Flying from Texas to Florida, getting my rental car (after being 65th in line), and driving to my first destination took most of the day. By the time I arrived the birds were cooling off in the shade to avoid temperatures in the mid 90s with high humidity. I was not as smart as the birds, but I did manage to add Magnificent Frigatebird to my list.
Mother's Day was much better thanks to my guide for the day, Larry Manfredi. One of the best parts of my big year has been getting to bird with some of the very best birders in the country: Phil Chaon (currently number one on the list of species seen world-wide in 2022), Dorian Anderson (Holder of the Big Green Year record -617 species seen while riding nearly 18,000 miles on his bicycle), Tiffany Kersten (current record-holder for most species seen in the lower 48 in one year), Raul Delgado (who needed only a few hours to help me find all three of my target birds in Laredo), and Larry Manfredi, (universally recognized as the premier guide in south Florida and one of the top birders in the nation.)
Larry helped my find ten new birds today including the rare (in the USA) Bananaquit, Other new birds for me included a countable Muscovy Duck, Black-whiskered Vireo, Gray Kingbird, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Mitred Parakeet, Indian Peafowl, and Shiny Cowbird. He also gave me directions to find the nocturnal Chuck-will's Widow. Unfortunately, my camera died during an early morning rainstorm and I only managed to document the Indian Peafowl, the male of which is known as a peacock. Most of these birds are not "countable" but the ones in this area are. The camera came back to life late in the day.
Monday May 9, back to birding on my own. I spent the first two hours in the field in a failed attempt to locate King Rail and American Bittern near the Everglades. Once I entered the park my luck improved. I found Brown-headed Nuthatches and an Eastern Towhee near the entrance to the Long Pine Key Trail. I thought I was going to endure a long hot walk on the trail, but I had my target bird without ever walking onto the trail.
After dinner I once again tried for Barn Owl. I have spent many hours looking for this bird in Texas and Florida. My confidence was high thanks to a very specific tip from Larry Manfredi. The bird showed up exactly where and when he said it would!
On Tuesday May 10 it was time to head north. My first stop was Wakodahatchee Wetlands, in Palm Beach County. This is a very nice park with a one-mile boardwalk that takes you around the perimeter of a small lake. There are a few island in the lake that serve as rookeries for herons and storks. A rookery is an area with a large number of nests for wading birds.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands
After failing to find a Wood Stork in the Everglades, I saw hundreds at Wakodahatchee.
Incoming stork with nesting material
I also found three Glossy Ibises.
Next stop was Jonathan Dickson State Park. My two targets were Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Florida Scrub-jay. Locating these birds in a 10,000 acre park can be a challenge. Fortunately the staff at the visitor center gave me some good advice. I started by staking out the woodpecker spot. No luck. Then I went to the best spot for the jay and had a fleeting glimpse of a jay-sized bird that dove into the scrub, but I could not be certain of the ID. After a long wait for a reappearance, I gave up and returned to the woodpecker spot. This time I had a brief glimpse of a woodpecker that was the right size, but I could not see the key field marks. One more try for the jay and this time I found a cooperative one.
Then it was back to the woodpecker spot. I decided to hike a nearby trail and found the trees they nest in. (The staff did not disclose that location because these birds are endangered.
This red-cockaded woodpecker is poorly named, It is difficult to see any red, The key field mark is the large white cheek patch.
After going 4-for-4 on my target birds and getting pictures of all four, I headed to the Fort Meyers area to be in position for another early morning. My first stop was San Carlo Bay/Bunche Beach Preserve where a Mangrove Cuckoo had been seen. This bird is uncommon and notoriously difficult to find. The best time is just after dawn. and I was there on time, but the bird wasn't. As a consolation prize, I saw short-billed dowitchers, bird #500 on my year-list.
500!
Semipalmated Plover
I made a few stops on my way to Harns Marsh and added a Red-headed Woodpecker that flew in front of my car. My target at the Harns Marsh was Snail Kite. I saw one flying over the water before I got out of my car. I did not get a good photo, but a cooperative Limpkin posed for me.
I got to Babcock-Webb Water Management Area too late in the day for the resident Bachman's Sparrows. Time to head back to the hotel and get ready for another early start.
I was up before 6:00 and back to the Mangrove Cuckoo spot at dawn. Once again, no luck. I check eBird and found a report of another recent sighting nearby. This time I was rewarded with the unmistakable call of the cuckoo. Although I did not see it, I did hear a second cuckoo calling as I got into my car.
Reddish Egret - not as sought after as the cuckoo, but still a nice find.
A return trip to Babcock-Webb for the sparrow was again unsuccessful. Ebird to the rescue again. I drove about ten miles to another location where I found three.
Bachman's Sparrow
It was time to drive back to Miami and get ready for North Carolina.