Forty-three birders joined Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park biologist Liz Golden and TAS field trip coordinator Brian Rapoza this morning for our annual fall bird walk at Cape Florida. Rain was predicted, but it turned out to be a warm, sunny morning on Key Biscayne. Participants once again split into two groups and headed in opposite directions to explore the park. Liz’s group passed by the Cape Florida Banding Station first and were rewarded with in-the-hand views of a Gray Catbird. Brian’s group passed by the banding station later in the morning, but by then, activity had slowed down considerably and no captured birds were available for viewing. Both groups found over thirty bird species elsewhere in the park, with a combined total of forty-two species seen during the morning. Highlights included White-crowned Pigeon, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Magnificent Frigatebird, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, three falcons (American Kestrel, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon), several Great Crested Flycatchers, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos and Indigo and Painted Buntings. An eBird checklist for today’s walk is here . Thanks to TAS intern Federico Acevedo for his photo of participants walking down the paved path through the park’s beautiful tropical hardwood hammock.
