On Saturday, November 16, fifteen birders joined TAS field trip leader Luis Gonzalez for his annual birding trip to the Flamingo area in Everglades National Park. During three hours of birding around Flamingo, the group visited the Guy Bradley Visitor Center, the marina, amphitheater area, campground and Eco Pond, tallying an amazing 71 bird species! The most unexpected sighting was four female Black Scoters, seen foraging offshore from the visitor center.
Fourteen shorebirds were recorded while in Flamingo: American Avocet, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Short-billed Dowitcher, Willet, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Dunlin and Spotted, Least and Western Sandpipers. Other birds of note included White-crowned Pigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night Herons, Reddish Egret, American White Pelican, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Short-tailed Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Painted Bunting. The group also encountered several West Indian Manatees and a couple of American Crocodiles while in Flamingo.
A second surprising sighting occurred at West Lake, where a female Golden-winged Warbler was briefly seen near the entrance to the boardwalk. The group also saw a nice selection of waterfowl there, including Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Redhead, Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Duck. On the drive from West Lake to Mahogany Hammock, the group encountered a massive flock of Tree Swallows. Eleven warblers were spotted while on the Mahogany Hammock boardwalk: Ovenbird, American Redstart, Northern Parula and Black-and-white, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-throated, Prairie and Black-throated Green Warblers.
Among the birds seen at the Long Pine Key picnic area were several Brown-headed Nuthatches, along with Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher and Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers. Eastern Towhees were heard. Impressive numbers of ducks and coots were found in a flooded field at Gate 13 off of Research Road. Among the hundreds of Blue-winged Teal and Ring-necked Ducks were a few Northern Pintail and Ruddy Duck, a Green-winged Teal and a Redhead. Eastern Meadowlarks were seen at the west end of Research Road, but the Vermilion Flycatcher that has been present at the Robertson Center for the past couple of weeks was nowhere to be found.
Purple Gallinule and Green Heron were the only new birds found at Anhinga Trail, but it brought the bird count for the day to an even 100! One last stop was made at the L-31W Canal, just outside the park, where a Tropical Kingbird was quickly located, providing a nice exclamation point to a very productive day. All birds tallied during the day are listed in this eBird trip report.
Tropical Kingbird: Photo by Brian Rapoza