Southern Florida - Part Three - Dec. 17 & 18, 2012

Wrapping up an awesome trip to Florida to visit some of my favorite family members.  You know who you are! ;D  Thanks for an awesome trip!


Uncle's House:

Blue Jay - Lifer!

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Lauderdale by the Sea: 
(Swimming in the ocean in Dec.? Sooo great!)

Ringed-Billed Gulls, going nuts over a fish one caught, dropped and caught by another.

Boardwalk

 Uncle's House:

Male Northern Cardinal - Lifer!

"Yellow" Palm Warbler - Lifer!

Huge Iguana - in their backyard! Wild! Crazy place... :)

 Lauderdale by the Sea:

Red-Bellied Woodpecker - Lifer!

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Not pictured:

• Herring Gull* - Lauderdale by the Sea
• Ruby-Throated Hummingbird* - female - Uncle's backyard
• Cattle Egret* - South Beach

*Lifers!!!

Fanno Creek / Knoll Wetlands

• Mallards
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Song Sparrows
• Northern Shoveler - female
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Western Scrub-Jay
• American Goldfinch
• American Crows
• Cooper's Hawk
• European Starling
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Northern Flickers
• Spotted Towhee
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - males and females
• Canada Geese
• Green-Winged Teals
• American Wigeons
• Killdeers
• Gadwalls
• Bewick's Wren

Cooper's Hawk

Killdeer

Red-Winged Blackbird - female
(pretty sure... we had a hell of a time with it.  I think it was reddish from the setting sun.  So weird.)

Beaverton Creek

We decided to hit up Beaverton Creek early, since we've been going there in the evenings lately.  We got there at 9am and saw SO much more than usual.

• American Robins
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Mallards
• Pied-Billed Grebes
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - males, as usual 
• Song Sparrows
• Wilson's Snipe (I'm only 90% sure of this.  It was pretty close, but I only saw it for  a second, as it flew off.  I'm hoping I'll see it again soon.)
• Anna's Hummingbirds
• American Crow
• Yellow-Rumped Warblers
• Green-Winged Teals
• Buffleheads
• Northern Shovelers
• Canada Geese 
• Hooded Mergansers
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• House Finches
• Western Scrub-Jays
• Northern Flickers
• Cooper's Hawk
• Cedar Waxwings (I was pretty excited to see them.  Last time I saw any was the beginning of August!)
• Ring-Necked Duck - female
• Oregon Junco

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Black-Capped Chickadee

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Too bad this one is so out of focus, but I just love this classic Warbler pose!

A young male Red-Winged Blackbird

House Finches 

Look how happy this Hooded Merganser is to have found such a delectable snack!

We were so close to this Cooper's Hawk, but the angling wasn't so great.

The Ceder Waxwings finally made an appearance!

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Christmas Bird Count with the Audubon Society of Portland.

• American Crow
• Downy Woodpecker
• Canada Geese
• Mallards - male and female
• Northern Pintails
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Cackling Geese
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• American Wigeons
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• Anna's Hummingbirds
• White-Breasted Nuthatch - call
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• House Finch 
• Oregon Junco - call
• Song Sparrows
• Great Blue Heron
• Cooper's Hawk
• Bufflehead - female
• Wood Ducks - male and female
• Northern Shovelers
• Gadwall
• Green-Winged Teal
• Brown Creeper
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Varied Thrush
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Northern Flicker
• Common Merganser
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Belted Kingfisher
• Lesser Goldfinch
• American Goldfinch

Downy Woodpecker

frosty spiderwebs 

Chapman School Swifts

What a crazy sight that was to see!  I didn't realize how long the whole process is to get into the chimney every night.  First a few come to check out the surroundings.  They do this off and on for a bit.  Then they finally start gathering up and every few minutes you think ok, so this is about it then, and before you know it thousands of swifts are circling the chimney.  And even then they don't go right in.  They gather in a tightly packed circle like a giant tornado, and just like a tornado, they eventually spin themselves into a tiny funnel that leads into the chimney.  They swirl around and around until it's dark and everyone made it in safely.  Some even come back out and in again, probably trying to find a good spot among all of the other birds.

• Vaux's Swifts
• Cooper's Hawk

At the beginning this Cooper's Hawk came by looking for a snack.

Tornado of Swifts

Tualatin Hills Nature Park

• Spotted Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• Barn Swallows
• Violet-Green Swallows
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Northern Flicker
• American Robin
• Western Tanager
• Bushtits
• Brown Creeper
• Steller's Jay*
• Western Scrub-Jay*
• Bald Eagle
• Cooper's Hawk
• Black-Headed Grosbeak
• Mallard - female
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• House Finch
• House Sparrow
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Downy Woodpecker
• Oregon Junco
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Bewick's Wren
• Brewer's Blackbird* - male and female

*Lifer

Fanno Creek Nature Trail

We were surprised at the amount we saw here, being that it's a short stretch near a highway.

• Oregon Junco*
• Tree Swallow
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Song Sparrow
• Mallards w/ ducklings
• Canada Geese
• Cooper's Hawk*
• Western Tanager*
• Spotted Towhee
• Northern Flicker
• American Goldfinches* - male and female
• House Finch
• Bushtits
• Wood Ducks - males and female
• American Robins
• Bewick's Wren*
• Great Blue Heron

*Lifer