Greater White-fronted Goose, Biltmore Estate, NC – December 12, 2019

The Biltmore Estate is probably best known as the largest privately held house in the US, and is still owned by the descendants of George Vanderbilt.  Tours are offered of this giant mansion making it quite an impressive tourist destination.  The Estate is less well-known for its 125,000 acres of woodlands, farms and rivers of excellent habitat, along with many miles of hiking trails.  And all that habitat makes it a great birding hotspot. 

The problem is that accessing the grounds is extremely expensive.  The price to just hike on the grounds is the same as if you were taking a tour of the mansion.  Daily fees are around $100 per person, which some may argue is appropriate for a mansion tour.  But that’s hardly justifiable for a day of birding.  “What about an annual pass?” you may ask.  The annual pass costs more than $200 per person – wow!  In Fall there was a remarkable sighting of a Kirtland’s Warbler at the Biltmore, which stayed for a couple days.  I briefly thought about buying either a daily pass or an annual pass, but couldn’t justify it.  Perhaps I’d feel a little differently if the money was going to some organization that had conservation objectives.  But handing that much of my hard-earned money over to the Vanderbilts – I don’t think so.

Then in November I saw an ad on television mentioning that the Biltmore was running a special on annual passes.  With a bit of research I found out that it was “just” $120.  Maybe it was now justifiable, along with a trip or two in spring to tour the gardens.  So my wife and I bit the bullet and bought annual passes.  Now we just needed to visit enough times to make it worthwhile.

The first birding opportunity came on 12/8 when there was a report of 3 White-fronted Geese with Canadas at the Lagoon at Biltmore.  They were reported there again on the 11th, so apparently chaseable.  I needed to reach out to some of my new birding friends to figure out how to bird the Lagoon, and soon got excellent advice.  Now I was ready for my first birding trip to the Biltmore.

On the morning of the 12^th I took the quick drive to the Estate and then successfully maneuvered my way on the winding roads through the grounds, eventually finding my way to the Lagoon.  When I arrived I was surprised to see how small the lake was.  It is surrounded by a ring of trees, and includes two small wooded islands.  I guess the waterfowl feel protected there, since there are often some good waterfowl reports from the Lagoon.  And there is a dirt road encircling the lake providing numerous close viewing spots.  All in all, great for birding.

The good news this morning was that the lake was covered in Canada Geese, so apparently the key flock of geese was indeed at the lake.  The bad news was that I’d have to find the White-fronts in over 200 Canadas.  Plus portions of the lake were hidden from view behind the islands from any given angle, so I’d need to make multiple stops to cover the whole lake.  I pulled over at the first opportunity and started to scan with my binocs.  And within just a few seconds I spotted the 3 White-fronted Geese swimming together quite close to me.  That was surprisingly easy.  I got these phonescoped photos of these cooperative birds.  

My statebird map for Greater White-fronted Goose is inserted below - solid shaded states are those where I've seen this species; cross-hatched states are those where it's regular but I haven't seen it yet.  I still need it in a few states where it is regular in the central and western flyways.  Though I’ve seen it in numerous states in the eastern flyway where it is a rarity.  

Other birds often reported at the Lagoon have been a pair of Egyptian Geese.  Obviously, these aren’t countable in NC, but who knows what the future may bring for this species.  (I've seen them in FL which is the only state where they are countable - for now.)  So after getting good views of the White-fronts I set out to look for the Egyptian Geese.  It took a while, but finally found them tucked behind one of the islands (phonescoped photo below).

One trip to Biltmore – one new NC statebird.  A good start for my annual pass investment.  That gives me 275 in NC – after adding 22 new birds since moving here in late August.

Two Lifebirds and Three Other Statebirds, South Florida, April, 2018

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.