Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

Thirteen birders joined me for this morning's birding trip to North Key Largo. We met at the Cracker Barrel in Florida City, where Common Myna and our first Gray Kingbird was seen; we also experienced our first rain shower of the morning.. On the way down Card Sound Road towards Key Largo, some in my car saw a Barn Owl and Pileated Woodpecker cross the road ahead of us.

At Alabama Jacks, we quickly found a singing "Golden" Yellow Warbler. Other birds encountered during a walk to the Card Sound Bridge and back included Red-breasted Merganser, White-crowned Pigeon, Blackpoll, Cape May and Prairie Warbler and Brown-headed Cowbird. In Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge along Card Sound Road, we spotted a Roseate Spoonbill and I heard a Clapper Rail calling from a nearby mangrove island.

At Carysfort Circle, we heard our first Black-whiskered Vireo even before my car had come to a complete stop. We obtained great looks at this bird and several others during our walk around the circle. Other birds seen there included White-crowned Pigeon, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, Common Yellow-throat, Blackpoll, Cape May, Black-throated Blue and Palm Warbler, Painted Bunting and Bobolink.
We spent the rest of the morning on a permit-required trail in Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park, where we encountered a group from the Miami Blue chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. Soon after both groups hit the trail, we experienced another brief rain shower. Bird activity seemed to pick up considerably once the rain stopped. Most numerous were Northern Waterthrush, which were walking in the road in every direction we looked! Other warblers seen there: Ovenbird, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and Black-and-white, Worm-eating, Blackpoll, Cape May and Black-throated Blue Warbler. We also had great looks at two Mangrove Cuckoos; other birds tallied along the trail include Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed and Black-whiskered Vireo, Carolina Wren and Swainson's Thrush. Among the butterflies seen was a very cooperative Schaus' Swallowtail!

We ended our morning, as is tradition for this last TAS walk of the birding season, with a delicious lunch at the Buzzard's Roost on Key Largo.

Here's the trip list (52 species):
Red-breasted Merganser
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Green Heron
White Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-shouldered Hawk
Clapper Rail
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
White-crowned Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Mangrove Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Gray Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Black-whiskered Vireo
American Crow (on the 18-mile stretch)
Carolina Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Common Myna
Northern Parula
"Golden" Yellow Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Black-and-white Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird