Western Spindalis At Markham Park

Almost like clockwork, another vagrant bird entered the airspace of southern Florida and landed in late 2015 on the heals of Variegated Flycatcher, Northern Wheatear, and a Mountain Bluebird.

The Zebra Longwing Butterfly above (image 1) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

Though not as rare in Florida as the aforementioned species, a much sought after Western Spindalis zena zena (Bahamas Black-backed) was reported by David Hall at Markham Park on 26 November.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above (image 2) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Cape May Warbler above (image 3) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

As the Spindalis had been reported through the end of the month of November, Bird Patrol volunteer and wildlife blogger, Tom Obrock, and I made a trip on 1 December to chase the rarity. Arrival at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida, was after my fear that we might be rained out as there was an ominous looking sky approaching the east coast.

The Blue Dasher Dragonfly above (image 4) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Western Spindalis above (image 5) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

With the car parked where instructed from previous eBird Florida Rare Bird Alert reports, Tom and I made our way toward the Nature Trail. I immediately had the thought that if I lived nearby, I would visit Markham Park often.

The Magnolia Warbler above (image 6) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 7) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

Markham Park is multi-use venue with events on the weekend that one might expect to be disruptive of the wildlife, but has been proven not to be the case. At the time of my visit there were many other wildlife subjects on hand that I enjoyed observing and photographing even with a relatively small footprint of the park explored.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 8) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Spot-breasted Oriole feeding on Coco Plum above (image 9) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The spindalis had been reported to be favoring the company of a group of Spot-breasted Orioles, and such was the case this day. While the orioles were highly visible, the spindalis was a relative skulker.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 10) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 11) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

I met Angel Abreu, among the many birding enthusiasts on hand this day, who pointed out David Hall also present who was the first to report the Western Spindalis at Markham Park. It ultimately became a crowded field of observers which made it a challenge for me to photograph the spindalis when it made an appearance.

The Western Spindalis above (image 12) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 13) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Western Spindalis zena zena at Markham Park is the most common sub-species that visits Florida. Although not considered migratory, a Bahamas Black-backed Western Spindalis was remarkably observed at Leffis Key near the turn of the millennium by Bill Pranty and Brian Ahern.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 14) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 15) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

Brian has an eBird checklist from that time while Greg Lavaty has a gallery of older images of spindalis that he had observed in Puerto Rico when this species was generally called Stripe-headed Tanager. Greg's tanager is now Puerto Rican Spindalis (Spindalis portoricensis) according to the American Ornithologists' Union.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 16) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Prairie Warbler above (image 17) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

There are currently five sub-species of Western Spindalis which include Spindalis zena zena (Bahamas Black-backed), Spindalis zena townsendi (Bahamas Green-backed), Spindalis zena pretrei (Cuban), Spindalis zena salvini (Grand Cayman Island), and Spindalis zena benedicti (Cozumel Island). Bill Pantry notes that only pretrie, townsendi and zena have been documented in Florida.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 18) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 19) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The genus Spindalis currently consists of four species including Spindalis zena (highlighted in this article), Spindalis dominicensis, Spindalis portoricensis, and Spindalis nigricephala. Wildlife blogger Hemant Kishan photographed the Puerto Rican Spindalis (portoricensis) well. Larry Manfredi's web page offers interesting comparisons of a few Spindalis zena subspecies.

The Spot-breasted Oriole above (image 20) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Common Basilisk above (image 21) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

While a Western Spindalis should not be expected to be seen at any time in Florida, the 2009 Long Pine Key nesting event will hopefully be a harbinger of things to come. It would certainly be prudent to look extremely closely at any bird thought Spindalis to ensure it is not another rare visitor to Florida, or possibly a first known record.

The Gulf Fritillary above (image 22) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Long-tailed Skipper above (image 23) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

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The Julia Butterfly above (image 24) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

The Band-winged Dragonlet above (image 25) was photographed at Markham Park in December 2015.

Two Florida Rarities, Five Aves Lifers

Audubon's Guide to North American Birds notes that a Variegated Flycatcher has been observed at least four times in North America (among six billion plus acres of land).

