FLORIDA: An Exotic Ending

Our last morning was spent looking for any Caribbean strays that could have around the Miami area. We began at Matheson Hammock Park (above) in the beautiful Coral Gables section with a walk though the West Indian hardwood trail, which was eerily quiet. Other than a Cardinal there was not one migrant! Once the trail opened up we came across a multitude of Red-bellied Woodpeckers checking out potential nesting sites along the rows of Royal Palms as well numerous butterflies including Giant Swallowtail, Zebra Longwing and Zarucco Duskywing.

Upon hearing the tropical calls of distant Hill Mynah’s we walked towards them. Jim located a pair of Red-masked Parakeets (above) at a nest hole. Starlings soon showed up to claim the site, which led to the upset pair becoming very vocal as they flew around expressing their displeasure. Starlings are not the only ones vying for these older Pileated Woodpecker cavities, Hill Mynahs use them as well. All three species could be seen chasing each other around and eventually out of sight, with the outcome undetermined.

A Cooper’s Hawk showed up in the area and this got another pair of Hill Mynah’s (above), perched on an open stalk, all riled up.

We ended our trip on Key Biscayne beginning at Bill Baggs State Park (above) where a Western Spindalis and LaSagra’s Flycatcher had been seen over the course of the last month. We took a very pleasant along the bike path through the hardwoods and along the bay front from which one can see Stiltsville – seven homes that hover over the water, that originate back to the late 1930’s. Once again there was very little around with the exception of a few Common Ground Doves, a Gray Kingbird, a female American Redstart and a Black-whiskered Vireo. Any hope we had of hearing a LaSagra’s was thwarted by a Cardinals doing a good imitation.

Several years ago we had seen a Western Spindalis at Crandon Park so we made one last attempt. In the end it was nothing but the exotic waterfowl – Cordoba Swan, Barnacle Goose, Egyptian Goose – that have hung around the abandoned ‘zoo’…..this is Miami after all!

Along with 8 mammals, 27 buttterflies, 12 dragonflies, and 23 reptiles and amphibians (including the Green Iguana above), our nine day trip tallied a wonderful variety of 183 bird species including 6 non-ABA countable exotics.