All,

Here are some recent articles in the Ft Myers News-Press.  Click on the link if
you do not receive this paper and would like to read about:


Wood Stork nesting at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary:

http://www.news-press.com/news/today/020706corkscrew.html

Fireworks and nesting birds in Estero Bay:

http://www.news-press.com/news/today/020706birds.html



On a separate note, there are definitely a few nesting pairs of Cooper's Hawks
here in Cape Coral.  I have had adults and juveniles hunting or roosting in my
neighborhood during the summer months both presently and last June-July.  I was
told of a successful nest with 5 fledglings at Pelican Elementary, that a
follow-up visit recently did find 4 juveniles in the area of the nest!  I found
an adult and a juvenile at a nest in NE Cape Coral 4 years ago.

I am curious of any other local (SW Florida) summer season sightings of Cooper's
Hawks the past few years, as I doubt this is a Cape Coral only phenomenon.  The
Birdlife of Florida by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) has no documented breeding
records south of Martin County and possibly Glades County on their range map
(which is nicely broken down by county).

Regards,

Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

We have had a Cooper's hawk hanging around our neighborhood in East Tamp
all summer long.  Saw it just two days ago.

Doug Wassmer &Lilian Saul
Tampa, Fl
Dwassme1@...

-----Original Message-----
From: Charlie Ewell [mailto:Anhinga42@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 1:56 PM
To: SWFLBirdline@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [SWFLBirdline] Bird articles and nesting Cooper's Hawks info

All,

Here are some recent articles in the Ft Myers News-Press.  Click on the
link if
you do not receive this paper and would like to read about:


Wood Stork nesting at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary:

http://www.news-press.com/news/today/020706corkscrew.html

Fireworks and nesting birds in Estero Bay:

http://www.news-press.com/news/today/020706birds.html



On a separate note, there are definitely a few nesting pairs of Cooper's
Hawks
here in Cape Coral.  I have had adults and juveniles hunting or roosting
in my
neighborhood during the summer months both presently and last June-July.
I was
told of a successful nest with 5 fledglings at Pelican Elementary, that
a
follow-up visit recently did find 4 juveniles in the area of the nest!
I found
an adult and a juvenile at a nest in NE Cape Coral 4 years ago.

I am curious of any other local (SW Florida) summer season sightings of
Cooper's
Hawks the past few years, as I doubt this is a Cape Coral only
phenomenon.  The
Birdlife of Florida by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) has no documented
breeding
records south of Martin County and possibly Glades County on their range
map
(which is nicely broken down by county).

Regards,

Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...




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In a message dated 7/9/02 2:01:41 PM, Anhinga42@... writes:

<< The Birdlife of Florida by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) has no documented
breeding
records south of Martin County and possibly Glades County on their range
map... >>

Hi Charlie and SWFLBirdliners,

When I was but a mere tadpole living in Central Florida, Cooper's Hawks were
extremely rare breeders in the Florida peninsula.  As has happened with so
many of our bird-of-prey species, and the banning of DDT, the Cooper's Hawk
has regained it's historic breeding range and is an uncommon breeding species
over most of the upper two-thirds of the peninsula.

We now have a new, abundant element to our avifauna, a snack if you will, for
our bird eaters, and the Cooper's Hawk is a big bird eater (it doesn't eat
really big birds though, but it does eat numbers of medium to small ones).
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is a major dietary item for many hawks.  I know of
several roosts, consisting of hundreds of collared-doves in Central Florida,
where Cooper's Hawks have taken up residence and make regular forays for dove
lunch and dove dinner.  So expect the Cooper's Hawk to increase it's range,
and probably become an uncommon South Florida breeder with the smorgasbord of
Mourning, White-winged and Rock doves, Eurasian Collared-Doves and Common
Ground-Doves.  I have received reports from several South Florida birders who
have noticed an increase of wintering hawks in the urban areas, especially
Short-tailed Hawks.  This could be a result of the abundance of prey species
now available in the cities.

Try to locate those nests to verify breeding.  Once the young are able to
fly, they may disperse to non-breeding areas.

As always, many thanks to Charlie for maintaining the Florida (sans the
panhandle)
RBA-thanks, Charlie.

Good birding to all,

Bruce

Bruce H. Anderson
Winter Park, FL
scizortail@...

Dear 'Brainers --

Following the lead of Charlie Ewell and company last week, Pic Bailey and I
visited Sanibel this morning.  We left Englewood at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at
Ding Darling about 8:30 a.m.  It's a long drive through Fort Myers, we observed.

Anyway, we were quite successful.  Stopping at the Red Mangrove Overlook, Pic
quickly spotted a Mangrove Cuckoo flying by and we subsequently had excellent
looks at the bird as it perched for us.  We walked out the boardwalk and I could
hear a Black-whiskered Vireo calling in the mangroves on the other side of the
water.  A little squeaking and pishing brought in an early American Redstart,
immature male with a touch of orange, and the first of a hoard of Prairie
Warblers.

About a quarter mile further along the drive, I heard B-W Vireo calling in close
and after getting out, quickly brought in four of them in varying plumages, two
with excellent whiskers.

Just about every place we stopped we found Prairie Warblers either singing or
eagerly responding to squeaks, and other calls.

The only Gray Kingbird we noted was just before we got onto the Causeway on the
way out to Sanibel.

We did go over to Cape Coral on the way back and observed two staked-off
Burrowing Owl burrows, surrounded by very active construction sites.  This is
the primary area mentioned in Pranty and I'm pessimistic about these birds being
able to maintain their residency in an every-shrinking habitat.

I should point out that I had an extremely vocal pair of Belted Kingfishers near
the second tee on the Blue Course at Myakka Pines Golf Club yesterday (the
17th).  These seem early.

Also, last Friday, the 12th, Mary Dommermuth and I found an active Gray Kingbird
nest in the parking lot at Merchant's Crossing in Englewood.  The bird appeared
to be still incubating.  I haven't checked that location since.
       Ken Blackshaw kenandcindy@...
       Amateur Radio W1NQT
       Englewood, FL
       http://pages.prodigy.net/kenandcindy/



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All,

Wes Dirks, Walt Winton, and I have gone out to the Little Estero Lagoon at the
south end of Estero Island/Ft Myers Beach the past two Wednesdays (11 Jul and 17
Jul).  Tide was an hour or two each side of high tide.

For those not familiar, access to the area is possible by parking at Santini
Plaza (approx. 4.5 miles from the bridge entering the north end of the island
and located on the east side of Estero Blvd), and walking through the Holiday
Inn parking lot (located just north of the plaza).

There are two options available once through the Holiday Inn.  You can turn left
and walk the path along the condos and bird the inside, or east side of the
lagoon.  You will see herons, egrets, and some shorebirds along this route.
However, the largest concentrations of gulls, terns, and shorebirds are along
the outer side of the lagoon and Gulf shoreline, or the western side of the
lagoon.  When the tide is low, you can often pass across the lagoon in the
shallow areas to the outer beach, much like at Tigertail Beach in Marco Island.
However, I do not ever use that route, so I can't offer any advice on where to
cross.

I use the second route available, which is done by continuing out to the Gulf
shoreline and turning left.  It is still a good distance to the lagoon, as a
stretch of mangroves protects the north end of it.  There are usually a few
birds foraging along this stretch, helping to occupy your attention as you
trudge on.  (This is quite a distance to walk, so carry water and hat during
summer.  Even with the sea breeze, it's still Florida!)

