Visit your favourite destinations

Florida, March 5th-14th 2001,

e-mail: bufflehead@lineone.net

For various reasons we found ourselves in need of a short, preferably sunny break with reasonable birding thrown in. We opted for Florida with its guaranteed sunshine and some virtually endemic species. We used Wildwings as we usually do and got flights from Gatwick on Virgin @ £280.00 each plus £43.00 for parking. We had booked the smallest car @ £211.00 via Alamo, but took a two level upgrade for £76.00. This gave us a Mitsubishi Gallant which was excellent. We had pre booked the first night accommodation, the Everglades Motel in Homestead @ £54.64. We then spent two nights on Stock Island at a noisy campsite @ £62.12 for the two nights, utter robbery. We took the Yankee Fleet catamaran to Garden Key @ £140.00 for both of us. You get breakfast and lunch in with the cost, be sure to ask the captain to go in close to Hospital Key if you want Masked Booby and check the big yellow channel marker for Brown Booby. We both came down with flu but despite fevers, shakes and heavy coughing kept birding. We had booked in at Flamingo Lodge in the Everglades for one night. It is well worth the money but you really need three nights minimum. We spent  £150.00 for the two nights here. On to our pre-booked Port Charlotte Motel. When we got there at 19.10 we found that they had let the room go as we should have telephoned in advance to reconfirm (they had not told us this). With their help we found the only room available to be in a Best Western @ £156.00 per night!. we went back to the Port Charlotte the following night (having carefully reconfirmed) and had 'our' room @ £59.00 for the night. They offered no reduction for their error, the room was next to the boiler which went off and on all night and the bloody garden sprinklers went on at 2am making sleep impossible, to cap it all we found a cockroach the size of a cat in the sink next morning. I would say avoid the Port Charlotte Motel, I just wish we could afford to sue for the £100 extra it cost us for their error. We then went across country and stayed the last two nights in a Quality/Comfort Suites place at a combined cost of £164.00 for the two nights. There may have been cheaper places around but we could not find them. We did 1,286 miles in the car and spent £62.00 on fuel including money paid in advance to Alamo for our full tank. Our only other expenses were mountains of junk food and the odd nice meal in Key West. The state parks and bird reserves all had fees of between $3-10.

References

We used 'A Birders Guide to Florida' by Bill Pranty extensively. We also used several trip reports off the net including a sightings update from Florida Birding which I found via the Virtual Birding site . There does not seem to be a regularly updated rare bird alert for the state. The number we called was last updated on January 31st 2001 and of no use. For butterflies we used 'Butterflies Through Binoculars' (the east) by Jeffrey Glassberg and for reptiles 'The Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians' (Eastern/Central North America). We were told that there is a dragonfly version of the 'through binoculars' series but could not find one out there. Back home I discovered that Oxford University Press advertise one on their website @ £18.99 so I'll be able do identify some of the dragonflies seen when it comes.

Sites Visited (Chronologically)

Card Sound Rd: Long road from Homestead to Key Largo. A bit barren until the bridge but a Great Horned Owl was seen on the way and a few birds were around the bridge.

Key Largo State Botanical Site: At the end of Card Sound Road is a junction, go right until you see an access on the left with red and white broken planks and chunks of coral. Park here and go through the gap. Mangrove Cuckoo is said to be down here, we saw a few things including good views of White-crowned Pigeon.

Long Key State Park: Small fee, park and walk the boards, Bald Eagle nest here.

Bahia Honda State Park: Small fee, good birding in the trees by the old bridge.

Dry Tortugas: Not much birdwise on the way out until Garden Key in sight. Brown Boobies on the Yellow channel marker, adequate views of Masked Booby on Hospital Key but only because we went in close. Garden Key and Bush Key which are joined by a short sand bar are superb with Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies everywhere + Magnificent Frigatebirds. Inside Fort Jefferson check out the fountain just left of the entrance, this attracts birds and is much better in April.

Everglades (fee): Anhinga Trail, very close views of tame birds. Gumbo Limbo Trail, good views of warblers in the canopy. Paurotis Pond, West Lake, Mrazek Pond all good and well worth the stop. Mahogany Hammock is also good. Eco pond is excellent and worth covering often. Snake Bight Trail is 2 km long. The first 400m seem best for small birds (and supposedly Mangrove Cuckoo) at the end is a board walk to view the wader roost at high tide. Don't bother going down unless the tide is high. At Flamingo go to the information centre and ask to see the bird sightings log book for the latest news.

Tamiami Trail: Basically a road but plenty of birds. Stop just after the Miccosukee Indian Restaurant and scan north, plenty of Snail Kites here. Cyprus Swamp (fee) is good for small birds.

