Sunday, June 4, 2023
We rented a car at the airport, met Rick Wiltraut back at my house, left around 9:45 AM, and began the 19-hour drive to the spot south of Immokalee.
Monday, June 5, 2023
As planned, we reached the spot at the corner of Camp Keais Road and Pope John Paul II Boulevard just before sunrise and started searching for the tern. A little while later, I spotted a tern flying over one of the ponds and created a false alarm when we realized it was a Caspian Tern. However, soon after that, Rick spotted a tern coming in from the west. This time, it was the Large-billed Tern! As Jason said, the upper wing pattern closely resembled that of a Sabine's Gull.
It eventually flew in and landed in the construction site right near us that contained several good-sized rain puddles.
You know that this bird is appropriately named when you see its large banana-yellow beak. It walked past the Caspian Tern that it seemed to be associating with, allowing for a great comparison between the two.
After getting many photos of it, it eventually flew off to feed in a distant pond and along the channel paralleling Camp Keais Road. Other birds noted there included Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mottled Duck, Common Ground Dove, White-winged Dove, Common Nighthawk, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, Great and Cattle Egret, Little Blue, Tricolored, and Green Heron, and White Ibis. Jason and Rick heard the Antillean Nighthawk call but couldn't find it.
We drove a little bit south to the next bridge over the channel and parked there. That's when the bird appeared again right in front of us over the channel. A Black Skimmer was also flying up the channel but quickly got too far out of photo range. Jason happened to scan to the south and see a Swallow-tailed Kite in the distance over a patch of trees. We drove down there and ended up seeing a fantastic show of four Swallow-tailed Kites flying back and forth in front of us! You can never get enough of this stunning bird. I had a real hard time picking out which photos to add here because I got so many good ones.
I also got a few photos of the top of them as they occasionally banked, revealing the multi-shading of these birds.
A Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew by, almost unnoticed because of all the kite activity.
It was really tough to leave that spot as they continued to lazily float around above us, but my memory card was quickly filling up and I doubted I could get much better photos than I already had.
We returned to the spot where we originally had the Large-billed Tern. As we pulled onto Pope Paul II Boulevard, we saw two Crested Caracaras in the adjacent field.
The Large-billed Tern had returned and was being photographed by some birders that had just arrived. A Least Tern had now joined the Large-billed and a Greater Yellowlegs that had been seen earlier.
We eventually tore ourselves away from the tern and the kites and headed northeast to Torry Island to try and get the Tricolored Munias for Jason and Rick. We had missed them on our last Florida run in April and none had been reported lately, but it was worth a try since we would be going past there anyway. Northeast of the town of Pioneer, we saw a Snail Kite at the intersection of Route 80 and County Road 833. Photos revealed that it had a band on its right leg.
At Torry Island, we walked out to the observation tower to try and find the munias. It was midday and very windy, so things weren't looking too good. From the tower, we saw two Osprey nests with four young in the one of them, plus two Snail Kites that soared past.
Other birds of note there included Eurasian Collared-Dove, Gray-headed Swamphen, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Great Egret, Little Blue, Tricolored, and Green Heron, White Ibis, Loggerhead Shrike, Common and Purple Gallinule, and Limpkin. Once again, the munias were a no-show.
I booked a room near St. Augustine, Florida and we started the drive up there. Along the way, I saw a Northern Bobwhite sticking its head above the long grass beside the highway. We got something to eat and stayed at the Smart Stay Inn along I-95, which was a really nice room for under $100, something that is hard to find anymore, especially when coupled with a good rating in a good area. I ended the day with a pint of chocolate ice cream, my traditional 'life bird' celebration.
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Since all of us didn't have much of a Georgia list due to it normally being a "drive-through" state, we agreed to spend the morning birding the Jekyll Island area of Georgia. Outside of our Florida motel, Jason happened to spot a Roseate Spoonbill fly by and drop into an area across the highway from the motel. As it turned out, there was a narrow retention pond next to the on-ramp of I-95 that held 4 Roseate Spoonbills and 2 Great Egrets. We pulled off and got some nice photos of the spoonbills as they filtered the food through their distinct-shaped bills.
We left Florida, went about a quarter of the way through Georgia, and arrived at the Jekyll Island area around 8:45 AM. A group of Roseate Spoonbills were preening along the causeway.
It was a little unfortunate that we were there at high tide, but we still managed to see a group of Wood Storks, a Great Egret, and a Tricolored Heron from the observation tower. A Swallow-tailed Kite and a Wood Stork circled over the visitor center.
The small area of trees and brush around the visitor center held Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Wren, and Yellow-throated Warbler.
We made several stops along the causeway to check out groups of White Ibis and the shorebirds, which included Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Willet, and Whimbrel.
One of the stops produced the "Worthington's" race of Marsh Wren. This version, found on the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, looks nothing like the Marsh Wren seen in the Northeast. It is drab brown with very little streaking on the back and no rufous on the sides and flanks. I was lucky to get some photos of it showing these characteristics.
A Seaside Sparrow also briefly perched in the harsh lighting long enough to get some documentation photos of it.
