Some of the awesome species I was able to observe the last couple of months were: western spindalis, thick-billed vireo, black-whiskered vireo, lazuli bunting, mangrove cuckoo, neotropic cormorant, purple swamphen, scissor-tailed flycatcher, brown-crested flycatcher, wilson's warbler, swainson's warbler, blue-winged warbler, white-tailed kite, snail kite, and painted bunting.
The western spindalis was observed at the Key West Botanical Gardens. It may have been the easiest of these species to find. I pulled into the parking lot and many birders were hanging around and acting very excitable. I figured they hot spotted the female spindalis as she had been reported there. Sure enough I park the car and she is just sitting at just above eye level on an exposed perch just posing for everyone. She allowed for long looks and everyone present seemed very satisfied afterwards. I felt somewhat bad because the guys I had been birding with early that morning had dipped on her the previous day and they didn't have time to check back when I went down. But that's how it goes with birding sometimes. For instance, they had spotted a pair of scissor-tailed flycatchers the previous day, but I dipped on them there. It's birding for you.
On the opposite spectrum, the thick-billed vireo (at Bill Baggs State Park on Virginia Key) was one of the longest of the aforementioned species I had to wait for to observe. I believe I ended up waiting around 2 hours for it to make itself known, which it finally did by giving out its slow, deliberate scold call repeatedly. After a few scolds it finally popped into the open for about a minute before retiring back into the undergrowth from whence it came.
The lazuli bunting was a fun bird to wait for because it was being observed in someone's backyard. Normally I'm pretty hesitant to just go to someone's house to see a bird because I feel I'm intruding on their private space, even when they give everyone permission to do so. I'm glad I decided to head over because the home owner and his nephew were fantastic people to speak with while waiting for the lazuli to show itself. This is one of my favorite parts of birding, the interactions with other individuals. These two guys were really conscientious and welcoming. We enjoyed some good conversation and at many points I had forgotten to keep my eyes open for the lazuli. But after many indigo and painted buntings, and great conversation, the lazuli popped up on a gumbo limbo branch for all the world to see.
Did I mention the backyard yet. It was simply amazing. If you are interested even the slightest in botany, it would thoroughly impress you. About 98% native south Florida vegetation spread around the yard, with well-established canopy, sub-canopy, and groundcover vegetation present, a surefire reason why the yard was so birdy. In fact, the yard was an oasis given the surrounding area. Painted and indigo buntings were present, along with white-winged doves, great-crested flycatchers, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and many, many others. Simply a beautiful haven.
All the birds were simply stellar to see, but I ended up really just enjoying the places I wound up searching for the birds and specific experiences with some species. For instance, there was a least flycatcher who was hanging around the Annex for some time. One day it decided to perch on a branch only 10 feet or so from me. It called a few times then just kept looking at me and its surroundings. I probably watched it for at least 10 minutes as we just occupied the same time and space. A marvelous experience indeed. I was able to really get fine-tuned looks at plumage, really listen to the call, and just take in the individual. I was actually kind of sad when I went back another visit to find it had finally moved on.
But I suppose it's these avian and human interactions which at first bait one into birding, then hook you in. To me it's not about listing or seeing how many birds you can see (not that there is necessarily anything wrong with keeping a list of birds you've seen), it's really observing the birds, seeing their behaviors, watching them forage, attract mates, defend territories, etc. It keeps me interested and coming back for more, and it always will.
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| American White Pelicans and Roseate Spoonbills |
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