Soon you will reach the end of the mangroves and have access to both the tidal
lagoon and open beach, which attracts a fantastic diversity of avifauna.  There
have always been a few immature summering birds that add to the outstanding
breeders taking advantage of the unique habitat that has developed here due to
the dynamics of the earth.  The inlet to the lagoon was at the southern end of
the sandbar last year.  One has opened up about midway from the end of the
mangroves to the southern end of the sandbar.  I don't know if this has replaced
the southern inlet or is in addition to it, as I have not crossed the inlet yet
to find out.  It appears to be shallow enough, even at high tide, as I noticed
some people do so.  This is hopefully significant for Snowy Plovers.  In the
past, I have often found them beyond the area of the new inlet when not out on
the mudflats.  I suspect they use the upper beach beyond the inlet for nesting.
The inlet apparently will not stop, but should slow down human disturbance.

Highlights of those two trips with approximate totals:

                                         11 Jul        17 Jul
Magnificent Frigatebird     2                1
Osprey                                 2                2
Bald Eagle                          1                0
Black-bellied Plover           5                5
Snowy Plover                      0                2
Wilson's Plover                  24              20
Semipalmated Plover       12              23
American Oystercatcher   30!            50!!
Lesser Yellowlegs               1                0
Willet                                    43             35
Whimbrel                              0                1
Marbled Godwit                   3                3
Ruddy Turnstone                 22             27
Red Knot                               7               4
Sanderling                            2                4
Western Sandpiper             2                9
Least Sandpiper                  1                0
Short-billed Dowitcher         3                3
Herring Gull                           1                1
Royal Tern                            49              35
Sandwich Tern                     17              25
Forster's Tern                       2                 3
Least Tern                            45              60
Common Ground-Dove       2                 0
Barn Swallow                        2                 0

(If the table comes through scrambled, you can email me for the numbers)

Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

Our Englewood group is heading over to the Broward/Palm Beach County line on
Friday to try and find the reported Anis.  My past experience is that Anis are
easy to miss.

Can anyone pass along any tips for finding them?
       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all,

The Englewood contingent, Pic Bailey, David Smith, and I, traveled down to the
Palm Beach/Broward Country line today and found the three Smooth-billed Anis
that were reported last week.  We also had an Eastern Kingbird in the same area.

Big thanks to Marianne Korosy and David Simpson for helping out with directions
and suggestions.

We followed the road along the canal as instructed and stopped about 100 feet
after the pavement ended.  We then walked westward carrying spotting scopes.  I
came up beside two cars stopped in the road as the drivers chatted, initially
hoping they might be birders.  A rather imperious fellow asked me what we were
doing there and I replied, "Birding!"

"Well, you are in a very dangerous area.  This is a construction zone, you know.
Be on the lookout for huge dumptrucks that are working in this area."

I assured him I would and we continued on our way.  Farther down the road we
found the Anis, working the bushes on the other side of the canal.  They seemed
quite at home, but I was dismayed by all the dust and noise from these huge
vehicles.  I'm not sure what it is that they are constructing, but they are
doing a big job of it.

So, if you want to view these particular Anis, suggest you head over that way
soon.  I can't imagine they'll hang around there too long.

Oh, and as an aside, no White-tailed Kite today.  We did see about 15
Swallow-tails which is always nice, and also visited with the Common Mynahs at
MacDonald's in Clewiston.  They are nesting in several signs adjacent to that
business.

And the Gray Kingbirds in the parking lot at Merchant's Crossing here in
Englewood now have three very hungry youngsters in their nest.

       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Greetings:

RJP Associates has been working on the subspecies *Dendroica petechia
gundlachi* for quite some time. For 20 years I have worked with the
behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology of *Dendroica*. Having an
interest in insular biogeography, and the Florida Keys in particular,
(regardless of Taxon) I got into the Golden. It got shelved in recent
years and last year we hired Gil Clark (now a PhD candidate) to run
around the Carribeean.

I would like any sightings (please use all resources to verify the
ID)in Monroe and Collier counties, to be reported to Joe Coffy, PhD,
Managing Biologist, RJP Associates at: Joecoffy3@... and copy to
me at RJPassociates@....

Please include exact location, singing or non-singing, sight or sound
ID, breeding or not, any remarks you deem pertinent. I am interested
any behavioral descriptions. Believe it or not I am even interested
in spatial distribution in trees and the id, if possible, of the
vegetaion species. Hey, this is  Dendroica remeber. Definition of
niche with this popuation is quite important.

We really wish to see if the competition with the *aestiva* (northern
group, sic Sibley) is having any effect. The 3 major groups were once
treated as separate species with quite a few subspecies. Even the
cladists have expended their energy to no avail. I have and soon will
post more information on Florida birds and Nature Potpourri.

Thank you for any help,

Bob

PS: Incidently, I got an email from Gilly and he is taking a day off
"work" and is diving today in the British Virgin Islands. tough life
huh.


=====
Bob Parcelles, Jr
Pinellas Park, FL
RJP Associates & Clean Millennium Movement (C2M)
rjparcelles@...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturepotpourri
"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
- Norman Vincent Peale

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
http://health.yahoo.com

Hi all,

The Englewood contingent is planning a trip to the East side of Lake Kissimmee
this Friday in hopes of finding some Whooping Cranes.

I'm wondering if any of you have any info that would help us.  Is this the best
place to go in early August?  Have any of you heard any reports of cranes
recently?

Thanks,
       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All,

Walt Winton reports a female Redstart at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve on 30
July.

Bev Postmus reported a Piping Plover at Little Estero Lagoon, Ft Myers Beach 26
July, and it was still present this AM (31 July), seen by Walt Winton, Wes
Dirks, and myself.  It was seen in a small tidal pool just beyond the beach
access at the Holiday Inn.  Bev saw it out on the mudflats in the area of the
lagoon where there is two small piers.

Good numbers of shorebirds are present, many still in their breeding colors.
American Oystercatcher numbers remain impressive at 20, but they are not always
present.  I went out Saturday and saw only three.  The numbers during visits in
July have been: 30-50-12-3-20.  This was great to see!


Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

Dear 'brainers,

The Englewood Friday group, this week, Pic Bailey, Mary Dommermuth, Dave Smith,
and myself, journeyed nearly 400 miles round trip today and were successful in
finding Florida's Whooping Cranes.  Many thanks to Wes Biggs for passing along
his experience in finding these tall white birds.


We saw five of them, with a similar sized group of Sandhills (actually the
Sandhills seemed about a third smaller), at the Live Oaks location just north of
Joe Overstreet Road on the East side of Lake Kissimmee.  It was quite a
marvelous experience.

The photos are courtesy of Mary Dommermuth's new digital camera and Dave Smith's
Kowa scope.

We also had a rather astounding 17 Caracaras, most of which were near where Rt.
27 crosses Rt. 70, between Arcadia and Okeefenokee.  The first was a group of
five, fraternizing with some Black Vultures, working a carcass right next to the
highway -- superb views of them sitting on fence posts.  The final two were on
Rt. 72, just a mile or so east of I-75, near the Episcopal Church, flying to the
west!  These were the first Caracaras I'd seen in Florida so I was amazed to see
so many in a single day.

Wonderful day in the field.

       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Russ Kruetzman pointed out correctly that I meant to say Okeechobee when I said
Okeefenoke and -- yes, I did move here from GA!  I got the 'Okee' part out and I
guess any letters that follow are just random!

Cheers!
       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: Dale Willard
To: SWFLBirdline@yahoogroups.com
Cc: FLRBA@...
Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 12:46 PM
Subject: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck


Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, I'm pretty sure that these pictures are of
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, I see them almost every morning Southeast of
Sebring, I have seen a total of 8 in a group. Last year Ithere was only 2 and I
didn't know what they were except some kinda white winged duck about the size of
a mallard. Well this year I did some research and sure enough.