The Magnolia Warbler above (image 1) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The American Birding Association blog notes more specifically that the Variegated Flycatcher had been documented in Maine in 1997, Tennessee in 1984, Ontario in 1993, Washington in 2008, and Florida in 2013. The range of the Variegated Flycatcher is predominantly in the continent of South America excluding the western and southern regions.

The Variegated Flycatcher above (image 2) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Variegated Flycatcher above (image 3) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Cape May Warbler above (image 4) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

So with high expectations I traveled with Tom Obrock to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 27 October to observe the sixth North American record of this extreme vagrant rarity. Treading with respect at every step at the Evergreen Cemetery we observed the Variegated Flycatcher with a handful of other birders.

The Black-and-white Warbler above (image 5) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Black-and-white Warbler above (image 6) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Palm Warbler above (image 7) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

At the Evergreen Cemetery we additionally found very good warbler activity. Tom pointed out a Blue-crowned Parakeet to me which would be my second life bird of the morning. If we were not pressed for time, I think there might have been a chance to pick up a warbler species that I had not seen before as well.

The Blue-crowned Parakeet above (image 8) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Palm Warbler above (image 9) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Yellow-throated Warbler above (image 10) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

While the opportunity to observe the Variegated Flycatcher (VAFL) in Jacksonville was reported to last for less than an hour, the Fort Lauderdale bird was much more cooperative. Initially observed by Russ Titus on 24 October 2015, the VAFL was last reported at eBird by Edward and Ian Van Norman on 31 October. Predators were reported from the cemetery daily.

The Osprey above (image 11) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Downy Woodpecker above (image 12) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Variegated Flycatcher above (image 13) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

Traveling home from Fort Lauderdale after scoring the mega rare flycatcher, Tom and I were discussing Noah Striker reaching his goal of observing 5000 birds this year. Unaware of another stunning "local" development at the time, a second Florida rarity was discovered in the Florida Keys this day.

The Variegated Flycatcher above (image 14) was photographed at Evergreen Cemetery in October 2015.

The Belted Kingfisher above (image 15) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Belted Kingfisher above (image 16) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

With the Northern Wheatear lingering, I couldn't resist traveling the four hours (one way) on 2 November to see the bird. A sunrise arrival at Lower Matecumbe Key where the wheatear had been reported revealed one car I learned belonged to avid Florida birder Thomas Smith.

The Green Iguana above (image 17) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Northern Mockingbird above (image 18) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Green Iguana above (image 19) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

Thomas advised me that he had seen the Northern Wheatear almost immediately upon his arrival. He pointed out the wheatear to me about 45 minutes after sunrise when it reappeared. We had very good views of the bird periodically for the next couple of hours.

The Palm Warbler above (image 20) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Palm Warbler above (image 21) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Carolina Saddlebags Dragonfly above (image 22) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The migratory routes of the Northern Wheatear certainly puts it extremely out of place in Florida, but has been documented well throughout the United States as indicated by my Sibley Guide to Birds.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 23) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 24) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 25) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

At one point while observing the Northern Wheatear it was extraordinary to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk make a very low pass that scattered a pair of Rock Doves that were foraging near the wheatear. With the wheatear my first lifer of the morning, the Sharp-shinned Hawk became the second, and it wouldn't be long before a third would arrive.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 26) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Broad-winged Hawk above (image 27) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

With thanks to Thomas he was immediately able to advise me of the second hawk observed that I had not seen before, a Broad-winged Hawk that we were fortunate to observe on the bay side. Traffic was too heavy this day to do hawk watching on the Overseas Highway.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 28) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 29) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

The Northern Wheatear adjacent to Anne's Beach-- Lower Matecumbe Key was last reported to eBird as occurring on 6 November 2015. I have regrets that I was unable to photograph the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and also didn't photograph the back of the Variegated Flycatcher.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 30) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.

These three lifers at Lower Matecumbe added to the earlier observed Variegated Flycatcher and Blue-crowned Parakeet in Fort Lauderdale made for an exhilarating week.

The Northern Wheatear above (image 31) was photographed at Lower Matecumbe Key in November 2015.