Corkscrew Swamp ($8.00 each) was mostly dry. Go anticlockwise on the boardwalk (despite the signs) as the best bits are around the ponds. Wardens usually have Barred Owls staked out, further on a watch point gives views of Swallow-tailed Kites.

Punta Gorda: Small lakes and a nice park (free). A good little spot for lots of birds.

Oscar Scherer SP (fee): Good for the Florida Scrub-jay which likes the car park.

Sarasota: Some lakes which were OK.

Sanibel Island: Ding Darling reserve (fee) and other bits. OK.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (fee) Excellent spot with good boardwalk and many open pits, lots of birds including Limpkin.

Fort Lauderdale: We birded a small linear park on the south side of Fort Lauderdale Airport, off Griffin Road. On the fence was one Smooth-billed Ani (there had been between four and seven).

John U Lloyd State Recreation area. A few birds but the beaches were covered in people.

Itinerary

5/3/01: Depart Gatwick 11.30am, land Miami 15.30 local time, flight 9.20 hours. Overnight in Everglades Motel, Homestead, OK.

6/3/01: Card Sound Road, bird Key Largo State Botanical Site. Long Key Park. Bahia Honda SP then on to Boyd's Campground on Stock Island. Expensive to camp and noisy, two nights.

7/3/01: Yankee Fleet vessel to Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas, depart 08.30, return to Key West by 17.30. Excellent.

8/3/01: Back down the keys and on to Everglades. Visit Royal Palms area with the excellent Anhinga and Gumbo Limb trails. Overnight in Flamingo Lodge (two nights), very good.

9/3/01: Bird the Everglades including Eco Pond, Snake Bight trail and two hour 'Pelican' boat trip.

10/3/01; Bird the Everglades and Tamiami Trail sites including Corkscrew Swamp then north to Port Charlotte, hotel cock up, night in Punta Gorda (OK but expensive).

11/3/01: Punta Gorda park and pools, excellent. Go north to Oscar Scherer SP and then pools in the Sarasota area, night at Port Charlotte (poor).

12/3/01: Sanibel Island, Ding Darling Reserve, Corkscrew Swamp and overland to north of Fort Lauderdale, overnight at Deer Fields Beach motel, two nights, OK.

13/3/01; Loxahatchee reserve, excellent.

14/3/01: Birded the small park on south side of Fort Lauderdale airport, John U Lloyd SRA and urban Miami before flying out at 18.00, landing at Gatwick at 06.55 on March 15th.

Overview

We were too early for some of the summer Florida species such as Black-whiskered Vireo and Gray Kingbird, also warbler migration was not quite underway although there were some wintering birds. Mangrove Cuckoo is very difficult at the best of times, even harder when they do not call. Our visit coincided with the Florida drought and high March temperatures i.e. 91 degrees one day, the highest temperature ever recorded on that date and followed 93% humidity next day. The drought meant that many swamp sites were dry and subsequently lacking birds. With hindsight we would have had three or even four nights at Flamingo, possibly camping to reduce costs. We might also have pushed further north to take in Merrit Island and a few farmland habitats. One good thing about going when we did was that the Mosquitoes were almost non-existent, even along the dreaded Snake Bight Trail. This was our third trip to the USA following three weeks in Texas in April 1997 and two weeks in Northern California in November/December 2000 and so many of the birds were fairly familiar. Inevitably we spent more effort seeking out new species and so probably missed 15+ list padders along the way. Our advice to any UK birders thinking of a Florida trip is go later and get out of Miami as fast as possible, also try to get to the north a bit if possible.

Systematic list birds

The sequence used is from the American Birding Association web site. I just copied the list out and use it as a base.

Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Common and present on most waters.
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra Seen on a close pass of Hospital Key by the Yankie Fleet 11 on March 7th and from Garden Key at range. Around 15 were present and showed reasonably well despite the choppy seas. Birders should ask the Captain to do this pass otherwise you will only get very distant and decidedly un-tickable views from Fort Jefferson.
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster Seen on the Dry Tortugas trip on March 7th on the yellow marker buoy as we neared Hospital Key (three birds) and then more distantly on Hospital Key. There were also around five on the return run on a distant buoy.
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus Two seen on the Dry Tortugas crossing of March 7th.
American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Small numbers around the Everglades and Gulf Coast.
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis Common on all coasts and very tame at some sites.
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Very common and seen daily. Very close views within touching distance at Royal Palms in the Everglades.
Anhinga Anhinga anhinga Common throughout the Everglades and in the water conservation areas. The Anhinga Trail at the Royal Palms section of the Everglades is a must. Birds of all ages are present and incredibly close.
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens A real star of the trip and very much an ambition bird ever since I saw a picture of one on the Brooke Bond Tea cards of the 1960s. We saw our first over Key Largo on March 6th with another over Key West later the same day. On Garden Key (Dry Tortugas) there is a large colony and you can scope the males as they balloon their red pouches. Birds are overhead constantly often flying to within 20'.
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Common throughout and tame at some sites. We also saw numerous Wurdemans Herons, the hybrid version which has a mostly Great Blue body with a pale or even white head. We also saw two birds of the pure white form which I expected to look like Great Egrets but in reality just look like big white herons.
Great Egret Ardea alba Fairly common, especially in the Everglades.
Snowy Egret Egretta thula Common throughout in small numbers
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Common throughout and very tame along the Anhinga Trail.
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor Common in the Everglades and all watery habitats.
Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens Common in the Everglades and all watery habitats.
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Common on the coasts, especially on the Gulf side.
Green Heron Butorides virescens Common throughout.
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Only seen in Corkscrew Swamp where  three were present March 10th and four, March 12th.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea Seen at Corkscrew Swamp on March 10th & 12th. Sanibel Island, March 12th and Punta Gorda park March 11th.  All the birds were fairly tame, especially one in Punta Gorda park.
White Ibis Eudocimus albus Common everywhere.
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Not very common. A single 2cy bird was around Eco Pond on March 8th-9th. Small flocks were seen from the Tamiami Trail and odd ones were around Sanibel Island.
Roseate Spoonbill Ajaia ajaja Not common but small numbers seen at several sites including Eco Pond, Paurotis Pond and Sanibel Island. At the latter site one flock of c30 dropped in and disappeared.
Wood Stork Mycteria americanaCommon throughout the Everglades with the colony at Paurotis Pond  easily visible from the car park.
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus Common at many sites but none seen on the keys. At the Royal Palms centre in the Everglades the birds yomp around the car park and are very approachable.
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Common everywhere.
Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula Not very common and only seen at the pools near Sarasota and at Loxahatchee.
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Common on most wetlands.
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Seen only on the pools near Sarasota.
Green-winged Teal Anas crecca A pair at Loxahatchee were the only ones of the trip.
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris The pools near Punta Gorda held about 30 on March 10th.
Greater Scaup Aythya marila Three males in the large raft of Lessers in Port Charlotte Bay on March 11th.
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Common around Port Charlotte bay and large numbers on the pools at Punta Gorda
Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus A single on the Punta Gorda pools on March 11th with seven on the sea off Punta Gorda park same day.
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Seen off Card Sound Road, Bahia Honda, Port Charlotte and off Punta Gorda park.
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Seen on the Punta Gorda pools only.
Osprey Pandion haliaetus Very common throughout.
Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus Common. We saw c25 individuals in total, spread over the following sites. Royal Palms, Eco Pond, Corkscrew Swamp, Sanibel Island, Loxahatchee.
Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis Seen only from the Tamiami Trail in the swamp behind the Miccosukee Indian Restaurant. We just stopped at a pull in and scanned. We had six female/immature types and one male. Most were perched in low bushes but a couple were hunting. At Loxahatchee there was supposed to be a roost of 40+ from the boat ramp. We stayed late but saw none, perhaps we needed to be later still.
Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Seven birds seen including two adults. Our first was at Long key SP where they breed. We also had birds at Oscar Scherer SP and perched up and visible from the causeway to Sanibel Island.
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Three ringtails seen and not very common.
Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus We saw a couple along the keys and odd ones in various state parks.
Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii Two seen, both at Loxahatchee on March 13th.
Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus A common bird seen at most sites. We were very close to birds at Royal Palms along the Anhinga Trail, at Eco Pond where one insisted on being photographed and at Corkscrew Swamp. All of these birds were very tame and noisy.
Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Several seen throughout the area with one at Bahia Honda happy to sit an a fence 5m from the path.
Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus Seen at several spots in the Everglades with odd ones elsewhere. The literature states that dark birds are commoner than pale but we saw about 50/50.