Sorry about the Quality of the pictures
If I'm wrong will some one tell me what kind of ducks they are?? and were they
came from?? I have lived here all my life but never have I seen a white winged
long legged black bellied with a bright colored bill that perchs in dead
trees?????????????????????????

Dale R Willard








[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi there,

The Englewood group is considering Fort DeSoto for this Friday's outing.  Any
suggestions for which areas to look at?  Anything special to search for?

Thanks,
       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All,

For those that may not read the News-Press (Fort Myers area local paper), here
is a link to an interesting article on local mangrove island rookeries, as well
as a beautiful Roseate Spoonbill photo.

http://www.news-press.com/news/today/020819birds.html

Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

Thanks to Steve Chalmers, Lyn Atherton, and Brian Ahern who sent me some
guidance for the Englewood bird group.  I carefully printed all the notes out
and then left them on the kitchen counter at 6 a.m. as I headed out. 
Fortunately I had pretty much memorized the contents but I wanted to be able to
share the notes with the other birders -- oh well.

There were lots of shorebirds but not many warblers.  As a matter of fact, all
the warblers seen could just have well been there all summer -- Prairie,
Yellow-throated, Parula, and OK, I guess Yellow would be a migrant.

Only one of the LB Curlews was present but he gave us good views.  We counted
over 40 Marbled Godwits and 135 skimmers were a good show.  There were a dozen
Snowy Plovers and two Pipings.  Semipalmated Plovers were in great numbers at
every spot.  I bet we had over 200 of them.  Else there were good numbers of
Least Sandpipers, fewer Sanderlings and many of the Western/Semipalmated clan. 
They are very difficult to split out in the fall since many birds are immature
and don't have fully developed beaks.  I would tend to call most of these
Semipals since I saw no evidence of rust on the scapulars, but people who know,
tell me that most of them are actually Westerns here in this part of Florida in
the fall.  There were a few Spotted Sandpipers.

No unusual terns were seen, but we did have two Blacks near the Lagoon and
another at the other side of the bridge that goes to Tierra Verde Island.

Oh -- we found Reddish Egret at East Beach and another over on the north side of
the Skyway Bridge.  Just a single Frigatebird sailed by.

It was a good day and we had logged 74 species by the time we got home.
       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All,

We had a female/imm Archilochus type hummingbird (presumably Ruby-throated; slow
tail pump while feeding, bright green back) at our Hamilia Patens this AM in
southwest Cape Coral.  I have not seen it since returning home from work this
PM.

Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

Hi:

Those birders around the state who know of sites where Chimney Swifts
roost, may want to register these sites with the organization Swiftwatch.
See information below. . . .


Dana Bradshaw
Center for Conservation Biology
College of William and Mary
PO Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA  23187-8795
PH:  757-221-1649
Fax: 757-221-1650
dsbrad@...
www.swiftwatch.org
www.ccb-wm.org

Good birding!

Vincent Lucas
Naples, FL
vplucas@...

Dear 'brainers,

The Englewood group took a look at the area south of Lake Okeechobee Saturday,
following the excellent guidance from Russ Kruetzman.

We easily found two of the anis where they were supposed to be but struck out on
the Barn Owls.  We also had no luck finding sod fields in the proper stage for
the large flocks of herons and shorebirds reported earlier.  The ones near the
antenna south of South Bay were now being mowed.

But we did have a rather good time in the Belle Glade Marina and Campground out
beyond the dike around the lake.  It seemed to me as we ate lunch at a rather
pleasant little shaded picnic table that the area was like a little oasis in
this huge sea of grass and water in this part of Florida.  Indeed with a little
calling, we discovered the trees to be full of warblers and gnatcatchers.  We
had excellent looks at Black and Whites, Redstarts (including a marvelous adult
male), Prairies, Yellow-throateds, Parulas, and at least a fleeting look at a
Hooded.

Also in this area was a flock of over 200 Rough-winged Swallows.  They too
responded to squeaking and the whole flock swirled around our heads for several
moments.  Another squeaking fan was the immature Red-tail that came shouldering
his way through the trees to perch right over our heads and stare meaningfully
down at us.  We had just had our lunch and I think he was looking for his.

