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DESTINATION - SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Typical BIRD SIGHTINGS
Provided by SRQ Bird Alert
31 October - Today on Siesta Beach Sarasota Audubon had 30 participants on our
annual shorebird walk. We tallied 40 species. Besides the usual gulls and terns, we saw the FOS
Ring billed Gull and Herring Gull as well as 15 Snowy Plovers. After the beach, we explored the small
woodlot that lies east of the Tennis courts and were rewarded with a nice mixed flock of birds. We ticked off 7 species
of warblers: N. Parula, Black and White, Yellow rumped, Palm, Pine, Yellow throated and the surprise was
a male and female American Redstart. We ended the day with Brown Thrasher a small flock of House
Finches. Good Birding.
Owen Comora
29 October - Today we had about 100 spoonbills at the little pond beside the
first bridge over the river in Myakka River State Park. There were another 100 wood storks and two American
Avocets along with the usual waders. That pond was actually packed with feeding birds including one immature bc
night heron and a single white pelican which dropped in for a few minutes to check out the action. Three more
avocets were cited from the Birdwalk along with more spoonbills, yellowlegs, dowitchers and least
sandpipers, blue winged teal and terns. Birding at Myakka is really picking up steam.
Owen Comora
29 October - Today, while birding at Lido Beach, North end, with some Sarasota
Audubon friends and we saw at least 100 Red Knots, feeding along the shoreline. Aprox. 10% had Green tags on their
Rt. Upper Leg. These same birds, also seemed to have a plain silver tag on the Lower Rt Leg. Some of the green tags
were as follows: YJ7 KT9 VP5 TU6 VKY LH7 VKL H8X
Kathryn Young, Sarasota
28 October - Wednesday at Myakka River State Park there was an explosion of
Spoonbills--well over 300! I counted 115 at the weir alone and another thirty at the Birdwalk. Canoeists and
kayakers returning from down river reported seeing and counting more than two hundred additional Spoonbills in
several concentrated areas along the river and they never even paddled as far as the Lower Lake!
Owen Comora
26 October - Stopped in for a brief visit to the Celery Fields in today down in
Sarasota after work (5-6:30 pm) saw: sora (3), American bittern, marsh wren, as well as the usual.
Jeff Fisher, Bradenton
26 October - Spent the past weekend on Holmes Beach/Anna Maria – Saw huge flocks of
mixed Royal and Least Terns (more than I’ve ever seen all together) as well as several smaller groups of
American Oystercatchers. A visit to Leffis Key park was strangely devoid of birds except for five Ospreys.
On the way home we saw a sizable flock of white pelicans in the Manatee County water treatment plant pond on
53rd Ave. I didn’t get a chance to count them – they were clustered on what’s left of the mangroves that used to be in
the middle of the pond.
Belinda Chase
25 October - This morning at Rothenbach Park with Valeri Ponzo: Painted
Bunting (f), Indigo Buntings, Summer Tanager, House Wrens (several), Blue-headed Vireo, and Black
and White (several), Bay-breasted, Cerulean (young), several Prairie, Palm, and Yellow-throated
Warblers, and a ton of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Also, E. Wood Pewee and E. Phoebe, plus the usual
residents. Did not hear or see one single Ovenbird or thrush.
Jeanne Dubi, Sarasota
22 October - On Thursday morning and then again this morning and afternoon I searched
the area at the Celery Fields where I saw the Song Sparrow earlier this week. Each time I came up empty handed.
In fact I did not see a single passerine of any species in the vegetation where the Song Sparrow was found.
There are several Savannah Sparrows in the area but no Song Sparrows. There is a large amount of suitable
Song Sparrow habitat at the Celery Fields so the bird could be almost everywhere - assuming it wasn't a one-day
wonder. I'll keep looking and listening and report back if I turn up the bird again.Craig Faanes Sarasota
Craig Faanes, Sarasota
21 October - Spent a few hours out at Myakka River SP today. Most of our wintering
birds are in place, except for the ducks. Along the main park road: 11 Wild Turkey - 9 females with 1 adult male
strutting his stuff for the ladies and a young male watching and learning. 40-50 Palm Warbler, several pretty
eastern palms, 6 Pine Warbler, 1 Black & White Warbler, 1 Yellow-throated Warbler, 2
Common Yellowthroat, 2 White-eyed Vireo, 1 Blue-headed Vireo, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2
Eastern Phoebe, 3 Indigo Bunting, 4 Titmouse, 2 House Wren, and 1 Hermit Thrush.
At Birdwalk: No ducks what so ever yet. But, a nice area of mud flats to the right of the walk. Lots of Least
Sandpipers, A few Semipalmated Plovers, both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Couldn't pick
anything else of interest out there. Heard a few Savannah Sparrows, but didn't see them. Throughout the park,
all usual wading birds, & raptors. One pair of Red-shouldered Hawks doing an awesome courtship flight display.
Mammals seen: 5 Deer, 6 Feral Pigs in the park, and a Fox Squirrel on way home just past Crowley
Nature Center. At Myakka Bridge on Verna Rd.: 20-30 Roseate Spoonbills, Usual wading birds, no ducks there either.
1 N. Harrier, 1 Cooper's Hawk, Pair of Crested Caracara.
Tina Mossbarger, Sarasota
21 October - Several birders witnessed a female Northern Harrier flying low
over the Caspersen Beach area close to the intercoastal waterway from our vantage point in Shamrock Park. The harrier
made several passes, flying past us, while searching the scrub area between the Gulf and the intercoastal. Also we saw a
Merlin in the same area.
Charlie Sample, Venice
Please send your input about rare and/or interesting bird sightings to:
SRQbirdalerts@msn.com"
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