American Kestrel Falco sparverius A common 'wire' bird away from the keys. A couple on Garden Key no doubt mopped up those tired migrants.
Merlin Falco columbarius A female posed very nicely high in a tree at John U Lloyd SRA on March 14th..
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus A female was harassing an Osprey at Bahia Honda  SP on March 6th, our only sighting.
Sora Porzana carolina Confiding birds were around the margins of Eco Pond at any time of the day.
Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica Seen throughout the Everglades and at several other sites. Anhinga Trail birds are tame.
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Common.
American Coot Fulica americana Common on most waters. On the Pelican boat trip in the Everglades we crossed Coot Lake where 3,000+ birds were packed into tight flocks. The effect of all these dark bodies and white shields all facing you in the low light was quite spectacular, not an expression normally associated with coots of any species.
Limpkin Aramus guarauna After slogging around numerous sites and being told that it was too dry, we finally caught up with this speciality at Loxahatchee on March 13th. Confiding birds by nature, 'ours' posed quite happily at 3m range.
Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis We saw three going to roost at we drove into Port Charlotte on March 10th and looked forward to seeing a few down but they never materialised.
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola Common enough.
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus Fairly common, especially at Sanibel and Long Island Key SP.
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus Not many around compared to Texas or California (the locations our previous visits). We saw c10 in total.
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus Three were on the Sarasota lakes on March 11th.
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana One was seen from the Snake Bight Trail in the Everglades on March 9th.
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca The commonest 'legs' and seen at several sites.
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Three at Sanibel on March 12th. were our only birds.
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria One was at Mrazek Pond on March 8th.
Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus Seen at several sites but only present in numbers at Sanibel.
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia Six seen, mostly in the Everglades, all in winter plumage, all with palmations (unlike Common Sandpiper).
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus One was on pilings as we pulled into Garden Key on March 7th.
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa Seen at the end of Snake Bight Trail and at Sanibel.
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Fairly common.
Sanderling Calidris alba Seen at John U Lloyd SRA only as the beaches everywhere were heavily disturbed by people sunbathing.
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla Seen at a few sites with many at the end of Snake Bight Trail.
Dunlin Calidris alpina Common at Snake Bight and Sanibel. Small numbers elsewhere.
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus Seen in small numbers at Snake Bight but in poor light conditions (heat haze).
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus Small numbers were at Sanibel and near enough to ID.
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Singles flying over MacDonalds on Key Largo and at Loxahatchee.
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla Very common.
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Very common.
Herring Gull Larus argentatus Seen at several coastal sites.
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica Singles in winter plumage at Sarasota and off Sanibel Island causeway.
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Present in small numbers at several sites.
Royal Tern Sterna maxima Common.
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis A single on Garden Key on March 7th was the only one.
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri Seen on the Dry Tortugas crossing and from Sanibel causeway only.
Sooty Tern  Sterna fuscata A large colony on Bush Key and well visible from Garden Key was superb.
Brown Noddy Anous stolidus Birds were in the Sooty Tern colony but in much smaller numbers.
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger Seen roosting on garden Key on March 7th and at least 2500 went to roost on March 8th passing Flamingo as they went and visible from our room.
Rock Dove Columba livia Common.
White-crowned Pigeon Columba leucocephala Not uncommon but fairly shy. Birds were seen  well at several locations including one feeding at 40m range from the Pelican Trip boat.
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto Very common.
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica Seen on wires near Homestead and at a couple of other sites.
Mourning Dove  Zenaida macroura Common.
Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina We saw around ten birds around the Everglades and Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda areas.
Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus Seen in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, noisy devils.
Mitred Parakeet Arantinga mitrata Three were on Key Largo on a trading estate on March 8th.
Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani Following information from the Florida Birding site on the net we located one on the south side of Fort Lauderdale Airport on March 14th. It sat up on a fence at 35m range and was a welcome last tick. We had spent the previous day in 91 degree temperatures searching for these at Loxahatchee.
Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus One in the top of a dead tree along Card Sound Road on March 6th was our only one.
Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia Seen at one of the urban Punta Gorda sites listed in the Pranty guide. We expected them to be elusive. This bird sat looking at us from 5m surrounded by its protective rope barrier and below its very own sign telling you how rare they were and what would happen if you upset it.
Barred Owl Strix varia At Corkscrew Swamp one roosted out in the open just after the Barred Owl Rain Shelter! We went back two days later hoping to take its photo but it had not been located that day. I then found it in thick vegetation where it gave nice binocular views but was difficult to photograph.
Whip-poor-will Caprimulgus vociferus Despite being ill we set out from Flamingo on the evening of March 9th to look for this species. We drove 20+ miles and saw nothing. On the way back, having given it up as a bad job, we saw a nightjar type rise from the roadside and sit at 30' height on a bare branch. We put the flashlight on it just long enough to confirm the ID and left it  there. Just Antillian Nighthawk and Buff-collared Nightjar to go!
Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon Common in the Everglades and anywhere with water. We saw 50+ in five miles, all on roadside wires.
Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus Very common and very noisy.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Seen at several sites including two confiding birds at Bahia Honda on March 6th.
Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Seen at several Gulf Coast sites, all yellow-shafted unlike those in California. We await the split.
Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus One seen along the Snake Bight Trail and two in the open at Corkscrew Swamp were the only ones.
Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens One was seen at Eco Pond. Hard to ID but species range and our photos suggest this species.
Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe Seen at several sites.
Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus Not uncommon once you learn the call.
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis  Two were at Mahogany Hammock on March 10th. we scoped these birds to check for any of the similar species and were happy they were just westerns.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus One was at Mahogany Hammock on March 10th.
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus Common at some sites and especially along the Gulf Coast. We photographed a tame bird at Loxahatchee.
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus Seen at several sites and in full song.
Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons Singles were seen on the Gumbo Limbo Trail on March 8th and along Snake Bight Trail on March 10th.
Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius Three seen, two of which were along Snake Bight.
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata Fairly common.
Florida Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma coerulescens Seen at Oscar Scherer SP only. They are noisy and seem to like the car park around the lake.
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Common and capable of some weird noises.
Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus Fairly common on the Gulf Coast, especially at Punta Gorda.
Purple Martin Progne subis Seen as singles at several sites.
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Common at several sites, numerous in the Everglades.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Seen on Garden Key and a couple in the Everglades around Flamingo.
Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Seen at Bahia Honda on March 6th only.
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Several were around Garden Key on March 7th but no others seen.
Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor Several seen at Corkscrew Swamp and Oscar Scherer SP.
House Wren Troglodytes aedon One was watched at close range at Bahia Honda on March 6th.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea Several seen in woodland sites.
Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis Common except at Eco Pond where very very common.
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Common.
Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum Common at Eco Pond, Mahogany Hammock and Oscar Scherer SP.
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Common
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Around 35 were in the Corkscrew Swamp car park on March 10th, our only record.
Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina One was seen at Oscar Scherer SP on March 11th.
Northern Parula Parula americana Fairly common and easy enough to find in the Everglades and at Corkscrew Swamp reserve..
Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia A couple were seen around Eco Pond.
Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia Seen along the Gumbo Limbo Trail on March 8th.
Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Common but not as common as in California.
Black-throated Green Warbler Dendroica virens Seen in the Royal Palms car park and along the Gumbo Limbo Trail on March 8th.
Yellow-throated Warbler Dendroica dominica Seen at several sites around the Everglades.
Pine Warbler Dendroica pinus Singing at some sites and not uncommon in suitable habitat.
Prairie Warbler Dendroica discolor Singing along the keys and seen at several other sites.
Palm Warbler Dendroica palmarum Very common.
Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia Seen at several sites.
American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla At least two males and two females along Snake Bight Trail.
Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorus Seen along Snake Bight Trail and on the Gumbo Limbo Trail.
Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapillus Quite common in the Everglades with a confiding bird around Eco Pond.
Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis Several at Mrazek Pond on March 8th and along Snake Bight each time we walked it.
Louisiana Waterthrush Seiurus motacilla One with Northern Waterthrush at Mrazek Pond on March 8th.
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Common.
Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus Seen only at Oscar Scherer SP on March 11th.
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis One was at Loxahatchee on March 13th.
Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana Several live around the fringes of  Eco Pond.
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Common.
Painted Bunting Passerina ciris A male seen around Eco Pond and a female along Snake Bight Trail.
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Common.
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna Not uncommon in suitable habitat. Easy to see around Sarasota pools.
Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula Common.
Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major Very common.
House Sparrow Passer domesticus Scarce, only three seen!

 
Butterflies

Florida White Appias drusilla
Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae
Monarch Danaus plexippus
Large Orange Sulphur Phoebis agarithe
Cassuis Blue Leptotes cassius
Zebra Heliconius charitonius
Queen Danaus gilippus
Soldier Danaus erismus
Zebra Swallowtail Eurytides marcellus
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glausus
Giant Swallowtail Papilio cresphontes
Common Buckeye Junonia coenia

Plus c10 species unidentified.

Dragonflies

Halloween Pennant Celithemis eponina

Plus 15 species to be identified.

Mammals/Reptiles

Racoon Procyon lotor
Green Anole Anolis carolinensis
Black Racer Coluber constrictor (snake)
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
American Crocodile Crocodylus acutus
Florida Soft-shell Turtle Apalone ferox
Green Turtle Chelonia mydas
Florida Scrub Lizard Scelopous woodi
Brown Anole Anolis sagrei
Six-lined Racerunner Cnemidophorus sexlineatus

Plus loads of terrapins, turtles, lizards and one snake unidentified.

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