So, we had a very enjoyable day -- not too hot, with the cloud cover and the
pleasant southeasterly breeze.
       Ken Blackshaw
       Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
       Englewood on Florida's SW Coast
       View Ken's Home Page



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All,

Migrants seen at Sanibel Lighthouse on Sat AM, 7 Sep 02:

Steady stream of martins and swallows (mostly Barn Swallows, some Bank Swallows,
4 Cliff Swallows along Sanibel Causeway)
Brown Thrasher
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush

(present were Walt Winton, Wes Dirks, Jose Padilla, Charlie Ewell)

Regards,

Charlie


Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

Greetings:

This morning at the Sanibel Lighthouse, the two Vinces (McGrath & Lucas)
along with Walt Winton and Wes Dirks found the following migrants:

Purple Martin -- estimated 500+ individuals in waves of various small
groups all morning long. Interspersed in these waves were good numbers of
Barn Swallows and a few Bank Swallows with one Cliff Swallow. Also seen
were less than ten Chimney Swifts.

Eastern Kingbird -- up to 150 individuals in flocks of up to 25 or more.
Bobolink -- small high-flying flocks of up to a half-dozen birds each.
Summer Tanager -- x1
Red-eyed Vireo -- x1

Warblers:

American Redstart -- x2
Northern Parula -- common
Yellow-throated Warbler -- x2
Prairie Warbler -- common
Worm-eating Warbler -- x1
Black-throated Blue Warbler -- x1 (female)
Ovenbird (heard)

Also present:

Cooper's Hawk
Osprey
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Belted Kingfisher

Afterward, Vince McGrath, Walt Winton and I birded Six Mile Cypress
Preserve. Not much activity but we did see:

Yellow-throated Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Parula
American Redstart

Also present:

Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Downy Woodpecker
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren

Lastly, Vince McGrath and I birded a flooded field on the corner of
Winkler Ave. & Colonial Blvd. where we found a nice selection of
shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover -- up to 25 birds mostly still in alternate plumage.
Short-billed dowitcher -- up to 10 birds still in alternate plumage
Least Sandpiper -- few
Killdeer -- common
Lesser Yellowlegs -- x2

Also present was one Glossy Ibis and several Mottled Duck. A few Eastern
Meadowlarks and Loggerhead Shrikes along with a nice Red-shouldered Hawk
were seen in the cow pastures nearby.

We ended the morning with the awesome sight of an adult Bald Eagle over
Kelly Rd.

Good birding!

Vincent Lucas
Naples



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mailing Address:                |   Thou, bird, will live in the trees,
                                 |   And soar though the air,
Vincent P. Lucas                |   Reach into the region of the clouds,
3735 Fieldstone Blvd. #903      |   Touch the transparency of the sky,
Naples, Florida 34109-0745      |   And know no fear of falling.
vplucas@...           |
                                 |   Popul Vuh
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The passage continues, today the Eastern Kingbird dominated with many dozens
landing in as many trees as the park can provide, at least the taller ones.
Later many could be seen feeding on woodbine (Virginia Creeper). Purple
Martins in less numbers than yesterday but abundant, more Barn Swallows and 2
Bank Swallows.
   Truly the bird of the day was an adult LEAST FLYCATCHER. It just perched in
the ficus to my left while I sat on the hawkwatch bench, a brown thrasher
went by, then a summer tanager. Later I would spot a Yellw-throated Vireo in
company with a Red-eyed Vireo. I hit on a great wave of warblers-
  Prairie 10+             Yellow - ad male
  Parula 6+               Yellow-throated 4+
  Blackburnian           Waterthrush, L.
  Black&White 2        Ovenbird
  Worm-eating 2         Redstart, Am. 3
5 flickers, many red-bellied and a few pileated, BG Gnatcatchers, C. Wrens,
Blue Jays ........

