The continued reports of three life birds in Florida and one in Texas prompted me to schedule a triangulated trip from here to Florida and then over to Texas before returning back home. Most of my travelling friends had already gone for these birds or weren't able to go when I was planning to, so I was going to have to do this trip solo, which would make things a little more challenging. It's always better to have more eyes looking and, especially in my case, better ears listening.
I got up early on Wednesday morning and headed to the Philadelphia airport for my $42 (yes, $42!) non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale. I got my rental car at around 1:30 PM and headed for the Florida Keys. It was mostly cloudy, but the temperature was in the 70's. It was nice to be in a T-shirt, especially since the cold seems to infiltrate me quicker than it used to in my younger years. Along the way, birds seen included Magnificent Frigatebird, Great and Snowy Egret, Brown and American White Pelican, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Royal Tern, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Common Myna, and Boat-tailed Grackle.
I arrived at the "Blue Hole" on Big Pine Key at 5:00 PM with only about an hour of light left, so I did a reconnaissance of the area and saw only three species before it started to rain.
I headed for the Sugarloaf Lodge on nearby Sugarloaf Key where I spent the next two nights.
Saturday, January 23, 2021
Florida and Texas Trip ~ January 14, 2021
My first bit of luck on the trip occurred when the rain that had persisted overnight stopped before first light. I headed back to the "Blue Hole" and started walking around the small body of water. On the western side, near the end of the trail, I found a nice little flock of birds that included White-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Redstart, Palm, Prairie, and Black-and-white Warbler, and Northern Parula, but the only flycatcher I saw was a Great Crested Flycatcher.
I worked my way back to the observation deck where I found the Cuban Pewee actively feeding about 15 feet to the right of it! Probably since I was all alone, it seemed unconcerned with me while I was getting these nice photos.
I spent the next hour or so looking for the Black-faced Grassquit that was also being seen there, but it had only been sporadically reported the past few days, so I decided to head for the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden since they are only open from 10 AM to 4 PM. I did the 40-minute drive, getting there right as they opened. As I slowly walked around the courtyard, boardwalk, and trails, I saw Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, and Palm Warbler. As I was returning to the courtyard, I noticed another birder pointing a camera into the tree above Marker #6. I searched and found the Red-legged Thrush, but I could only see the reddish legs and the dark throat patch through the leaves before the bird flew back into thicker vegetation. I waited a while, hoping that it would return, but it didn't. Eventually, I decided to walk the trails in the direction that it left, but I couldn't find it. Back at the courtyard, I met two birders from Ohio. Around noon, a bird flew into the top of a palm tree in the center of the courtyard. After getting a better angle, I found the bird near the top of the palm and got the others on it.
It worked its way over to the back of the tree above Marker #3, just inside the entranceway, where it perched at the same spot for well over an hour. It was pretty much in the open, but if you didn't know where to look, it was easy to miss.
With good views and fairly good photos 'in the bag', I decided to do another walk around the grounds. At the eastern edge of the property that adjoins the golf course, I found a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched on a wire, which was an nice surprise.
I headed back to the courtyard and the thrush was still perched in the same spot. Around 2:00, the bird worked its way over to the same tree above Marker #6 and was feeding on its yellow-orange fruits. That's where I managed to get these nice photos of it.
Thrilled with the thrush show, I drove into Key West and stopped at the Wendy's to get something to eat and celebrate with a chocolate Frosty. In the parking lot, I saw the ubiquitous Eurasian Collared-Dove and a few Common Mynas.
I headed back up The Keys and realized that I would have very little time left in the day if I returned to the "Blue Hole", so I decided instead to drive the shorter distance to Sammy Creek Landing on Sugarloaf Key where an American Flamingo was being reported. When I got there, I looked to the east-southeast an easily picked out the unmistakable pink bird, although it was definitely a good distance away.
While there, a Sandwich Tern, a couple Royal Terns, a Black-bellied Plover, an Osprey, and several Brown Pelicans flew by. Also there in the channel was a Little Blue Heron among a group of White Ibis. A Magnificent Frigatebird glided past just after sunset.
