Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

Six birders joined me for today's TAS carpool trip to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County and Ft. Myers Beach in Lee County. We met at the Miccosukee service plaza on Alligator Alley, then headed up Snake Road, through Hendry County, to Corkscrew. This route consistently produces double-digit sightings of Crested Caracara; this morning, we saw eighteen! Also seen en route were lots of Wild Turkey, plus Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Roseate Spoonbill, Limpkin, Sandhill Crane and Black-necked Stilt.

Sightings at Corkscrew included the usual breeding species: Red-shouldered Hawk, Limpkin, Downy and Piliated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Parula and Pine Warbler. Migrants, while not plentiful, included some nice birds: Acadian Flycatcher, plus Golden-winged and Chestnut-sided Warbler! Other migrant warblers included Magnolia, Worm-eating, Yellow-throated and Black-and-white.

After lunch at Corkscrew's Blair House, we spent the afternoon around Ft. Myers Beach. First stop was Bunche Beach, where we found a few shorebirds at the east end, including Black-bellied, Semipalmated and Piping Plover, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Western and Semipalmated Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher. Two Bald Eagle were perched farther down the beach. A white-morph Reddish Egret was at the beach's west end. Our second and final stop of the afternoon was Big Carlos Pass, where we added several new shorebirds to our day list, including American Oystercatcher (thirteen!), Wilson's and Snowy Plover, Marbled Godwit and Least Sandpiper. Also present there were Royal and Sandwich Tern.