A Productive Frozen Boat Launch

Rare eBird lists for Connecticut remain a little shorter than those for Florida in my experience.

The 1st Winter Great Black-backed Gull with adult above (image 1) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

Nonetheless I was intrigued by reports of rare species of goose being reported at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Hartford County Connecticut in mid-winter. A species commonly seen here in New England in the winter months was remarkably seen at Bunche Beach Preserve during December and January in Fort Myers reported as possibly two sub-species of Brant.

The American Crow above (image 2) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The immature Herring Gull above (image 3) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Bald Eagle above (image 4) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

My arrival at the boat launch was around sunrise on a very chilly and windy morning. My target species was Barnacle Goose reported for days earlier than my arrival. The pair of Barnacle Geese apparently making their way around Enfield were hit or miss in the following weeks.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 5) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Common Goldeneye above (image 6) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The hybrid Greylag x Canada Goose with Canada Goose above (image 7) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Connecticut River was partially frozen along its edges which made for an occasional alarm as the ice cracked. I only a few times thought about walking out on it while keeping my senses not to.

The Herring Gull above (image 8) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Canada Goose above (image 9) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 10) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

A huge number of Canada Goose hid the Barnacle Goose which were remarkably close and unseen from my observation point. With the help of a few expert birders with scopes, a hybrid Graylag x Canada Goose and Pink Footed Goose were eventually photographed as well.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 11) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Mallard above (image 12) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

The Mallard above (image 13) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

It was very rewarding to make the observations. By late morning I was ready to call it a day.

The Barnacle Goose with Canada Goose above (image 14) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

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The Pink-footed Goose with Canada Goose above (image 15) was photographed at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Enfield, Connecticut in February 2017.

Mississippi Kites and Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

The best season to observe Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites in Florida is Summer when many have migrated from their Wintering grounds in South America to breed.

The Swallow-tailed Kite with prey above (image 1) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

Tom Obrock and I made a drive on Independence Day to observe a large number of Mississippi Kites that had been reported in Belleview, Marion County. We were not disappointed as the raptors began to arrive in very good numbers around 10:00am. An effort has been made in this article to present the Mississippi Kites seen in their wide range of age and molt.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 2) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The American Crow above (image 3) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 4) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 5) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The range of the Mississippi Kite in North America is more restricted than that of the Swallow-tailed Kite with the former having a vagrant report as far west as Los Angeles, California, and as far north as Winnipeg, Canada. A large breeding population of Mississippi Kite has been documented as far west as El Paso, Texas.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 6) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 7) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 8) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The juvenile Cooper's Hawk with Swallow-tailed Kite above (image 9) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

Florida's other two kite species, the Everglades Snail Kite and White-tailed Kite may be found in south Florida year round. The Everglades Snail Kite has been reliably found at Harns Marsh Preserve and Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA5). Female and juvenile Snail Kites have been personally observed in far greater numbers than males of the species.

The Eastern Bluebird above (image 10) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 11) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 12) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 13) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The White-tailed Kite is significantly more elusive having been personally seen near Lucky Hammock. It has been reported along Miami Canal Road south of Clewiston, and at Snake Road between Miami and Naples earlier this year. The next time I see a report of White-tailed Kite, I will jump higher and faster in an attempt to see it.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 14) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 15) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 16) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 17) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

A fellow birder at the Belleview site had remarked that a Bald Eagle on hand had not been seen in his previous three weeks of observations. An appropriate species to make an appearance on the holiday though the eagle was harassed by a Swallow-tailed Kite and a pair of Mississippi Kites. These kite species will be migrating south by September.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 18) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 19) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Bald Eagle with Swallow-tailed Kite and Mississippi Kite above (image 20) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 21) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

After nearly a few hours of observation of the Mississippi Kites, Tom and I decided to move on with another large kettle of kites seen before leaving the area. We had been advised of good species of bird like Least Bittern that might be seen at Circle B Bar Reserve which I have not visited before.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 22) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 23) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 24) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 25) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

Since there were portions of Circle B noted to be closed, we opted to visit Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive which opened to the public on 1 May 2015. This 11-mile drive can be accessed off of Lust Road in Apopka Friday-Sunday and on federal holidays from sunrise to an hour before sunset.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 26) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Barn Swallow above (image 27) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The Barn Swallow above (image 28) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The Barn Swallow above (image 29) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is similar to Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Lake Apopka bird checklist is particularly impressive while boasting a larger number of bird species observed than that at Merritt Island.

The Little Blue Heron with prey above (image 30) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The Green Heron above (image 31) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The juvenile Black-necked Stilt above (image 32) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The White-winged Dove above (image 33) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The most abundant bird species seen on our visit to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive was Common Gallinule (formerly Common Moorhen). A very impressive number of Barn Swallow were observed in a few groups as well. While an impressive half dozen Least Bittern were observed, the highlight was a Blue-winged Teal that is considered a rare bird for this location and time of year.

The Blue-winged Teal above (image 34) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

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If Not By Sea, Then By Land: Part II

I cannot help but wonder what species of bird may have sat on the shoulder of a pirate centuries ago.

The White-winged Parakeet above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.

A tour of the Miami area in late May 2012 with Vince McGrath, Tom Obrock, and Dr. Jose Padilla was unexpectedly planned, but greatly appreciated after an abnormal weather event cancelled an anticipated pelagic trip into the Atlantic from Ponce Inlet. The second leg of this journey began at Homestead where accommodations for all were luckily found the night before. Several stops were made throughout the day at venues that can be expected to offer exotic species of bird free roaming in the Miami area. Tom noted in his blog that he had previously failed to see some species of bird observed on this latest trip. I had initially thought that a chick seen following a pair of Egyptian Geese at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital was egyptian, but have concluded it was Domestic Muscovy after a review of images I had taken. An American Crow was very shortly earlier observed consuming what might have been the seventh member of this family of muscovy. Some birds I would normally associate with observations in a pet shop were seemingly everywhere on this day. In all, over the two days with Vince's expert guidance in the lead, and with Tom's instincts, I was able to visually observe 18 species of bird I had not seen in five years of birding with 17 of them photographed. A long overdue return drive through Big Cypress National Preserve was made with a Least Bittern the highlight for me. Tom offers a report with additional detail.


The banded House Sparrow above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The White-winged Parakeet above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The Hill Myna above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The Spot-breasted Oriole above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The Chestnut-fronted Macaw above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The lizard above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The Green Heron above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The White-winged Parakeet above was photographed at the University of Miami at Coral Gables in May 2012.


The Pekin Duck above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The European Starling above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The American Crow with prey above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Mitred Parakeet above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Cockatiel above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Egyptian Goose above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Domestic Muscovy duckling above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Domestic Muscovy duckling above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Domestic Muscovy above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Domestic Muscovy above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Swan Goose above was photographed at the West Kendall Baptist Hospital in May 2012.


The Least Bittern above was photographed at Big Cypress National Preserve in May 2012.


The scrub habitat above was photographed at Big Cypress National Preserve in May 2012.

Please see If Not By Sea, Then By Land: Part I.