Across the causeway, a boat in the channel was surrounded by about 30 Royal Terns and about half that many Laughing Gulls.
I searched for and found a nearby park called Blythe Island County Park that had some ponds and woodland habitat that we could bird before heading home. The woods edge along the park road yielded Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Carolina Chickadee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Pine Warbler, and the light-eyed version of Eastern Towhee that's found in the southeastern part of the country.
A Bald Eagle, an Osprey, and a Red-tailed Hawk were spotted overhead. Great Blue Heron and Great Egret were seen from the marina. A wooded trail next to it produced Blue Jay, Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireo, and Northern Parula.
Around 1:00 PM, we began the remaining 13-hour drive back home. We took a well-needed nap at one of the rest areas in Georgia and then stopped to eat at a Golden Corral near Florence, South Carolina. From there, it was an uneventful drive back to the smoke-filled skies of Pennsylvania caused by the massive wildfires in Quebec, Canada.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
We got home around 6:00 AM. The trip encompassed 2567 miles and produced 92 species. More photos can be found in my Florida Photo Album and my Georgia Photo Album.
Florida Trip ~ June 4-7, 2023
1) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (FL)
2) Mottled Duck (FL)
3) Northern Bobwhite (FL)
4) Brown Pelican (FL)
5) Anhinga (FL)(SC)
6) Double-crested Cormorant (FL)
7) Green Heron (FL)(GA)(VA)
8) Tricolored Heron (FL)(GA)
9) Little Blue Heron (FL)
10) Cattle Egret (FL)(SC)
11) Snowy Egret (GA)
12) Great Egret (FL)(GA)
13) Great Blue Heron (FL)(GA)(NC)
14) Wood Stork (FL)(GA)
15) Glossy Ibis (FL)
16) White Ibis (FL)(GA)(SC)
17) Roseate Spoonbill (FL)(GA)
18) Turkey Vulture (FL)(GA)(SC)
19) Black Vulture (FL)(GA)(SC)
20) Osprey (FL)(GA)
21) Mississippi Kite (SC)
22) Swallow-tailed Kite (FL)(GA)(SC)
23) Snail Kite (FL)
24) Bald Eagle (GA)
25) Red-shouldered Hawk (FL)
26) Red-tailed Hawk (FL)(GA)
27) Crested Caracara (FL)
28) Limpkin (FL)
29) Purple Gallinule (FL)
30) Gray-headed (Purple) Swamphen (FL)
31) Common Gallinule (FL)
32) Sandhill Crane (FL)
33) Black-bellied Plover (GA)
34) Semipalmated Plover (GA)
35) Killdeer (FL)
36) Black-necked Stilt (FL)
37) Willet (GA)
38) Greater Yellowlegs (FL)
39) Whimbrel (GA)
40) Ruddy Turnstone (GA)
41) Semipalmated Sandpiper (GA)
42) Short-billed Dowitcher (GA)
43) Laughing Gull (GA)
44) Royal Tern (GA)
45) Caspian Tern (FL)
46) Least Tern (FL)
47) Large-billed Tern (FL) ***
48) Black Skimmer (FL)
49) Rock Pigeon(SC)
50) Mourning Dove (FL)(GA)
51) Eurasian Collared-Dove (FL)
52) White-winged Dove (FL)
53) Common Ground Dove (FL)
54) Common Nighthawk (FL)
55) Chimney Swift (FL)
56) Red-headed Woodpecker (FL)
57) Red-bellied Woodpecker (FL)(GA)
58) Downy Woodpecker (GA)
59) Pileated Woodpecker (FL)(VA)
60) Eastern Wood-Pewee (GA)
61) Great Crested Flycatcher (GA)
62) Eastern Kingbird (GA)(SC)
63) Loggerhead Shrike (FL)
64) White-eyed Vireo (GA)
65) Yellow-throated Vireo (GA)
66) Blue Jay (FL)(GA)(SC)
67) American Crow (FL)
68) Fish Crow (FL)(GA)(SC)
69) Cliff Swallow (SC)
70) Northern Rough-winged Swallow (FL)
71) Barn Swallow (GA)
72) Tufted Titmouse (GA)
73) Carolina Chickadee (GA)
74) Carolina Wren (GA)
75) Marsh Wren {griseus} (GA) *
76) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (GA)
77) Eastern Bluebird (GA)
78) Northern Mockingbird (FL)(GA)(VA)
79) Brown Thrasher (GA)
80) European Starling (FL)
81) Northern Parula (GA)
82) Yellow-throated Warbler (GA)
83) Pine Warbler (GA)
84) Eastern Towhee {rileyi} (GA) *
85) Seaside Sparrow (GA)
86) Northern Cardinal (FL)(GA)
87) Eastern Meadowlark (FL)
88) Red-winged Blackbird (FL)(GA)
89) Common Grackle (FL)(GA)(SC)
90) Boat-tailed Grackle (FL)(GA)
91) House Finch (GA)
92) House Sparrow (FL)
*** denotes life bird
* denotes life subspecies
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