Bird watching in Florida - Day 6
Last day in Florida and I will visit Castellow Hammock Preserve to have a look for the Painted Buntings.
Driving to Miami Airport to return my rented car and to check in at “Best Western Premier Miami Intl Airport Hotel & Suites Coral Gables”
Monday 3 rd
of April 2023
and I leave for Flamingo Visitor Center at 6 o'clock. I will have a last visit to the Everglades to see the sun rise on more time. It is amazing to be in the wetlands in the dark and to see how the day light slowly lit up the landscape.
A fantastic experience to see the landscape open up in front of your eyes.
I read that they had spotted a Flamingo there yesterday so I hope to spot the bird as well. but I will start by taking of the main road to check out the wetland next to the Pa-hay-okee Road.
Wood Stork
Great Egret / Great White Heron / นกยางโทนใหญ่
Hundreds of Egrets, Storks and Ibises next to the road
Hundreds of Egrets, Storks and Ibises next to the road
Hundreds of Egrets, Storks and Ibises next to the road
Hundreds of Egrets, Storks and Ibises next to the road
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird
eBird Report
Wetland next to the Pa-hay-okee Road, Miami-Dade, Florida, US
Apr 3, 2023 7:05 AM - 7:22 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.25 kilometer(s)
9 species
Wood Stork X Many
Great Blue Heron 1
Great White Egret X Many
Snowy Egret X Many
White Ibis X Many
Roseate Spoonbill 2
American Crow 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Boat-tailed Grackle 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S132594868
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
I leave the wetlands around the Pa-hay-okee Road and I continue towards the Flamingo Visitor Center. Driving along the main road and I make a few stops to check out the American Black Vultures sitting in the trees along the road.
During the day I see them soaring high, there are many more of the Turkey Vultures but they are all soaring and the chance to get pictures are early morning when they sit in trees along the road.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Black Vulture
American Black Vulture
American Black Vulture
I make one stop when I see a Red-shouldered Hawk with a prey along the road and I make a U-turn to see if I can get some pictures. I also managed to get a video of the Red-shouldered Hawk eating next to the road.
I had no luck with the vultures but a few minutes after that I left the Red-shouldered Hawk I had a couple of American Black Vultures in a tree next to the road and I got a few pictures through the sunroof and I was happy with the pictures.
I continue towards Flamingo Visitor Center and I pass the Coot Bay Pond, there is a parking and a small opening from the parking to the pond. The pond goes all the way up to the parking and it is just for launching canoes. No cars and I spot a crocodile laying on the ground with open mouth.
I make a U-turn and I go back to take a picture and I get a few pictures of the crocodile before it walks away to go down in to the pond
Crocodile
Crocodile
Crocodile
It is quite easy to see if it is a crocodile or alligator, the crocodile has open mouth and you never see any alligator with open mouth. And stay more than 10 meters from any crocodile. You see the legs on the last picture and they are quick.
Not even a horse can runaway from a crocodile, if it is less than 10 meters. Longer than that and you can just walk away from the crocodile.
I reach the visitor center and I drive around looking for birds. I spot one Red-bellied Woodpecker sitting on a trunk next to the road. I stop to take pictures when the bird starts to call.
Listen to the Red-bellied Woodpecker
Remarks from the Recordist
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity
Bird sitting in a tree next to me in my car. A second woodpecker land in the tree next to the first bird. Most likely a couple.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
I record the bird through the window and I see one more woodpecker landing next to the other bird and I think it was a couple looking for a nest site.
I park the car at the visitor center and I can hear Osprey babies as soon as I get out of the car. And I discover a nest in a tree on the parking lot. So that is two Osprey nest at the Flamingo, 200 meters to the other nest on the bridge
Listen to the Osprey
Remarks from the Recordist
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity
Flamingo Visitor Center and I hear the birds as soon as I get out of the car. Second Osprey nest that I have seen at Flamingo
Western Osprey in nest with 2 babies
Western Osprey in nest with 2 babies
Grey Catbird
I walk down to the water front to have a look for Flamingos, or any other bird will do. No sign of the Flamingo but I can see a group of Brown Pelicans out on the mudflats. And I was lucky, behind me, along the jetty there was a group with Turkey Vultures and American Black Vultures.
I have enough picture of the black, but the pictures of the Turkey Vulture sitting in the tree above me turned out to be overexposed. Now I could get pictures and I also got a sound recording of the American Black Vulture, wing flaps and a grunt.