I worked my way back to the observation deck where I found the Cuban Pewee actively feeding about 15 feet to the right of it! Probably since I was all alone, it seemed unconcerned with me while I was getting these nice photos.
I spent the next hour or so looking for the Black-faced Grassquit that was also being seen there, but it had only been sporadically reported the past few days, so I decided to head for the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden since they are only open from 10 AM to 4 PM. I did the 40-minute drive, getting there right as they opened. As I slowly walked around the courtyard, boardwalk, and trails, I saw Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, and Palm Warbler. As I was returning to the courtyard, I noticed another birder pointing a camera into the tree above Marker #6. I searched and found the Red-legged Thrush, but I could only see the reddish legs and the dark throat patch through the leaves before the bird flew back into thicker vegetation. I waited a while, hoping that it would return, but it didn't. Eventually, I decided to walk the trails in the direction that it left, but I couldn't find it. Back at the courtyard, I met two birders from Ohio. Around noon, a bird flew into the top of a palm tree in the center of the courtyard. After getting a better angle, I found the bird near the top of the palm and got the others on it.
It worked its way over to the back of the tree above Marker #3, just inside the entranceway, where it perched at the same spot for well over an hour. It was pretty much in the open, but if you didn't know where to look, it was easy to miss.
With good views and fairly good photos 'in the bag', I decided to do another walk around the grounds. At the eastern edge of the property that adjoins the golf course, I found a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched on a wire, which was an nice surprise.
I headed back to the courtyard and the thrush was still perched in the same spot. Around 2:00, the bird worked its way over to the same tree above Marker #6 and was feeding on its yellow-orange fruits. That's where I managed to get these nice photos of it.
Thrilled with the thrush show, I drove into Key West and stopped at the Wendy's to get something to eat and celebrate with a chocolate Frosty. In the parking lot, I saw the ubiquitous Eurasian Collared-Dove and a few Common Mynas.
I headed back up The Keys and realized that I would have very little time left in the day if I returned to the "Blue Hole", so I decided instead to drive the shorter distance to Sammy Creek Landing on Sugarloaf Key where an American Flamingo was being reported. When I got there, I looked to the east-southeast an easily picked out the unmistakable pink bird, although it was definitely a good distance away.
While there, a Sandwich Tern, a couple Royal Terns, a Black-bellied Plover, an Osprey, and several Brown Pelicans flew by. Also there in the channel was a Little Blue Heron among a group of White Ibis. A Magnificent Frigatebird glided past just after sunset.
Florida and Texas Trip ~ January 15, 2021
I returned to the "Blue Hole", hoping to find the Black-faced Grassquit. I found what seemed to be the same little flock of birds on the western side near the end of the trail, although this morning they were joined by Pine and Yellow-throated Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat.
A Pied-billed Grebe, an Anhinga, and a Green Heron were seen from the observation deck. An Iguana was also present in a nearby tree.
I searched the western side along 6th Street and mostly along Key Deer Boulevard, just north of the parking lot where the bird had last been reported. I had several false alarms when glimpses of a bird in the grass and brush turned out to be Palm Warblers. A Red-bellied Woodpecker grabbed a beetle from a nearby pine.
Birds noted overhead included a large group of American White Pelicans, three Wood Storks, a Bald Eagle, and both dark and light morph Short-tailed Hawks.
A young Broad-winged Hawk and a male American Kestrel spent most of the day perched on nearby snags.
Despite searching the whole day, I still couldn't find the Grassquit. I was hoping that I would be able to find it and then head back to the mainland where the motel prices are much cheaper. Instead, I had to search for a motel for an additional night, which was made worse because it was a Friday. I managed to find one that wasn't too expensive, but it also wasn't the best. It had a nearby open-air tiki bar with live music. The band was playing classic rock and they really weren't too bad, but they were loud and I really wanted to get some sleep. If I was a normal tourist and not a birder, I probably would have liked it a lot more. I guess it's the old story where you get what you pay for. It wouldn't be fair to mention the name of the place since it did provide me a place to stay, but I'll pass on it if there's a next time.
