Hi,

    Had a male Painted Bunting at Sugden Park this afternoon at 4pm.
It was raining as I was walking back going left to right. Just before
the big oak tree in the middle of the back. On the water side of the
path. He sat out in the rain about 10 feet and gave me great views.
Just beautiful colors and red eye ring.

Kenneth P. Williams
Naples

Hi all,

     The scissor-tailed Flycatcher at the North Naples water treatment
plant is still present. I was on the fence right by the pine tree at
the end of the north side of the bridge. It was flying up and down the
fence catching bugs. Ring-necked Ducks present as well as over a dozen
Palm Warblers and flock of about 25 shorebirds flying around. Probable
SBdowitchers.
      Also on Monday afternoon around 5:30 on 951 just north of 75 exit
101 around the Golden Gate water plant I had a pair of Common
Nighthawks flying and catching insects. Going to go back Sat.
afternoon to see if they are still there.

Ken Williams
Naples

This weekend I saw at least three Green-winged Teal at Eagle Lakes
Park. They were in the west side of pond a (the western most pond). I
also had American Goldfinches frequenting the feeders in my yard.

These winter birds served as a good reminder to send out a request for
volunteers for the Naples Christmas Bird Count. If you would like to
take part please email me at dougsuitor@.... The count date
is Saturday, December 30th.

Doug Suitor
Bonita Springs

The email contact for the Naples CBC is dougsuitor@...,
dougsuitor at earthlink.net.

Hi,

    Went to the Conservancy to see if I could see the Buff-bellied
Hummingbird. Slowly made the walk around the gazebo area. Near the big
pine tree is a tall firebush plant. Just stood still and hope I might
see it. At 10:50am it appeared. I got good looks as it was feeding and
it even sat on a branch for about 20 seconds. Fed a little more and
was gone. It was a beautiful bird. As I said it was seen on the right
side of the loop near the big pine tree.


Kenneth P. Williams
Naples Fl.

Gentlefolk:

I am a San Antonio, TX birder and Audubon docent who will be visiting
the Estero area (between Ft. Myers and Naples) from 12/23/06 to
12/31/06. I was hoping to hear from you folks what interesting birds
are being seen and where. Some years ago, we visited Corkscrew Swamp
and Ding Darling, so we are generally familiar with them. I will have
my SUV there, so we can pretty much go anywhere (although since we
are gathering our children and grandchildren there for Christmas - -
most of whom are not birders - - we will be on pretty short time
rations).

Would appreciate any input and thoughts, and will let you know later
what successes we (my wife and I) may have. Although I will be
checking on Yahoo, it would be more direct to email me at
sanandave@..., which comes straight to my computer.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dave Goodrich
San Antonio
Mitchell Lake Audubon docent

Hendry-Glades Audubon will lead a public escorted birding tour/bird
count at Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA-5) south of Clewiston on
Saturday January 13th from 8:30 a.m.-noon. Meet at STA5 gate at 8:30
a.m. We will be walking and driving on the STA5 levee. Registration
open for all tours. Groups and individuals welcome.


To Register for Tours: Send a e-mail or call Hendry-Glades Audubon
member, Margaret England, at sta5birding@... with your
name and contact information including an emergency cell number and
the number in your party. You may also leave a message at(863) 674-
0695 or (863) 517-0202.

Tours are subject to cancellation in case of inclement weather. If
you arrive early there is excellent birding on Blumberg Road 9 miles
from STA5. Maps from Naples and Hwy. 27 in document files below.


2007: Jan. 13, Jan. 27 (Highlands Audubon), Feb. 3 (Lake Region
Audubon and John J. Lopinot's Photography Class) , Feb. 17 (SW FL
Audubon and Peace River Audubon) , March 10, Apr. 14, Apr. 28, May
12

March 31: Big O Birding Festival STA5 Birding and Bus Tour 2:00-5:00
p.m.

To register for the March 31 tour contact the Big O Birding Festival
registrar at http://www.bigobirdingfestival.com/ .

REGISTER THROUGH CONTACT FORM BELOW FOR THE STA5 TOURS OR FOR
INFORMATION ABOUT HENDRY-GLADES AUDUBON MEETINGS.

MEETINGS

7:00 p.m. second Monday of the month September - May All meetings
except January and April meetings will be at Dallas Townsend
Agricultural Extension in LaBelle

January 8 (LaBelle:LaBelle City Commision Chambers on Highway 80
across for Flora and Ella's Restaurant,LaBelle) :

Reed Bowman, Ph.D. Archbold Biological Station

"The Ecology and Conservation of Scrub and the Florida Scrub-Jay"

Dr. Reed Bowman is an Associate Research Biologist and head of the
Avian Ecology lab at Archbold Biological Station. He holds graduate
degrees in wildlife and biology from McGill University and the
University of South Florida.

Over the last 25 years he has studied the ecology, demography, and
conservation of several threatened and endangered birds, including
the White-crowned Pigeon, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, and the
Florida Scrub-Jay. In addition to his work in avian ecology, one of
his primary interests is the many affects, both locally and
worldwide, of increasing urbanization on birds. He is the author of
more than 60 scientific papers and book chapters and the editor of
two books, including the recently published and acclaimed "Avian
Ecology and Conservation in an Urbanizing World". He is a Fellow of
the American Ornithologists' Union and a past President of the
Florida Ornithological Society. He is a member of the Florida Scrub-
Jay Recovery Team and helped develop the soon-to-be released
Recovery Plan for this species. He is an adjunct graduate faculty
member at University of South Florida, University of Central
Florida, and University of Memphis and has been the major advisor of
2 Ph.D. students and five Masters students.

