When looking for warblers during the migration periods in south Florida, the diminutive birds can more reliably be found on the east coast.
The White-crowned Pigeon above (image 1) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
With great enjoyment I traveled with Fort Myers Birding Commandos,
Vince McGrath and Stan Damon, on 12 October from Fort Myers to Miami. Our first stop was
A. D. Barnes Park. This was actually immediately after observing Red-masked Parakeets, a lifer for Stan, just west of Barnes.
The Gray Catbird above (image 2) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The American Redstart above (image 3) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Hill Myna above (image 4) was photographed at A.D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
Warblers were prolific with a few other subjects capturing my attention. An effort was made to re-find the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher reported at A. D. Barnes Park the day before, but the specialty remained elusive. This bird would have been a lifer for me.
The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 5) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The American Redstart above (image 6) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Tennessee Warbler above (image 7) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
With Vince leading the way, no part of the park remained unexplored. I was particularly pleased with the elevated boardwalk on the west side of the park that Stan had mentioned earlier. It is here that eye level views of warblers could be readily appreciated.
The Tennessee Warbler above (image 8) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Eastern Wood-Pewee above (image 9) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Worm-eating Warbler above (image 10) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
After more than three hours of observations at A. D. Barnes we made our way to try to find some
Red-whiskered Bulbuls. As I've found typical when looking for them, they were elsewhere. Native to Asia, the Red-whiskered Bulbul is otherwise found in California and Hawaii in the United States.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker above (image 11) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Prairie Warbler above (image 12) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Yellow-throated Warbler above (image 13) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
We also visited the Baptist Hospital of Miami looking for parakeets and Egyptian Geese which were unseen with a quick drive through. This was the first time that I have not seen parakeets at this "venue."
The Black-throated Blue Warbler above (image 14) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Scarlet Tanager above (image 15) was photographed at A. D. Barnes Park in October 2015.
The Black-and-white Warbler above (image 16) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
Our next stop was
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park with a particular interest in finding a Bell's Vireo that had been reported by
Brian Rapoza the day before our arrival. While there were again a very good number and variety of warblers observed at this park, the Bell's Vireo wasn't seen.
The Black-and-white Warbler with prey above (image 17) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above (image 18) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
The Chestnut-sided Warbler above (image 19) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
After otherwise rewarding observations at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park we were again on the road approaching mid afternoon. We made a stop at the
Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk. Stan told me of the Black Bear that had climbed dozens of feet up a tree to get to a cache of honey from a bee's nest (see image 23). The bees were observed to be feverishly rebuilding the nest on our visit.
The Northern Parula above (image 20) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
The Northern Parula above (image 21) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
The American Redstart above (image 22) was photographed at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in October 2015.
The birds were seemingly taking a siesta along the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk at
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. A Pileated Woodpecker, however, flew very low over the boardwalk directly in front of us. A Northern Flicker was also observed at this amazing place.
The scene above (image 23) was photographed at the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in October 2015.
The Anhinga above (image 24) was photographed at JB Ranch in October 2015.
The Glossy Ibis above (image 25) was photographed at JB Ranch in October 2015.
A flooded field at the JB Ranch south of Immokalee offered a view of a large quantity of Lesser Yellowlegs. Apple Snail egg casings were observed adjacent to the drainage canal, so it was not surprising to see Limpkins in very good numbers along this stretch of road. Glossy Ibis, Common Grackle, and White Ibis were observed in large flocks traveling south.
The Great Blue Heron above (image 26) was photographed at JB Ranch in October 2015.
The Common Grackle above (image 27) was photographed at JB Ranch in October 2015.
Our last primary stops were along rural roads still south of Immokalee. With the sun setting we were able to observe large numbers of waders that were already at, and flying toward, their roost. Crested Caracara, Indigo Buntings and Painted Bunting were unexpectedly observed by me. The last observation of the day was of a family of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.
The Limpkin above (image 28) was photographed at JB Ranch in October 2015.
The Crested Caracara above (image 29) was photographed at rural Immokalee in October 2015.
With Stan navigating, and Vince offering his birding expertise, this trip became one of my favorite wildlife adventures of the year.
The Painted Bunting above (image 30) was photographed at rural Immokalee in October 2015.