A Pied-billed Grebe, an Anhinga, and a Green Heron were seen from the observation deck. An Iguana was also present in a nearby tree.
I searched the western side along 6th Street and mostly along Key Deer Boulevard, just north of the parking lot where the bird had last been reported. I had several false alarms when glimpses of a bird in the grass and brush turned out to be Palm Warblers. A Red-bellied Woodpecker grabbed a beetle from a nearby pine.
Birds noted overhead included a large group of American White Pelicans, three Wood Storks, a Bald Eagle, and both dark and light morph Short-tailed Hawks.
A young Broad-winged Hawk and a male American Kestrel spent most of the day perched on nearby snags.
Despite searching the whole day, I still couldn't find the Grassquit. I was hoping that I would be able to find it and then head back to the mainland where the motel prices are much cheaper. Instead, I had to search for a motel for an additional night, which was made worse because it was a Friday. I managed to find one that wasn't too expensive, but it also wasn't the best. It had a nearby open-air tiki bar with live music. The band was playing classic rock and they really weren't too bad, but they were loud and I really wanted to get some sleep. If I was a normal tourist and not a birder, I probably would have liked it a lot more. I guess it's the old story where you get what you pay for. It wouldn't be fair to mention the name of the place since it did provide me a place to stay, but I'll pass on it if there's a next time.
Florida and Texas Trip ~ January 16, 2021
Saturday was my last chance to try to find the Grassquit since I had a flight to Texas to catch very early Sunday. I got to the "Blue Hole" at first light where I was surprisingly joined by another Pennsylvania birder, Jonathan Heller, who I hadn't seen in a long while, and four other young birders. Within minutes, one of the young, sharp-eared birders said he was hearing the Grassquit giving its high-pitched, one-note call that my hearing was unable to get a direction on. He homed in on it and we all eventually got looks at the bird. It was either on the ground or staying low in the grass and brush located just behind the two square covers on the ground along Key Deer Boulevard, located just north of the parking lot. I was really happy to finally get to see it and very lucky to get a few documentation photos if it, too! I thanked him for finding it for all of us. This male Black-faced Grassquit represented my 800th ABA Continental bird!
Now having successfully seen all three 'target birds', I leisurely worked my way back up The Keys to the mainland. Just before leaving Big Pine Key, I took a short walk down the Long Beach Trail in Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. A pool near the road held a good variety and amount of birds. At least twenty or more of Brown Pelicans, Great Egrets, Tricolored Herons, and White Ibis were present in addition to smaller numbers of Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, and a Reddish Egret that was actively running around 'canopy feeding'.
I didn't have any photos of Red-whiskered Bulbul, so I headed for the Baptist Hospital area in Kendall, one of the spots where they had recently been seen. Once there, I was frustrated that there was no parking allowed anywhere nearby. Years ago, parking was permitted along the entrance and exit roads. Instead, there were multiple "Tow Away" signs posted about anyone who wasn't there related to the hospital services. I slowly drove through a few times listening for their calls, but the winds were whipping in the 20-mph range. I drove the residential area just to the north, hoping for one sitting on a wire, but it never happened. I did manage to find two Loggerhead Shrikes and two Spot-breasted Orioles along with a group of Black and Turkey Vultures that were feeding on a carcass in someone's front yard.
Along the way to the expressway, I saw two Egyptian Geese and a Cattle Egret. I drove the rest of the way up to the Rodeway Inn near Hollywood Beach where I spent the night. The room was very nice, but the periodic moaning and the banging of the headboard against the wall in the next room was a little annoying! Luckily, one or both of them got tired and everything calmed down the rest of the night.
I drove 494 miles over 3-1/2 days and saw 67 species that included all three life birds that I went for. More photos from the Florida section of the trip can be found in my Florida Photo Album.