Reed has a wife, Charlotte, and two children, Seth, age 9, and Mei 5
and going on 25. Charlotte is an educator, artist, and historian,
having recently completed a book on the history of Hicoria, a small
mill town that came and vanished in the scrub of the Lake Wales
Ridge. Reed is also an avid fly fisherman and fly tyer, mixing his
love of birds with his love of feathers to be used in an
irresistible trout fly.

Februrary 12 (LaBelle:Dallas Townsend) Taldi Walter, Alaska Field
Coordinator National Audubon Society "Birds and Vistas of Wild
Alaska"

March 12 (LaBelle:Dallas Townsend) Mark Renz "Florida Through Native
Eyes"

April 9 (Clewiston)Meet at US Army Corps of Engineers Clewiston
Office Speaker: Bob Montanaro "Ospreys of Pelican Island National
Preserve

Directions: 525 Ridgelawn Road Clewiston, Florida It you are
traveling East on HWY 27... Travel all the way through Clewiston, if
you hit Sonny's BBQ you've gone to far... Traveling East you will
see Kelly Tractor on the northside of the HWY Shortly after Kelly
Tractor you will cross a bridge over the Industrial Canal Take your
next left which will be between Jolly Roger Marina and Ridgelawn
Cemetery After the Marina property take a left through the chain
link gate and the meeting room will be directly in front of you....

May 14 (LaBelle:Dallas Townsend) Dr. Jerry Jackson (FGCU) "Ivory-
billed Woodpecker: Florida connections to the "Lord God Bird."


Check Website for Updates:  http://www.orgsites.com/fl/hgaudubon/

January 11-13, 2007  Corkscrew, Sanibel, Fakahatchee

Hello all,

I was down in the Naples areas for three days visiting a friend and
doing a little birding.  As you may have noticed, Florida is going
fast.  Like the rainforest, "See it before they saw it."  Following
are some highlights.

Short-tailed Hawk - This was my main goal.  I've seen them before in
Panama and other places but I never had a good memorable look at one.
While at the end of the Fakahatchee boardwalk on Route 41 we saw a
light phase one circling overhead.  About a half hour later just north
of the intersection of Route 41 and Route 29 I stooppped the car and
got out to watch possibly the same one soaring over the road.  It went
into a dive very close to me, then came up and revealed its backside,
so I was able to get good close looks at it finally.  I thought it
interesting that the NGS field guide says that they are almost always
seen while in flight.

Painted Bunting - My friend in Bonita Springs has them coming to her
feeder every day.  There were three this weekend - male, female, and
juvenile male.  There was also one at Corkscrew.

Sandhill Crane - two near the entrance to Corkscrew.

Roseate Spoonbill - only one at Fakahatchee.

Ding Darling - Well, we went there on a Friday, and as you all
probably know it's been closed every Friday for many years.  So we
walked the 2-mile Indigo Trail and saw a Blue-headed Vireo that
someone else reported, but not much else noteworthy.

Rookery Bay sunset cruise with the Conservancy of Naples - A nice
Peregrine Falcon perched along the mangrove shore, 2 Bald Eagles, and
a good variety of herons and egrets roosting there, including at least
10 Reddish Egrets.  Also 8 Oystercatchers.

Fakahatchee - We drove along Janes Scenic Drive, a favorite of mine.
Seems like a lot of wilderness out there, so that's a good thing.
Also looks like every Yellow-rumped Warbler in the Northeast must
winter there ? They were all over the place.

Birds Observed:  Pied-billed Grebe; Double-crested Cormorant; Anhinga;
American White Pelican; Brown Pelican; Mottled Duck; Red-breasted
Merganser; Reddish Egret; Tricolored Heron; Little Blue Heron; Snowy
Egret; Great Blue Heron; Great Egret; Cattle Egret; Green Heron;
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron; Black-crowned Night-Heron; White Ibis;
Glossy Ibis; Roseate Spoonbill; Wood Stork; Black Vulture; Turkey
Vulture; Osprey; Bald Eagle; Northern Harrier; Cooper's Hawk;
Red-shouldered Hawk; Short-tailed Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; American
Kestrel; Peregrine Falcon; American Coot; Sandhill Crane; Greater
Yellowlegs; Willet; Ruddy Turnstone; Sanderling; American
Oystercatcher; Ring-billed Gull; Laughing Gull; Royal Tern; Black
Skimmer; Common Loon; Eurasian Collared-Dove; Mourning Dove; Belted
Kingfisher; Red-bellied Woodpecker; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Pileated
Woodpecker; Eastern Phoebe; Great Crested Flycatcher; Blue Jay; Fish
Crow; White-eyed Vireo; Blue-headed Vireo; Loggerhead Shrike; American
Robin; Gray Catbird; Northern Mockingbird; European Starling; Carolina
Wren; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; Tree Swallow; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; House
Sparrow; Yellow-rumped Warbler; Palm Warbler; Black-and-white Warbler;
Common Yellowthroat; Northern Cardinal; Painted Bunting; Boat-tailed
Grackle; Common Grackle.

Frank Murphy
Albany NY

I have posted a picture I think is a purple sandpiper, but need a
positive ID. This was put in the Unknown Bird photo album.

Any help would be appreciated.

It was photographed on Anna Maria Island this morning (mon Jan 22. was
with a group of Red Knots ( 1 banded). Seperately there was also 3
Snowy pLovers.

Thanks
Gavin