McAvian@...
Vince McGrath
Ft. Myers, Fl.

We found a freshly dead - no signs of injuries Eastern Kingbird in our
yard just before Labor Day weekend.  It is in the freezer awaiting a
trip to the Tampa Lab for a West Nile Virus check

Doug Wassmer & Lilian Saul

-----Original Message-----
From: McAvian@... [mailto:McAvian@...]
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2002 10:11 PM
To: Flabirding@yahoogroups.com; SWFLBirdline@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [SWFLBirdline] Sanibel Lighthouse 9/9/02

  The passage continues, today the Eastern Kingbird dominated with many
dozens
landing in as many trees as the park can provide, at least the taller
ones.
Later many could be seen feeding on woodbine (Virginia Creeper). Purple
Martins in less numbers than yesterday but abundant, more Barn Swallows
and 2
Bank Swallows.
   Truly the bird of the day was an adult LEAST FLYCATCHER. It just
perched in
the ficus to my left while I sat on the hawkwatch bench, a brown
thrasher
went by, then a summer tanager. Later I would spot a Yellw-throated
Vireo in
company with a Red-eyed Vireo. I hit on a great wave of warblers-
  Prairie 10+             Yellow - ad male
  Parula 6+               Yellow-throated 4+
  Blackburnian           Waterthrush, L.
  Black&White 2        Ovenbird
  Worm-eating 2         Redstart, Am. 3
5 flickers, many red-bellied and a few pileated, BG Gnatcatchers, C.
Wrens,
Blue Jays ........

McAvian@...
Vince McGrath
Ft. Myers, Fl.


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I did the Lee County Bird patrol at Bunche Beach on Sept. 8 and 9.  Among the
hundreds of western sandpipers, red knots, and short-billed dowitchers were 7
piping plovers, 5 snowy plovers, 13 marbled godwits, and a special hightlight: 
2 pectoral sandpipers.  I've not seen this species in this location before.  Has
anyone seen any black terns?  They seem to be scarce around here this year.  Bev
Postmus, Sanibel.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Greetings:

Today, 9/11, before the rains, Don & Marcia Fairbanks and I took
advantage of the generous 'free admission policy' (due to 9/11) by the
Audubon Corkscrew Sanctuary. We birded the morning finding the following
migrants and other birds:

Blackburnian Warbler x3
Prairie Warbler x2
American Redstart x2
Louisiana Waterthrush x1
Prothonotary Warbler x6+
Northern Parula x5
Yellow-throated Warbler x1
Hooded Warbler x1
Black-and-white Warbler x1
Worm-eating Warbler x2
Eastern Wood-Pewee x1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird x1
Epidonax sp. x1
Chimney Swift -- migrating through in good numbers
Red-eyed Vireo x4
White-eyed Vireo x6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- common
Belted Kingfisher x1
Pileated Woodpecker -- several heard

Good birding!

Vincent Lucas
Naples

Bev Postmus said:

> Has anyone seen any black terns?  They seem to be scarce around here this
>year.  Bev Postmus, Sanibel.

Bev and Others:

I would have to agree that Black Terns were few and far between this
summer, but only on the Gulf beaches in my opinion. Other than the one
juvenile I had on 10 July at Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, my sigtings
of Black Terns have been limited to the flooded ag fields south of Lake
Okeechobee where they were as prevalent as I've ever seen them in summer
since I moved down here two years ago. (Prior to those two summers, I had
not birded in Florida during the summer months as I only visited in the
winter.) Last year, for instance, they were fairly common on all of
Collier's beaches especially at Doctor's Pass here in Naples where I
photographed them. Cf. FLORIDABIRDS-L website at:

http://www.javaswift.com/floridabirds/black-tern.html

Hope that helps.

Good birding!

