In 2006 and 2008 I added a few vacation days to business
trips to south Florida in search of multiple introduced species. Some were countable lifebirds, like the
Spot-breasted Oriole in 2006 and the Common Myna in 2008 which had recently
been added to the ABA list. But others
weren’t, like the Purple Swamphen I specifically sought after and found at
Pembroke Pines in 2008. And during that
trip I also had a fly-by Egyptian Goose which unfortunately also wasn’t
countable. Then a few years later the
ABA added both the Swamphen (though now determined to be the Gray-headed
Swamphen) and the Egyptian Goose to the ABA list. Unfortunately, even though I had seen both
species in the wild, I couldn’t count them because that was before these
introduced species were determined by the ABA to have sustainable
populations.
So I needed to get back to south Florida to see both the
Swamphen and Goose to fill in these new holes in my ABA list. Unfortunately I haven’t had any business
trips to south FL since 2010, so I’ve had no chances to see these very
“gettable” species. Finally an April
2018 family vacation to visit relatives would provide an opportunity to check them
off. So I made sure to set up an
itinerary that included a couple days in southeast FL to look for both
targets. Plus of course there are always
a few other statebird possibilities to try for.
I targeted two additional possible statebirds – Nelson’s Sparrow likely
still hanging around in saltmarshes on the Gulf Coast, and a flock of
Yellow-headed Blackbirds coming to a rice silo just west of West Palm Beach.
Our first stop was to visit relatives north of Tampa. These relatives live in a subdivision with
next to no native vegetation. That is
except for their backyard, which includes a small grove of natural live
oaks. In our previous trips there, these
trees have always seemed to attract some nice migrants. So on our second day there I spent much of
the afternoon sitting in the yard watching quite a number of migrants come and
go – mostly Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumps, and a Black-and-white. Then I noticed another warbler that I
initially thought was a Yellow-rumped but soon realized it didn’t have a yellow
rump. Upon closer inspection I realized
it was a rare female Cerulean Warbler. I
continued to watch it off and on for the next 20 minutes. That was a most unexpected surprise for this
species that typically migrates into the US across the western Gulf. FL is my 23rd state for this declining
species (see my statebird map below).
The next day I headed off to nearby Werner-Boyce Salt
Springs State Park to try for Nelson’s Sparrow.
I lived in central FL in the late 80’s, and had numerous wintering sparrows
which back then were called “Sharp-tailed Sparrows”. Of course since then this group has been
split into 2 species. Unfortunately I
didn’t look close enough to tell whether the many birds I was looking at in the
80’s would become Saltmarsh or Nelson’s Sparrows. Although I’m sure I saw both of these common
wintering species, I decided to only count the Saltmarsh Sparrow on my FL
statelist. So with that somewhat
arbitrary gap in my FL list, I researched possible sites for Nelson’s
Sparrow. It was getting late in the
season, and there were no recent posts for this species. But there were April sightings of Nelson’s at
this park in 2006 and 2014 - obviously dated but still worth a try. Besides the salt marsh couldn’t have changed that
much over the years, right?
I arrived at dawn at the trailhead for the Black Rail Trail
at the state park, and began my walk.
After a short distance through the woodland, the trail emerged into a
very nice saltwater marsh – perfect habitat for the Nelson’s, as well as for
Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows. I
continued walking along the trail, stopping to play a bit of tape here and
there (since Nelson’s can be very tape responsive), but to no avail. Then after about 30 minutes of watching and
listening I finally heard a Nelson’s singing out in the marsh. I tried to track it down, but it turned out
to be too wet so it stayed as a heard only bird. Later I heard 2 other singing birds, but
could never get any visuals.
Interestingly I didn’t have Saltmarsh or Seaside Sparrows while on the
walk despite the excellent habitat.
My statebird map for Nelson’s Sparrow has lots of gaps. First of all, I’ve never had any luck finding
it on its Midwest breeding grounds (though I’ve seen it nesting in ME). I've also seen Nelson's as a nester in 3 Canadian provinces - AB, NS, and PEI. And my story for Nelson’s in its wintering
range along the southern Atlantic coast is the same as it was for FL – I’m sure
I saw this species in those states years ago, but my notes are insufficient to
be able to count both Nelson’s and Saltmarsh in those states. So like FL, I’ve only checked off Saltmarsh
Sparrow in the states along the southern Atlantic coastline.
As a side note – while along the Gulf Coast I made sure to
look at the wintering Willets to be sure I saw a “Western” Willet in hopes that
some day this species will be split into two like the “Sharp-tailed Sparrows”
were.
Next we were off to southeast FL, and with only a slight
diversion we made a stop at the Sem-Chi Rice Mill where 50 or more
Yellow-headed Blackbirds had been found feeding with other blackbirds on rice
that had been spilled at the mill. Soon
after we arrived I noticed a flock of blackbirds feeding on the ground right
next to one of the buildings. After a
short walk I was a safe distance away, and could see many Red-wings, a couple
Cowbirds, and 1 or 2 Common and Boat-tailed Grackles, but no
Yellow-headeds. Then I thought I saw a
flash of yellow among the flock of blackbirds.
And then as the birds moved around a bit I caught another glimpse of yellow,
and eventually spotted an adult male Yellow-headed feeding in the middle of the
flock. The bird didn’t seem too healthy,
but it was alive and countable. I
thought about looking for other Yellow-headeds nearby, but since my family was
in the car waiting for me, I figured a shorter stop was the better
approach. FL is my 3rd state for this normally
western species as a rarity (in addition to MA and NH).
So although it certainly was nice to add 3 birds to my FL
statelist, the key targets were still ahead of me – Gray-headed Swamphen and
Egyptian Goose as lifers. With a bunch
of eBird research, I found several seemingly reliable locations for the
Swamphen not too far from our hotel, but numbers in each case were pretty
low. So I mapped out several possible
locations in case I had problems finding my target among the more numerous
Common and Purple Gallinules. My first
choice was Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands southwest of West Palm with
recent reports having up to 5 Swamphens along with dozens of Gallinules.
I arrived at Green Cay at dawn, and started to walk slowly
along the boardwalk which meanders around the wetlands. Shortly after I arrived I ran into this
Anhinga on the railing as if it were welcoming me to the park.
The first area I came to was full of waders, but I only
found 1 Common Gallinule. There wasn’t
much marsh habitat there, so I wasn’t too worried yet. Then a short distance farther along I finally
came into some nice marsh habitat that looked suitable for my target. And sure enough with a quick scope scan I
spotted a Swamphen in the distance. And
as I was about to set up for a distant phone-scoped photo, I heard an odd call
coming from the marsh right behind me. I
turned and found a much closer Swamphen giving a call which sounded a bit like
a Red-headed Woodpecker. This most
cooperative bird provided this nice Kodak moment.
With the pressure off, I continued to walk along the
boardwalk at a leisurely pace and found 3 other Swamphens giving me 5 for Green
Cay. And although the Swamphens were
outnumbered by the 30 Common and 3 Purple Gallinules, they really stood out. The park was full of waders and other marsh
birds as well, with one of the highlights being a nice visual of a Least
Bittern.
Next I was off to search for my next target – the Egyptian
Goose. Research on eBird suggested there
was a pair in most every park or golf course in the area that included a
freshwater pond. But most locations had
just a few sightings, and never more than a couple birds. But as I continued to watch the eBird reports
I noticed multiple sightings at the Snook Island Natural Area. Sightings indicated it was a family group
with multiple goslings, so this seemed to be my best opportunity. But like the Swamphen, I came up with a list
of other nearby spots just in case I struck out at Snook Island.
After a short drive from Green Cay I arrived at Snook Island
and soon realized that the park was actually a coastal reserve including some
nice mangroves (and lots of no-see-ums), but had no freshwater. Not the proper habitat for the Geese. But it was adjacent to a golf course with
several ponds, so that must be the correct location. I could see a good portion of the golf course
from the fenceline along its southern edge, and I first scanned the closest
pond but just came up with a few Mottled Ducks.
Farther out in the park I noticed a couple more waterfowl walking in the
grass but they were just Muscovy Ducks (countable but I already had them on my
FL list). Then in the far distance I
spotted another bird walking in the grass and got the briefest look of an
Egyptian Goose just before it walked over a rise and out of view. That was enough to add it to my list, but it
was a miserable view. So I decided to
drive into the golf course to ask permission to walk around the course a bit
and try to get a better view.
A couple minutes later I got to the golf course office but
couldn’t find anyone to ask permission.
So I decided to just head off on my own, and the first pond I came to
had these 2 Egyptian Geese preening right in front of me.
I had allotted the whole day to look for my 2 lifers, but
had them both before mid-morning. Do I
stay out and do more birding, or head back early to join the family on the
beach at the hotel? As a compromise, I
decided to make one brief attempt for another possible target– a Tropical
Mockingbird. This bird first appeared at
the Lake Worth Beach parking lot in June 2017, stayed into July, and ended up
breeding with a Northern Mockingbird.
From notes in eBird it looked like the locals didn’t think it would be
countable, though I don’t think the FL rare bird committee has voted on it
yet. Presumably the same bird was
re-spotted a couple weeks earlier, and since the parking lot was only a couple
miles away, I decided to give it a try.
I first headed to the southern end of the parking lot where
the Mockingbird was typically seen last summer.
With a quick scan the only birds I could find were a pair of Collared
Doves. I walked to the middle of the lot
and soon spotted a bird on the wires – it was a Mockingbird but which species? It took a while for the bird to cooperate,
but I was eventually able to ID it as the Tropical – no white wing patches, and
a wide white patches in the tip of the tail as shown in this photo.
Later it was joined by a Northern Mockingbird and the two
appeared to be a pair, spending some time checking out suitable nesting
sites.
This is the second Tropical Mockingbird I’ve seen in the US
– the first was one on the TX Gulf Coast which later was determined to be an
escaped bird. Unfortunately birders are
likely to reach the same conclusion on this one, even though they nest not too
far away on the Yucatan peninsula and in the northern Caribbean.
A most successful trip!
With 2 new lifebirds that brings my ABA Continental Area (not counting
Hawaii) total to 754, and my Lower 48 list to 734. And my FL statelist is now at 319 – conservatively
not counting the Tropical Mockingbird, at least for now.
