Myakka River State Park, FL - 30 Dec 2010

Robin and I took off early this morning and headed south along I-75 toward Punta Gordo and Myakka River State Park to meet my baby sister Michelle.  She'd be meeting us by driving north from Ft. Myer.

Arriving about an hour earlier, we drove into to park to look around.  Carolina Wrens greeted us at the Visitor's Center, where we received a note warning us about the numerous Turkey and Black Vultures that inhabit the park: "Warning, vultures like to eat the rubber off of vehicles, so don't leave them unattended too long".

The trees throughout the park were littered with Turkey Vultures (inland) and Black Vultures (closer to water).  The bridge overlooking Myakka River made a good viewing location to spot Great Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned Night Herons, and a Bald Eagle.  The open fields farther north were noisy with sparrows and Common Yellowthroats, but the sparrows remained hidden and would not reveal their identities (most likely Song and Savannah).    I did manage a few images of a male Common Yellowthroat that came in close in a response to a little pishing.

The shoreline near the air-boat marina was active with foraging Long-billed Dowitchers, Dunlin, and several Black-necked Stilts.  

I took a few digiscoped images but the skies were cloudy and contrast was poor.  A group of Black Vultures were roosting in the grass nearby, so I took the opportunity to get a few digiscoped images (see top image) from about 30'.  The surprising sight was seeing a half-dozen American Pipits foraging among several Horned Larks along the shoreline.

We then drove back toward to entrance to meet Michelle.  Returning to the bridge we took some time to scope the trees and river on either side.  A Red-shouldered Hawk pair was roosting in the trees about 50 yds. away, but one bird was close enough to digiscope using the self-timer.  It appeared to be a Florida Red-shouldered, which are typically much lighter in appearance than the Eastern Red-shouldered Hawks we see around here.

Osprey were foraging in the river, and I managed a fair flight image as one approached.  Higher overhead a Roseate Spoonbill passed, providing a nice view from below.  Too bad skies were as dark as they were...

An immature Black-crowned Night Heron was foraging below us along the shoreline.  Note the yellow bill and large spots on the wing that distinguishes it from immatureYellow-crowned Night Herons that have all-black bills and smaller wing spots.

We headed down to the boardwalk area, stopping along the way to digiscope some Sandhill Cranes that were foraging along the lakeshore.

Mottled Ducks were scattered among them, while several Eastern Phoebes were perched in the shrubs closer in.

The boardwalk itself was quite active, but birds were far out in the marsh, which required the use of a scope.  Short- and Long-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers and Black-necked Stilts were scattered all over.  Large alligators were sunning themselves on the shoreline and in the shallow canals.  A Northern Harrier was soaring just over the tree line. Owen, the park naturalist, was extremely helpful for visitors, pointing out distant birds with great accuracy.

We then headed back to find some lunch in town before parting ways.

Myakka River SP, Sarasota, Florida, US
Dec 30, 2010 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
22 species

Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula)  2
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  3
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  1
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  2
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)  4
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  6
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  2
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  3
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)  1
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)  1
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)  12
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  12
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1     Florida Red-shouldered! Pale bird.
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  3     foraging among American Pipits along shoreline near air-boat marina.
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  6
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  6
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42421178

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)