Despite both rain showers and windy conditions on Key Biscayne, sixteen steadfast birders joined the 11/20/2021 Tropical Audubon Society walk through Crandon Park. Led by Marc Kramer & Eliana Ardila Kramer of Birding By Bus, the group began the walk in the Crandon Gardens / Old Zoo area. The big highlight there was a LEAST GREBE, which may be a returning (or continuing?) bird that was previously documented in the same location between March and July of 2021, but last reported on 7/2/2021.
After seeking refuge from a bout of heavy rains, the group proceeded to explore the beach for shorebirds and seabirds once the skies finally cleared. Persistent rains over the last few days left many flooded areas on the beach, but the intrepid bunch waded through shallow puddles in the sand to see what surprises might await. Sifting through a flock of Semipalmated and Piping Plovers as well as other small shorebirds, a single SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was detected, rare here at this time of year. Over 100 Black-bellied Plovers were also seen, as well as the expected gulls and terns. While the crowd of birders for this walk was smaller than usual due to the adverse weather, we still managed to find 44 bird species at this very biodiverse site in Miami-Dade County!
Crandon Park, Miami-Dade, Florida, US
Nov 20, 2021 7:20 AM - 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.02 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: TAS Crandon Park Bird Walk
44 species
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) 25
Muscovy Duck (Established Feral) (Cairina moschata (Established Feral)) 3
Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) 19
Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus) 1
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 1
White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala) 1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 17
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 12
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) 1
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 115
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 42
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) 31
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Sanderling (Calidris alba) 67
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 1
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 5
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) 1
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) 17
Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 36
Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) 1
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) 2
Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 6
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) 21
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 118
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) 2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 10
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 2
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 1
Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) 54
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 4
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) 1
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 12
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97829761