Florida ~ January 13-16, 2021
1) Egyptian Goose
2) Pied-billed Grebe
3) Magnificent Frigatebird
4) American White Pelican
5) Brown Pelican
6) Anhinga
7) Double-crested Cormorant
8) Green Heron
9) Tricolored Heron
10) Little Blue Heron
11) Reddish Egret
12) Cattle Egret
13) Snowy Egret
14) Great Egret
15) Wood Stork
16) American Flamingo
17) White Ibis
18) Turkey Vulture
19) Black Vulture
20) Osprey
21) Bald Eagle
22) Short-tailed Hawk
23) Broad-winged Hawk
24) Red-shouldered Hawk
25) Red-tailed Hawk
26) American Kestrel
27) Peregrine Falcon
28) Black-bellied Plover
29) Laughing Gull
30) Ring-billed Gull
31) Herring Gull
32) Sandwich Tern
33) Royal Tern
34) Rock Pigeon
35) Mourning Dove
36) Eurasian Collared-Dove
37) Belted Kingfisher
38) Red-bellied Woodpecker
39) Cuban Pewee ***
40) Great Crested Flycatcher
41) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
42) Loggerhead Shrike
43) White-eyed Vireo
44) Blue Jay
45) Fish Crow
46) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
47) Red-legged Thrush ***
48) Gray Catbird
49) Northern Mockingbird
50) Common Myna
51) European Starling
52) Northern Parula
53) Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
54) Black-and-white Warbler
55) Yellow-throated Warbler
56) Prairie Warbler
57) Pine Warbler
58) Palm Warbler
59) Ovenbird
60) Common Yellowthroat
61) American Redstart
62) Black-faced Grassquit ***
63) Northern Cardinal
64) Red-winged Blackbird
65) Boat-tailed Grackle
66) Spot-breasted Oriole
67) House Sparrow
*** denotes life bird.
Now having successfully seen all three 'target birds', I leisurely worked my way back up The Keys to the mainland. Just before leaving Big Pine Key, I took a short walk down the Long Beach Trail in Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. A pool near the road held a good variety and amount of birds. At least twenty or more of Brown Pelicans, Great Egrets, Tricolored Herons, and White Ibis were present in addition to smaller numbers of Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, and a Reddish Egret that was actively running around 'canopy feeding'.
I didn't have any photos of Red-whiskered Bulbul, so I headed for the Baptist Hospital area in Kendall, one of the spots where they had recently been seen. Once there, I was frustrated that there was no parking allowed anywhere nearby. Years ago, parking was permitted along the entrance and exit roads. Instead, there were multiple "Tow Away" signs posted about anyone who wasn't there related to the hospital services. I slowly drove through a few times listening for their calls, but the winds were whipping in the 20-mph range. I drove the residential area just to the north, hoping for one sitting on a wire, but it never happened. I did manage to find two Loggerhead Shrikes and two Spot-breasted Orioles along with a group of Black and Turkey Vultures that were feeding on a carcass in someone's front yard.
Along the way to the expressway, I saw two Egyptian Geese and a Cattle Egret. I drove the rest of the way up to the Rodeway Inn near Hollywood Beach where I spent the night. The room was very nice, but the periodic moaning and the banging of the headboard against the wall in the next room was a little annoying! Luckily, one or both of them got tired and everything calmed down the rest of the night.
I drove 494 miles over 3-1/2 days and saw 67 species that included all three life birds that I went for. More photos from the Florida section of the trip can be found in my Florida Photo Album.
