Florida 2000

Thursday, May 4th
Drove to Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County this morning. The bird list at the visitor center was not auspicious. The last entry was dated May 2nd and listed only a white morph Reddish Egret. The next prior entry was dated April 26th. The checklist of birds provided by the center also gave birding locations. to check. The first couple of places I went to were nonproductive for migrants. I then went to the mulberry trees - a location that Cheri had said was good for warblers when we had birded the park in the past. I met another birder and stayed with him awhile. This area was not as good as its reputation, but better than other places I had been. I picked up male and female Red-breasted Grosbeaks, male and female Black-throated Blue Warblers, and male and female Indigo Buntings. Also a Cape May Warbler and a Blackpoll Warbler.

The other birder said that the best place for migrating songbirds was the East Beach Woods. It certainly was! Lots of Northern Cardinals, a Palm Warbler, more male and female Blackpoll Warblers, Northern Parula, many male and female Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-throated Blue Warblers, an Ovenbird, and a Kentucky Warbler. Also saw an Eastern Ribbon Snake (as I was told). Had a nice look at a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in a tree. There were numerous Foster's and Royal Terns and a single Sandwich Tern on the beach. We concluded our sightings in the area with a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a pair of Great-crested Flycatchers.

Next, I went on alone to the North Beach area. Lots more Northern Cardinals and Gray Catbirds. A great look at a very cooperative Magnolia Warbler which hopped from limb to limb but stayed in view for quite a while. I then met up with Lyn, a woman whom I met two years ago at the first Florida Birding Festival. At that time her birding skills amazed me - I said she could identify a warbler by looking at a quarter of a bird's tail. We birded a while and picked up Black-and-white Warbler, more Black-throated Blues, and several Ovenbirds. Lyn said she owed me a bird and when with me to find my life Black-whiskered Vireo. She said she had seen it earlier in the day. We went to the oak grove where it had been staying for several days. Lyn assured me that the bird would not have flown. We searched all the oaks - Saw so many American Redstarts and Northern Parulas that they almost became junk birds (if such a thing were possible). We went around the grove a second and a third time (and maybe a fourth). No luck. Saw some more Ovenbirds. Lyn had to leave and I went to bird the Gulf side of the beach. There weren't a great number of birds there but I did see several Reddish Egrets, a few Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlins, Black Skimmers, Semipalmated Plovers, and a couple of American Oystercatchers. Figuring that I had given the vireo enough time to return, I went back to the grove. More American Redstarts and Northern Parulas but no vireo.

I drove back to the East Beach end of the park and birded near the water. Added Sanderling, Western and Least Sandpipers, Wilson's Plover, and Least Tern to my day list. Left the park and drove to Orlando where I had dinner with YR.

The First Florida Page Hal Scott Preserve and Orlando Wetlands Park

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