January 4, 1995
All day; overcast/65 F
Knowing that I’d be leaving Florida soon and wanting to make the most of my remaining time here, I spent a day circumambulating the lake, stopping anywhere that looked promising. I started by driving north from West Palm and approaching the lake from the east, then up and around the northern end, down the west side, and around the southern end. Spoiler alert: I saw a LOT of birds.
My first stop: DuPuis State Forest. I arrived just as the sun came up over the treetops to see a strange landscape with lots of toppled and mangled trees. The area seemed to be recovering from burns and timber harvesting, and who knows what else. My first bird of the day was a Yellow-shafted Flicker, then a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a Downy Woodpecker. Apparently the woodpeckers don’t mind the state of Du Pois forest, since there were plenty of them around. Northern Cardinal and Northern Mockingbird were also present, along with a vocal Red-shouldered Hawk who I heard, but was unable to spot. I watched an American Kestrel who flushed out an owl. Unfortunately, even though I spent some time trying to locate where the bird had landed, I was unable to find it again, but am calling it a Barred Owl based on size.
My next stop was Parrott-Wayside Park (now Cliff J. Betts Recreation Area) at the north end of the lake. There was an old fishing pier which stretched out a ways into the lake, and then went parallel to the shore (T-shaped). Although was a sign said not to use the pier, there was a fisherman out there, so I decided to take my chances. From this vantage point, I saw a number of Double-crested Cormorants. On my way back, I did step on some loose boards, and a section on the end sank right into the water, getting my feet wet up past my ankles. So, I spent the rest of the day with soggy feet, but I’d been getting used to that after birding places like Jonathon Dickinson. I saw plenty of American Coots here, and a Common Gallinule.
I returned to my car, hoping to use the heater to warm up my wet feet for a few minutes. For a change of scenery, I drove down the parking lot a little ways, and found myself next to a HUGE flock of Black Skimmers, between 200 and 300 birds. I’d only ever seen single individuals before, so it was magnificent to see this many in one place. They’re very cute! There were also loads of other birds at this site, including: Boat-tailed Grackle, American White Pelican, Caspian Tern, Tree Swallow, Anhinga, Forster’s Tern, Turkey Vulture, American Crow, Snowy Egret, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Pied-billed Grebe, American White Ibis, American Herring Gull, Great Blue Heron, Purple Gallinule, Killdeer, Tricolored Heron, Western Cattle Egret.
Before I left the parking lot, I also a small flock of Ring-necked Ducks for the first time, close enough to be easily identified by me. I also spotted a yellowlegs foraging along the shore. Several minutes of studying this bird was necessary in order to positively ID it as a Greater Yellowlegs, based on size and hearing the vocalization.
At my next stop, Okee-Tantie Recreation Area, I finally got to see some Wood Storks up close. A small flock of them were hunting in a marshy grass area next to the parking lot, separated from me by a small wooden fence. An impressive bird, close up (although not particularly attractive). I also saw my first Palm Warbler of the day at this stop.
While driving along the western side of the lake, I saw several birds, including a Belted Kingfisher, Great Egret, Bald Eagle, Loggerhead Shrike, and Red-shouldered Hawk. I also saw an American Alligator while driving around the lake.
A pair of Common Ground Doves were found at Indian Prairie Canal, and I was able to get close enough for a good look before they flew away. Handsome birds with distinctive red coloration. I also heard an Eastern Meadowlark near the canal.
Harney Pond Canal, my next stop, is fantastic! A lookout boardwalk gives a wonderful view of the lake and marshes that edge it, and the boardwalk is surrounded by a wooded area simply bursting with activity! While up on the lookout, I met a nice couple from Ohio who took this picture of me (and sent it to me later). Here, I saw Western Osprey, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, American Kestrel, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Grey Catbird, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, and Snowy Egret. I saw River Otter here, as well.
At the Army Corps of Engineers dam, I finally spotted some Black Vulture, and in Clewiston I saw Atlantic Brown Pelican. Around this time, some point south of the lake, I stopped in a small town at a K-mart to buy myself a dry pair of shoes, some little white Keds. Finally, on the way home, I spotted a hawk which was almost certainly a Northern Harrier. I had hoped for a Crested Caracara today, and had no luck there. Still, on the whole a very satisfying – if tiring – day, and not a bad species count for one spotter in one day.
Species List
Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus), Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens pubescens), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis floridanus), Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos polyglottos), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus extimus), Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum floridanum), American Coot (Fulica americana americana), Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata cachinnans), Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger niger), Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major westoni), American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia), Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga leucogaster), Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis), American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos pascuus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula thula), Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla megalopterus), Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps podiceps), American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus albus), American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias wardi), Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris), Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus vociferus), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor ruficollis), Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis ibis), Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum), Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Great Egret (Ardea alba egretta), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus), American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus ludovicianus), Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina passerina), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus meernsi), North American Otter (Lontra canadensis), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea caerulea), Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Atlantic Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis), Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
Let me know what you think!