Florida Trip ~ January 4-5, 2020

Since way back in October, I had been reading the almost daily reports of an Antillean Palm-Swift in the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, work and other factors didn't allow me to try for the bird in 2019. Most of my friends had already gone down there and seen the bird, so my attempt to see it was going to have be done solo. On December 29th, a probably-wild White-cheeked Pintail was found near Naples, so there was even more incentive to go. So on the 2nd, I booked a January 4th flight out of Philadelphia. Later that day, I realized that there had been no reports of the swift from the last two days. I also found out that a local birding couple, Mike and Corinne Schall, had spent the previous two days watching for it and had been unsuccessful. Hopefully, that would change.


Saturday, January 4th, 2020

It was an unusually warm 86 degrees when I got off the plane in the late afternoon, got my rental car, and headed for The Keys. As I stopped for something to eat in Florida City, a heavy downpour preceded an approaching cold front. Now dark, I drove the rest of the way to the Kingsail Resort in Marathon where I spent the night.


Sunday, January 5th, 2020

I arrived at "the swift spot" at the Florida Keys Country Club by 8:00 AM and met Alan Schmierer. He had been looking for the bird every day since the 1st with no luck. The odds that the bird would show were looking pretty grim. We spent most of the day together watching for the bird. He finally left around 2:00 PM after spending five days there. There were a few consolation prizes that showed up during the day. At least three different Short-tailed Hawks put on a show.

Light morph Short-tailed Hawk

Juvenile dark morph Short-tailed Hawk

Adult dark morph Short-tailed Hawk

A pair of Monk Parakeets squawked as they flew past. I later found them huddled together on a wire along the south edge of the golf course.

Monk Parakeets

Other birds seen while looking for the swift included Magnificent Frigatebird, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Great and Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Ring-billed and Laughing Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Northern Mockingbird, Common Yellowthroat, and the ever-present Palm Warbler. I stayed until around 4:00 PM and decided that it wasn't worth spending more time there given the circumstances. While eating at a nearby Wendy's, I saw two Common Mynas working the edge of the parking lot.

Common Mynas

I headed back up the Overseas Highway, parked at the bridge over the Toms Harbor Channel, and got photos of a Royal Tern and some of the Brown Pelicans that were soaring by.

Royal Tern

Adult Brown Pelican

Juvenile Brown Pelican

As daylight waned, I continued northeast on US-1 and would use the WoodSprings Suites extended stay motel near South Miami Heights as my base for the next three nights.

Sunset in the Florida Keys

---