Tom made a trip to Church Road off SR82 to see Thomas's reported kingbirds on the morning of 25 January, while I made a trip to the venue in the afternoon the same day. After Tom inquired how things were going, he was able to stop by the hot spot for a few minutes.
This was my first visit to Church Road, so I made a very leisurely drive over some productive miles of roadway traversing orange groves, pasture, and prolific wildlife. It was a very rewarding five hours of observation.
For part one of this article, images are included up to and including the first few selected photos I managed to process of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher which Tom had noted in his report. A first brief stop offered my first successful photography of White-winged Dove.
As I captured an image of the dove, I added it as a lifer. Tom had pointed out the species to me on a trip through the Florida Keys last year, but failed to get a photograph of the dove at the time. I do not count observations of species unless I photograph them.
A quick stop was next made along Church Road to observe the first of many Red-shouldered Hawks that may be seen here. I had brought along the 1.4x converter for the camera lens in anticipation that the wildlife might be seen at a great distance, and attached it at this point.
I next arrived at the canal. This is what was certainly the hot spot and where I devoted four plus hours to observation. The Western Kingbirds were on the wires when I parked the car. With the time devoted to observation, kingbird pics became numerous.
As auto focus on the subjects was difficult with the overcast conditions, it wasn't long before I chose to ditch the converter. Approaching sunset, the clouds dissipated offering a much improved opportunity to photograph what was seen.
The kingbirds were actively feeding throughout the afternoon. On a couple of occasions a bird on the wire was observed to capture an insect flying by it in the westerly wind with a very brief flight from its perch.
Approaching the end of the day I was compelled to play the call of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher as it had not been personally observed. Within seconds a flycatcher of the species appeared on the wires. Then immediately two more. And then two more.
Quite a stunning sight it was to see these beautiful birds of obviously different ages and sexes. The birds allowed my approach below them within a hundred feet before they took flight to the north disappearing from view.
The Scissore-tails were not far, however, with one almost immediately viewed atop a Brazilian Pepper shrub. Within minutes, a Western Kingbird chased the flycatcher back to the wire. All of the flycatchers flew to the south a short while later.
I'm getting ahead of myself here, but will add that the day was not yet done, and as of this writing two more visits to this remarkable venue would follow without disappointment.
While observations are reported here as I am able, Church Road is one of those places offering some of the best of Florida's specialties with rewards I advise you to discover on your own.
Additionally, I was intrigued this past week by France Paulsen's report of a new venue I have yet to visit called Smokehouse Bay Preserve. Studying the Lee County park on Google maps well after midnight was not helpful to make a sunrise arrival the same morning. The website for the preserve notes public restriction of access, so will request permission to visit at some point in the future. And if you're not following wildlife blogger, Hemant Kishan, you must investigate his incredibly insightful work.
Church Road observations from Hendry County will continue in next week's article with special thanks to Thomas A. Wymelenberg for his initial report on 24 January 2014 that can be read at the American Birding Association's Birding News, and then through the Florida Southwest link.