Florida ~ January 13-16, 2021
1) Egyptian Goose
2) Pied-billed Grebe
3) Magnificent Frigatebird
4) American White Pelican
5) Brown Pelican
6) Anhinga
7) Double-crested Cormorant
8) Green Heron
9) Tricolored Heron
10) Little Blue Heron
11) Reddish Egret
12) Cattle Egret
13) Snowy Egret
14) Great Egret
15) Wood Stork
16) American Flamingo
17) White Ibis
18) Turkey Vulture
19) Black Vulture
20) Osprey
21) Bald Eagle
22) Short-tailed Hawk
23) Broad-winged Hawk
24) Red-shouldered Hawk
25) Red-tailed Hawk
26) American Kestrel
27) Peregrine Falcon
28) Black-bellied Plover
29) Laughing Gull
30) Ring-billed Gull
31) Herring Gull
32) Sandwich Tern
33) Royal Tern
34) Rock Pigeon
35) Mourning Dove
36) Eurasian Collared-Dove
37) Belted Kingfisher
38) Red-bellied Woodpecker
39) Cuban Pewee ***
40) Great Crested Flycatcher
41) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
42) Loggerhead Shrike
43) White-eyed Vireo
44) Blue Jay
45) Fish Crow
46) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
47) Red-legged Thrush ***
48) Gray Catbird
49) Northern Mockingbird
50) Common Myna
51) European Starling
52) Northern Parula
53) Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
54) Black-and-white Warbler
55) Yellow-throated Warbler
56) Prairie Warbler
57) Pine Warbler
58) Palm Warbler
59) Ovenbird
60) Common Yellowthroat
61) American Redstart
62) Black-faced Grassquit ***
63) Northern Cardinal
64) Red-winged Blackbird
65) Boat-tailed Grackle
66) Spot-breasted Oriole
67) House Sparrow
*** denotes life bird.
Florida and Texas Trip ~ January 17, 2021
I got breakfast at the local IHOP at 4:00 AM and then dropped off the rental car at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. At 7:00 AM, I flew to Atlanta and got on my flight to San Antonio. I got my rental car and headed south at around 1:30 PM for Choke Canyon State Park where the Spotted Rail was being seen. I arrived around 3:30 and parked in the lot at "75-Acre Lake". I grabbed my scope and camera and walked out onto the peninsula where several other birders were standing. The story was that the rail had not been seen since the mid-morning, so I started searching along with another woman with a scope. After a while, she stated that she thought she might have it. She did indeed, but the bird was several hundred yards away on the far western shoreline. Most of the birders were happy with the looks that they got and left. Since this was my only 'lifer' possibility, I decided to stick it out the rest of the day to see if the bird would return to its usual eastern shoreline haunts, which were behind me. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. I had lost the bird in a patch of reeds but spotted it half the distance to where it was originally. I got another couple on it as it continued to work its way towards me.
It methodically worked the shoreline closer and closer until it was within 20 feet of me! That's when I was able to get some fine photos of it.
There were a lot of birds present on the lake, but most of the waterfowl was badly backlit by the sun and, since I was concentrating on the rail, I only scanned through them a few times. Even so, I still found Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Egret, and Great Blue Heron. A distant Crested Caracara and a much closer Northern Harrier were noted. Two Wilson's Snipe and a close, cooperative Sora were found along the shoreline.
The northeast corner of the lake held Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Eastern and Say's Phoebe.
I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get better looks or photos of the rail than I already had, so I decided to book a room near Pharr and head for the Lower Rio Grande Valley where I would spend my last day of birding. I made the 2-1/2 hour drive to the LaQuinta Inn where I spent the night.
It methodically worked the shoreline closer and closer until it was within 20 feet of me! That's when I was able to get some fine photos of it.
There were a lot of birds present on the lake, but most of the waterfowl was badly backlit by the sun and, since I was concentrating on the rail, I only scanned through them a few times. Even so, I still found Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Egret, and Great Blue Heron. A distant Crested Caracara and a much closer Northern Harrier were noted. Two Wilson's Snipe and a close, cooperative Sora were found along the shoreline.
The northeast corner of the lake held Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Eastern and Say's Phoebe.
I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get better looks or photos of the rail than I already had, so I decided to book a room near Pharr and head for the Lower Rio Grande Valley where I would spend my last day of birding. I made the 2-1/2 hour drive to the LaQuinta Inn where I spent the night.
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