Wildlife At Miami's Matheson Hammock Park

At the suggestion of Tom Obrock we made a late May trip to Florida's east coast with the possibility of observing Bahama Mockingbird, a rare bird species in Florida, that had been reported in Fort Lauderdale at eBird.

The immature Red-tailed Hawk above (image 1) was photographed near Homestead in May 2016.

Before leaving the limits of Fort Myers we decided instead to head toward Miami as the mockingbird had not been reported in a couple of days. The Baptist Hospital of Miami was our first stop after observing a Red-tailed Hawk being harassed by a Red-winged Blackbird north of Homestead. There was no luck in finding Egyptian Geese that should be expected. Tom and I then devoted much time in a search of Red-whiskered Bulbul in the area of the hospital which was elusive as well.

The immature Red-tailed Hawk above (image 2) was photographed near Homestead in May 2016.

The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 3) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

The Eastern Puerto Rican Crested Anole above (image 4) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

Matheson Hammock, our next stop, offered a lifebird for both Tom and I as a handful of Orange-winged Parrot made a direct flyover from the north in the area north of Camp Mahachee at the far west fringe of the park. I regrettably had to forfeit the photography of the birds to put Tom on them. Many invasive lizards were seen at this park as well which turned out to be a highlight of the trip.

The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 5) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

The Zebra Longwing Butterfly above (image 6) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 7) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

After leaving Matheson Hammock Park we devoted much time in search of parakeets in the neighborhoods north and northeast of Miami International Airport. We remained unsuccessful in our search with David A. Sibley noting that no native parrot species remain in North America though 65 imported species have been recorded in Florida at the October 2000 publication of his Guide to Birds. He noted that many feral populations may exist. Sibley's 2nd Edition would certainly be the preferred version to consider at the time of this writing.

The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 8) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above (image 9) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

The Green Iquana above (image 10) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

Without the help of the Tropical Audubon Society it is hoped that at least one more journey to the Miami area can be made in search of exotics to add a few more unseen species of parakeet to the list.

The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 11) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 12) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.

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The Red-headed Rock Agama above (image 13) was photographed at Matheson Hammock Park in May 2016.