/157836653/original

And hit the 'previous' button continuously for 10 additional photos, you will be covering a 6 minute time span...ie: all 11 photos you look at were taken within 6 total minutes of time, while standing in the exact same spot. In that time, I photographed 6 different species of birds flying past or over me, with some flocks of species numbering upwards of 40 birds. It's a rare place where you can get an average of a species a minute and never move from your spot!

 

[Jaybrams]

I went to Green Cay both Saturday and Sunday late afternoon. One spoonbill in the back - too far for decent image taking. Standard duck population. Belted Kingfisher in the back. Cormorants. Will return next weekend earlier in the morning.

 

[Jaybrams]

Spent very short time this a.m. at Green Cay but well worth it. Bobcats, mother and cubs, on display. Good omen for my one day old 7D2? I hope so! I've been waiting a long time to see these cats. Would post a pic but having trouble with conversions since Adobe has yet to produce an update that recognizes 7d2 files.