Vince Lucas
Naples
vplucas@...

what a soggy day but mighty birdy, finished day with 64 species between my
house and work commute.
  Jose had an excellent morning, my numbers were a bit different, missed the
thursh Blackburnian dominated the seven species of warblers I saw milling
about high in the pines alongthe pier parking area. 3 Tennessee Warblers was
the pm highlight. 4 E.W. Pewees all calling one chased a cardinal. While
looking up I noticed a large flock circling well over 300' up, turned out to
be 120 C. Nighthawks, then they formed up and moved off. With all the rain I
checked the local field at Kelly Rd. and San Carlos Blvd. scores of
shorebirds, many black-bellied plovers. This is the field in recent years
that provided buff-breasted sandpiper and golden plover. Conditions are ideal
help me keep an eye on this location.
   In response to Bev postmus's Pectorals at Bunche Beach, I have one record
in Aug.
  and I have not seen a Black Tern on the Gulf coast yet this year. I did find
a field in South Bay with over 500 a copule of weeks ago, maybe they are all
there.
  And for good measure spotted a Great Horned Owl in a tree at the freshly
cleared parking area on Sanibel at the causeway.
Got birding fever bad and don't want a cure
  McAvian@...
  Vince McGrath
  Ft. Myers,Fl.

I don't recall ever seeing Pectoral Sandpipers at Bunch Beach, but I did see one
at least 4 years ago in the disturbed area between the beach and Summerlin that
the county now owns.

As for Black Terns, my trips out to FM Beach/Little Estero Lagoon this season
have not recorded any.  I will hopefully be going out there this weekend and
will report back.  I did have a nice juv. Common Tern out there 17 Aug.  Photo
available at:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SWFLBirdline/lst


Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: bpostmus
   To: Birdline
   Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 11:20 AM
   Subject: [SWFLBirdline] sightings at Bunche Beach


   I did the Lee County Bird patrol at Bunche Beach on Sept. 8 and 9.  Among the
hundreds of western sandpipers, red knots, and short-billed dowitchers were 7
piping plovers, 5 snowy plovers, 13 marbled godwits, and a special hightlight: 
2 pectoral sandpipers.  I've not seen this species in this location before.  Has
anyone seen any black terns?  They seem to be scarce around here this year.  Bev
Postmus, Sanibel.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This morning I birded out Alico Road to the ranch opposite the nursery just
beyond the right angle bend to the south.  Many white ibis, a few glossy ibis,
many snowy egrets, one spoonbill, 5 each greater and lesser yellowlegs.  Best
find in the field was one solitary sandpiper.
Around the field in shrubs and one utility wires there were 5 loggerhead
shrikes, mockingbirds, 3 northern rough-winged swallows, gnatcatchers.  Three
green herons flew in just as we were leaving.
At Lakes Park near the bridge an immature bald eagle with several primary
feathers missing was harrassing an osprey carrying a fish.
On some open fields (private property) closer to Sanibel there were killdeers, 2
pectoral sandpipers, and one upland sandpiper.  I've never seen one of these in
Florida, so I'm assuming this is not a common sighting.  Would love to hear of
other sightings of this bird.
The Causeway Islands still had 4 least terns hanging out with a bunch of
sandwitch terns.
Thursday (12 Sept) had a brown thrasher at the end of Wildlife Drive.  Also an
eastern wood-pewee in the same location.  Same day had 2 eastern wood-pewees at
the Lighthouse, along with 5 or 6 parulas.  Found a chuck-will's- widow sacked
out on a branch right over the road and had a group of at least 15 nighthawks
pass thru the area.
Bev Postmus, Sanibel.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All,

I made a quick run through the Sanibel Lighthouse trails this PM (6:00-7:30) to
see what was happening.  It was mostly quiet, but there were a few migrants
present:

Common Nighthawk (passing over)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (many)
Northern Parula
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Scarlet Tanager (male)

Charlie

Charlie Ewell
Arlyne Salcedo
Cape Coral, FL
Anhinga42@...
FLRBA@...