13th Annual Sanibel Lighthouse Hawk Watch

The Sanibel Lighthouse Hawk Watch with Vince McGrath has been an anticipated event for a number of years prior to leaving the state of Florida for what you might not believe a move of mine to the great white north.

The Osprey above (image 1) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

As crazy as it may sound I have become acclimated to observing birds again in a northern clime where I would have to travel many miles in Florida to see these species, if at all.

The Northern Rough-winged Swallow above (image 2) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 3) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

Vince's Hawk Watch was a few days later this year than last with weather conditions that appeared favorable for observations. The wind was from the northeast as I recall with it ideally from the northwest to funnel the raptors over Sanibel.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk above (image 4) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk above (image 5) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

A Merlin was an early raptor seen during the 16 Oct 2016 Hawk Watch. It was much too quick for me to photograph as it flew from the west and over San Carlos Bay. Swallows were present as well throughout the morning, but did not appear to outnumber those seen last year.

The juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 6) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 7) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

While the 2016 Hawk Watch was in conflict with the Ding Darling Nation Wildlife Refuge's annual Ding Darling Days, there was still good participation at the hawk event where I met with friends and acquaintances for hopefully not the last time.

The American Kestrel above (image 8) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The dog above (image 9) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

A highlight for most at the Lighthouse was the observation of an immature Red-headed Woodpecker. Vince noted this species' presence on nearby Cape Coral with it a very rare sighting on Sanibel.

The Peregrine Falcon above (image 10) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Peregrine Falcon above (image 11) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The appearance of a Sharp-shinned Hawk, with the male of the species typically the smallest hawk seen in the United States, was the highlight for me while observing and photographing the species for the first time.

The Cliff Swallow above (image 12) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Chimney Swift above (image 13) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

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The Gopher Tortoise above (image 14) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

In Search Of Miami Parakeets

The lush tropical vegetation in the Miami area is very conducive for large numbers and a great variety of parakeets and parrots that can be readily observed visually and audibly.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 1) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

On 12 March I made a trip to Miami with the company of Frank Constantin, Suzanne Lanthier and Réal Jauvin, all visiting from Quebec. Our first stop was the Baptist Hospital of Miami offering a pair of Egyptian Geese as the first bird species seen. Mitred Parakeets could be heard overhead. There were in excess of 70 in a single flock before breaking up into smaller groups.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 2) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Graylag Goose (domestic type) above (image 3) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Swan Goose (domestic type) above (image 4) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 5) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Rock Dove above (image 6) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

After photographing other species of birds at hand we followed the call of the Mitred Parakeets to the west side of the property. The parakeets were obviously very wary of the presence of an American Kestrel. At one point the parakeets took refuge in a berry laden tree before once again taking flight to keep a distance from the kestrel's approach of them.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 7) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Réal Jauvin, Francois Constantin and Suzanne Lanthier (l-r) above (image 8) were photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Fish Crow with nesting material above (image 9) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 10) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 11) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Our next stop was the University of Miami where we were asked to leave by campus security as we did not have authorization to visit. A call of parakeets could be heard where we had parked, but they were not seen thus remaining unidentified. We next visited A. D. Barnes Park which was nearly completely devoid of birds save a pair of Black Vultures, a Northern Mockingbird, a Mourning Dove and a Blue Jay.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 12) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 13) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 14) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 15) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 16) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Castellow Hammock Park was our next stop with hopes of photographing the Buff-bellied Hummingbird that was discovered by Colorado birder Connie Kogler. Word quickly got out about the rare to Florida hummingbird with eBird reports first appearing on 2 January. This was my second attempt to photograph the Buff-bellied Hummingbird, and was only fortunate enough to definitively see and hear it on this trip.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 17) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 18) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 19) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 20) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 21) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

In the company of the Buff-bellied Hummingbird were no less than four Ruby-throated Hummingbirds which favored the depths of an approximately 15 foot tall by 35 foot wide Chinese hat plant. Again a parakeet was heard, but not seen. A White-winged Dove was a pleasure to find as I had not photographed this species in quite some time.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 22) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 23) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The White-winged Dove above (image 24) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Palm Warbler above (image 25) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Northern Cardinal above (image 26) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

Onward in the direction of home we made a brief stop at the Shark Valley Visitor Center where the water level was very high in the canals due to January's rainfall. The expected wading birds were absent as a result.

The Mourning Dove above (image 27) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

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The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 28) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

Church Road Crested Caracara Overload: Part I

As a testament to every visit to Church Road as different, it was exciting to see a dozen and a half Roseate Spoonbill make a flyover to prove the point.

The Roseate Spoonbill above (image 1) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

This article has been made with an attempt at conclusion to Felda's Church Road with four visits including 12 and 13 December 2014, and 3 and 6 January 2015. I have reviewed images through much of 3 January, but have run out of time to get the blog updated on schedule with the remaining images from the 3rd and 6th with conclusion certain next week for you.

The Crested Caracara above (image 2) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 3) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 4) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Savannah Sparrow above (image 5) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Western Kingbird above (image 6) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The sunrise above (image 7) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Western Kingbird above (image 8) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Black Vulture above (image 9) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 10) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 11) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 12) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 13) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 14) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 15) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

So here is much of the observation presented with heavy fog that has routinely been encountered at the venue. It was fun to again meet up with Donna McMurrer whom had earlier been keenly observing the wildlife at Harns Marsh Preserve.

The Crested Caracara above (image 16) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 17) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 18) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 19) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 20) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 21) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 22) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Crested Caracara above (image 23) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Wood Stork above (image 24) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Western Kingbird above (image 25) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Western Kingbird above (image 26) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Roseate Spoonbill above (image 27) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

Donna McMurrer above (image 28) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Western Kingbird above (image 29) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

The Palm Warbler above (image 30) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

There was interesting behavior that occurred through observations presented here which is hopefully interpreted within the images. If you're having difficulty with that, you can seek out the wildlife yourself.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above (image 31) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Grasshopper Sparrow above (image 32) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Fish Crow above (image 33) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Western Kingbird above (image 34) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The American Kestrel above (image 35) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Wood Stork above (image 36) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above (image 37) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above (image 38) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above (image 39) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Northern Harrier above (image 40) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above (image 41) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher above (image 42) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with Western Kingbird above (image 43) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Crested Caracara above (image 44) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Crested Caracara above (image 45) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

Visits to the wildlife at Church Road were also made in the good company of Frank Constantin and Hemant Kishan.

The Crested Caracara above (image 46) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Crested Caracara above (image 47) was photographed at Church Road in January 2015.

The Crested Caracara above (image 48) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

Church Road must not be overlooked in your Florida wildlife travels with caracaras and the other specialties to be found in this area throughout the year.

The Crested Caracara above (image 49) was photographed at Church Road in December 2014.

Please also see Church Road Crested Caracara Overload: Part II