Smooth-billed Ani Returns To Loxahatchee NWR

A 21 July 0500 departure from Fort Myers on Florida's southwest coast with Tom Obrock was timed to make a rendezvous with a rare species of bird that could be a lifer for the both of us.

Tom Obrock above (image 1) was photographed at Airport Road in July 2015.

Our ultimate destination was Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge just west of Boynton Beach on the Atlantic coast. The target species was Smooth-billed Ani that had been found by Mike Baranski in early June 2015.

The Least Sandpiper above (image 2) was photographed at Airport Road in July 2015.

The Roseate Spoonbill with Snowy Egret above (image 3) was photographed at Airport Road in July 2015.

The Lesser Yellowlegs above (image 4) was photographed at Airport Road in July 2015.

En route along highway 80 a detour fortuitously placed us on Airport Road in the Everglades Agricultural Area east of Belle Glade. Tom and I had an early taste of what will come in the months ahead as migratory birds are attracted to the semi-flooded fields.

The immature Tricolored Heron above (image 5) was photographed at Airport Road in July 2015.

The Eastern Pondhawk above (image 6) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Needham's Skimmer above (image 7) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

Our next stop was the "Headquarters" entrance to Loxahatchee NWR. Tom led the way toward Marsh Trail where the Smooth-billed Ani had been reported numerous times in the preceding weeks. As I have a penchant to photograph anything that moves, I lagged behind observing the prolific insect life.

The Glossy Ibis above (image 8) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Florida Viceroy Butterfly above (image 9) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Florida Viceroy Butterfly above (image 10) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

By the time I caught up with Tom at the observation tower he had heard the ani in the impoundment west of the parking area. Within 15 minutes both Smooth-billed Anis made their appearance landing in shrubbery at very close range.

The Lubber Grasshopper above (image 11) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Zebra Longwing Butterfly above (image 12) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Pearl Crescent Butterfly above (image 13) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

According to eBird data checklists, Smooth-billed Ani was last seen at Loxahatchee NWR on 2 February 2003 by Perry Krakora before this year's reports. Interestingly, Hugh McGuinness who visited Marsh Trail on 31 March 1972 observed 10 Smooth-billed Ani.

The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly above (image 14) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Queen Butterfly above (image 15) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Pearl Crescent Butterfly above (image 16) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

There have been a few recent reports of Smooth-billed Ani outside of Loxahatchee NWR. Jane Wiewora made a follow-up visit to Jonathan Dickinson State Park on 21 July 2015 where she noted the ani had been observed two days earlier. Jane was successful in photographing the bird.

The Needham's Skimmer above (image 17) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Lubber Grasshopper above (image 18) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Smooth-billed Ani above (image 19) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

Smooth-billed Ani has been a species seen in Florida in recent decades never seeming to get a firm foothold. With recent sightings of the ani there have been postulations of the species's absence including eradication of invasive plants which they may favor as noted by Roberto Torres, and water levels.

The Smooth-billed Ani above (image 20) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Smooth-billed Ani above (image 21) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Smooth-billed Ani above (image 22) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

One might consider another possibility for the resurgence of anis in south Florida. My thoughts lean towards the apparent success of Snowy Owl and Razorbill making very unusual appearances in Florida in the not too distant past.

The Snail Kite harassed by Red-winged Blackbird above (image 23) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Snail Kite harassed by Red-winged Blackbird above (image 24) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Wood Stork above (image 25) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

There was a constant overflight of a variety of species of birds at Loxahatchee NWR. A Snail Kite, one of the refuge's signature species, was observed heading west not without expected harassment in this case by a Red-winged Blackbird.

The Wood Stork above (image 26) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The American Alligator above (image 27) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Metallic Blue Wasp above (image 28) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

As we headed back home, Tom and I made a stop along County Road 700 which was a boon. There was no siesta for the birds that were very active and in good numbers at the noontime hour. The flooded fields in the Agricultural Area do have the downside that the wildlife is typically at a distance requiring binoculars or a scope.

The Ruddy Daggerwing above (image 29) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Ruddy Daggerwing above (image 30) was photographed at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in July 2015.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above (image 31) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

Although the Duda Belle Glade Farm sod fields and Brown's Farm Road are the major destination in the Everglades Agricultural Area, all roads in the area should be explored including CR 700 from 20 Mile Bend to its termination at Canal Point along the shore of Lake Okeechobee.

The immature Black-necked Stilt above (image 32) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

The Tricolored Heron above (image 33) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above (image 34) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

There is unquestionably a lot of ground to cover in the EAA. If one has the time during early Fall migration, species of special interest to potentially observe should include Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Black Tern, Gull-billed Tern, and White-tailed Kite.

The Fulvous Whistling-Duck above (image 35) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

The Fulvous Whistling-Duck above (image 36) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

The highlight of this late summer trip through the Everglades Agricultural Area for me was photographing the Smooth-billed Ani at Loxahatchee NWR.

The Fulvous Whistling-Duck above (image 37) was photographed at the Everglades Agricultural Area (CR 700) in July 2015.

Rare American Flamingo Lingers At New Pass

Now is a good time to again be reminded that it is not a good idea to ever look directly at the sun.

The Laughing Gull above (image 1) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

With luck, for good or bad, a Laughing Gull's trajectory had it pass directly in front of the rising sun. One should certainly prefer to have a subject like this pass in front of the 400,000 times dimmer full moon.

The Brown Pelican with American Oystercatcher above (image 2) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

The Tricolored Heron with American Oystercatcher above (image 3) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

Our eyes certainly tell us of the danger if we look at the sun. It's also particularly not a good idea to look at the sun through the viewfinder of a camera where you may be observing the extremely bright orb magnified. Such was the case on my 17 July effort to observe a very uncommon American Flamingo that had settled down at the southern end of Lovers Key State Park at New Pass.

The Great White Heron above (image 4) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

The American Oystercatcher above (image 5) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

Photography while looking in the general direction of the sun is rarely preferred. Through experimentation you may find that the sun at your back is ideal. Note the value of the Golden Hour, Blue Hour, and Twilights. Although the birds were initially mere silhouettes, it was unmistakably clear that four of them were American Oystercatcher as indicated by their display calls.

The American Oystercatcher above (image 6) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 7) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

After about an hour with no luck in finding the flamingo, I set out for National Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary where Ghost Orchids live and bloom in early summer. The orchid species at the Swamp had been reported in the local news a couple of weeks earlier. That passage of time unfortunately led to blooms that looked long since peaked.

The Osprey above (image 8) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

The Seashore mallow above (image 9) was photographed at National Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in July 2015.

It was relatively quiet for bird activity along the boardwalk. The first species seen/ heard was a Northern Cardinal. Prolific as well were Red-bellied Woodpecker and Carolina Wren. A pair of Pileated Woodpecker were heard distant from one another. The wrens were ridiculously melodious above me while one captured a large spider and consumed it hastily before I was able to focus the camera on it.

The Ghost Orchid above (image 10) was photographed at National Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in July 2015.

The Carolina Wren above (image 11) was photographed at National Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in July 2015.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck was personally observed at the Sanctuary for the first time after many visits there. When water levels are at their lowest (early to late Spring) is when wading birds are most prolific. See Hemant Kishan's reports for additional reasons to visit this remarkable place.

The Limpkin above (image 12) was photographed at National Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in July 2015.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above (image 13) was photographed at National Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in July 2015.

My thanks to Tom Obrock for bringing the flamingo to my attention. Though the species was not seen on my 17 July visit to New Pass, a follow-up kayak trip on 23 July was well rewarded. The dolphins were excessively exhilarating at close range.

The American Flamingo above (image 14) was photographed at New Pass in July 2015.

Ed Weislo's website was helpful in identifying the flora this week.