Bonus post of what’s always the #1 reason to visit the desert southwest – the amazing state bird of Arizona, Cactus Wren!
Happy Wrensday
Bird/Bee Update (II)
Nice weekend at Presque Isle State Park: sunny Friday, warm/humid/foggy overcast followed by late day sun Saturday, foggy early AM then mild/sunny Sunday. Gull Point fairly quiet, interior activity normal. Trail conditions: dry/good except for typical muddy problem spots like Duck Pond Trail (east).
Lots of pictures forthcoming, meanwhile, these birds/bees from last weekend along Pine Tree Trail + Thompson Bay swamp/pond:
ACIF
Great to get some decent ACIF (American Crow in flight) shots this past weekend at Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park.
FL/ifestyle
Current contender for new BirdingPI.com Miami, FL HQ is this recently reduced waterfront Italianate villa @ USD $19.5MM – a bargain! Great spot for seeing Ring-billed Gull.
Can’t live in Miami w/o a boat, so it’s off to Crandon Marina Park on Key Biscayne for some boat shopping + birding. (Maybe mostly birding.)
Thanks to the kind folks at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center for mentioning this amazing/easy to access spot (+ free parking). Excellent views of Biscayne Bay + lawn/trees/natural beach:
By pure happenstance, the ‘bird of the trip’ (re. unusual sightings) was an amazing Smooth-billed Ani at this spot. First a sound ID via Merlin:
Then flying between trees eventually to perch by the park restrooms:
Perhaps common in places like Brazil, this beautiful member of the cuckoo family = rare to see in the US. Per Sibley Birds East (2nd ed., page 200), “Rare and declining [in S. Florida]… recently recorded only a few times each year, mostly single individuals.” A good omen for visiting Miami!
Very cool zygodactyl toe arrangement (toes 2 & 3 in front, toes 1 & 4 in back):
Don’t see many Black-crowned Night-Heron at Presque Isle. Guess they’re all down south, looking for fish scraps when the charter boats return, like these beautiful adults at Crandon Marina:
More Black-crowned Night-Heron:
‘Bird of the trip’ in the common/multiple sightings category was the lovely White Ibis, e.g., this adult at Crandon Marina Park. Plenty more shots of White Ibis to follow.
Coming up soon, lots more from Crandon Park! Plus great ACIF shots at Gull Point!
Birds & Bees (I)
More from Presque Isle State Park, it’s birds along the Pine Tree Trail x Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on goldenrod, perhaps Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), by Thompson Circle:
Exclusively Alligators
As promised, it’s amazing American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in The Everglades west of Miami, FL.
Great way to see an American Alligator or three is via air boat ride; recommend Coopertown (no affiliation) as good for a bit of speedy fun + numerous stops to view wildlife.
Another great way is the Shark Valley loop road via tram/hiking/biking:
Sighted multiple adult and baby Alligators:
Saw a couple adults in the grass by the road, but no photos due to a quick retreat into the water upon approach.
Alligators are great, plus it makes being close to the water an exciting proposition. Thankfully not a problem at Presque Isle. Yet.
Warblers (IV)
The Erie County, PA forecast calls for 7 straight days of sunny weather with temps as high as 28 deg C (82+ deg F)! Happy birding/happy fall!
More warblers from the other day along the Pine Tree Trail, Presque Isle State Park, including this rather nice shot of Pine Warbler in a pine tree:
Two of beautiful Common Yellowthroat (f):
Great to finally see Black-throated Blue Warbler (m) for the first time this fall:
Also great to finally see Chestnut-sided Warbler (m) again:
More Yellow-rumped Warbler (?):
More Cape May Warbler:
Wrapping it up with more cute Pine Warbler. Great to see more of this bird this season!
With Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Blue, the BirdingPI.com September informal Presque Isle Warbler count = 19 species!
Warblers (III)
September’s ‘parade of Warblers’ continues at Presque Isle State Park with more recent shots from along the Pine Tree Trail.
First up, more Cape May Warbler (female/immature) – white undertail coverts, streaking on breast and up into neck, yellow-ish underside, olive cheek patch, etc.:
Two of lovely American Redstart (f) – gray head, yellow at base of tail, yellow side chest patches:
Female or immature male Magnolia Warbler – gray head, white eyering, yellow underside, bold/narrow white wingbars, black side streaking:
Probably non-breeding female/immature Blackpoll Warbler – bold white wingbars, blurry streaking, dull yellow cast, broken eye ring:
More Cape May Warbler:
Coming up soon, #more_warbler!
Excluding Alligators
It was high time to commence BirdingPI.com’s 15-year plan for expansion into the tropical latitudes. Stage 1: find office space in Miami, FL. First part of stage 1: Exit Miami, FL as fast as possible for birding in the amazing Everglades, & worry about the rest later!
These shots at or near famous Shark Valley* @ Everglades National Park. Plenty of American Alligator, but sadly, no sharks. (Alligator content forthcoming.)
Birds at Shark Valley visitors’ center:
From the visitors’ center, it’s a flat 14 km (15 mile) round trip ride/walk to the observation platform. Great for viewing wildlife, not so great (on foot) in hot weather. Tram tour was approx. 2 hours at USD $30-ish pp. Plus $30 to get through the main gate to park. Not cheap, but worth it if time/money permits. (Guided tram tour covers wildlife and local history, plus stops for birds/alligators and at the observation platform.) Seasonally, be prepared for rain.
Birds: lots and lots of GBH and Great Egret.
Wet view from top of observation platform as heavy rain moved through:
Thoroughly soaked there and on the tram ride back to the visitors’ center. Bless you Nikon camera weather sealing.
Runner up for ‘bird of the day,’ great sighting of beautiful Little Blue Heron. Slate-gray/blue body, red neck, black-tipped beak:
No contest for ‘bird of the day,’ with several sightings of the amazing Anhinga. Range primarily Central and South America + Caribbean, but as far north as SE coastal US including here in Florida. Female has brown/gray/black neck:
Male is essentially entirely black:
Great to see a beautiful (and wet) Red-shouldered Hawk:
[* Original name for this spot something like Shark River Valley Slough National Park; the Shark River being named for sharks that breed at its mouth by the ocean. Shortened by National Park Service to “Shark Valley” = sounds cooler. (Source: Shark Valley tram tour guide.)]
[Editor’s note: re. American English idiom, ‘high time’ means ‘overdue,’ not under the influence of narcotics. Although hard to tell the difference from this post.]
Bonus Whimbrel
Dateline: 23 September 2023
More Whimbrel from this past Saturday at Gull Point!