The recording can be heard below.
Listen to the American Black Vulture
Remarks from the Recordist
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity
Flamingo Visitor Center and there are 6 American Black Vultures and 10 Turkey Vultures on the jetty.
Wing flaps and grunt at 00:14
American Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
eBird Report
Flamingo Visitor Center, Monroe, Florida, US
Apr 3, 2023 08:20 - 08:53
Protocol: Traveling
1.72 kilometer(s)
6 species
American Black Vulture 5 On the jetty
Turkey Vulture 10 On the jetty
Osprey 4 2 babies in nest at parking. A nest I discovered today. I could hear the birds as soon as I got out of the car
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4 Sitting in a tree next to my car. After a while a second bird landing next to the one I recorded
American Crow 1
Grey Catbird 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S132594730
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Today's track at Flamingo Visitor Center
The crocodile is still there
I go back to the car and I start to drive back towards my hotel in Florida City. I pass the Coot Bay Pond and the crocodile is still there, but not it has moved down in to the pond. I make a stop at one board walk that I had not visited, but it is only 30 meters long and the only bird was a Grey Catbird, and I never saw the bird, only heard.
I pick up my luggage at Best Western Gateway to the Keys and I drive to my last birding spot before leaving Florida, the Castellow Hammock Preserve. I want to see the Painted Bunting, but the bird might have migrated north as the winter is long gone.
Castellow Hammock Preserve
Description:
This 112-acre park has a bird and butterfly garden that sports multicolored Painted Buntings in winter and migrants such as Worm-eating Warblers and American Redstarts in spring and fall.
Its hardwood hammock is a remnant of a once more widespread South Florida habitat and includes an invitingly shady trail great for songbirds. Approach the nature center slowly from the parking lot to avoid flushing birds in the garden; nature trail departs from the back side of the nature center.
Birds:Painted Bunting, Short-tailed Hawk
From https://app.myfwc.com
I find the Castellow Hammock Preserve and I drive around the parking and I spot a beautiful Blue Jay. I park the car and I go to look in their “Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden” The girl in the information told me that the Hummingbird have left to north to breed.
She told me that the Painted Bunting has moved north as well, but there might be some of them remaining. I have no luck with neither the Hummingbird nor the Painted Bunting.
Common Starling
Common Starling
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Grey Catbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
White-winged Dove
eBird Report
Castellow Hammock Park, Miami-Dade, Florida, US
Apr 3, 2023 10:48 - 11:48
Protocol: Traveling
1.55 kilometer(s)
8 species
White-winged Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Looked like one pair had best
Blue Jay 4
Common Starling 5
Grey Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
House Sparrow 3
Common Grackle 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S132594601
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
One more stop before going to Best Western Premier Miami Intl Airport Hotel & Suites Coral Gables. I will drive to Gator Park to take a tour with an Airboat. But I was disappointed, Monday and it is still full of people. I watched 2 departures and they were both full. So, I said: DUCK IT!
I took off and I was at my hotel at Miami Airport at 2 o'clock and I returned the car and I was back in my room around 3 o'clock and I will spend the rest of the day in my room
I discover that I had forgot my Canon 7X in the rented car, DARN! So, you will never have to see the stupid video I took at Gator Park and the Airboats. My alarm set to go off at 4 and a back-up call from the reception.
My flight to Denver leaves at 8 and I really don't want to miss the flight. Click HERE
to find out if I make it to Denver, Colorado.
eBird Trip Report
Since April 2023 eBird offer a new feature, to create Trip Reports. At least this is when I first heard of this feature and I have decided to make the eBird Trip Reports instead of my list of OBSERVED birds.
And of course, this also means that I will HAVE TO go back and do the same for my old birding adventures, WHEN I HAVE THE TIME!
Today's Trip Report: Bird watching in Southern Florida - Day 6 | Click HERE
Download | PDF
Lifers
Icons for lifers used in the eBird trip reports
Species lifer:First time that someone observes a species in their life
Photo lifer:First time that someone photographs a species in their life
Audio lifer:First time that someone audio records a species in their life
Exotic species
Exotic species flags differentiate locally introduced species from native species.
Naturalized:Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional:Either: 1)member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2)rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.
When applicable, eBird generally defers to bird records committees for records formally considered to be of "uncertain provenance". Provisional species count in official eBird totals.
Escapee:Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
bred but don't yet fulfill the criteria for Provisional. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals.