Category: Birding

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Check out what you might see at Bird Rookery Swamp this week!

Long-time CREW Trust volunteer naturalist Dick Brewer is a treasure-trove of information and brilliant citizen scientist. This week’s critter count includes a chicken turtle, almost 30 red-bellied woodpeckers and a great photo of two crested caracaras. Interested in making your own critter count during your next hike? Print out Dick’s BIRD ROOKERY SWAMP Wildlife Checklist and take it with you!

Bird Rookery Swamp

Wednesday, December 19 ~~ 7:05 AM – 1:00 PM

temperature: 54.0-76.0º ~~ RH 85.5-60.5%

sky: sun early, clouds late ~~ wind: calm at start, then 8-12 mph

BIRDS

Wood Duck – 2

Double-crested Cormorant – 5

Anhinga – 28

Great Blue Heron – 11

Great Egret – 10

Snowy Egret – 3

Little Blue Heron – 7

Tri-colored Heron – 3

Cattle Egret – 1

Green Heron – 4

Black-crowned Night Heron – 11

White Ibis – 22

Roseate Spoonbill – 1

Wood Stork – 2

Black Vulture – 12

Turkey Vulture – 26

Osprey – 1

Red-shouldered Hawk – 14

Crested Caracara – 2

American Kestrel – 1

Common Gallinule – 1

Killdeer – 5

Mourning Dove – 2

Barred Owl – 2

Belted Kingfisher – 8

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 28

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 4

Downy Woodpecker – 1

Pileated Woodpecker – 8

Great-crested Flycatcher – 1

Eastern Phoebe –  7

Carolina Wren – 13

House Wren – 1

Blue Jay – 1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 21

Northern Mockingbird – 2

Gray Catbird – 21

Common Yellowthroat – 1

Palm Warbler – 5

Pine Warbler – 1

Northern Cardinal – 4

Common Grackle – 77

BUTTERFLIES

White Peacock – 21

Phaon Crescent – 1

Barred Yellow – 16

Tropical Checker – 1

HERPS

Alligator – 11

Brown Anole – 1

Banded Water Snake – 1

Red-bellied Turtle – 5

Florida Chicken Turtle – 2

MAMMALS

River Otter – 2

Raccoon – 1

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Chirp chirp CHECK! Take these wildlife checklists with you when you hit the CREW Trails.

Our volunteer naturalist of many years, Dick Brewer, is well known on our website, blogs and social media for his hours of work as a citizen scientist in the field and for his almost-weekly critter counts.

Now you, too, can complete a critter count! Even if you aren’t quite sure what animals are out there.

Dick has combed through years of observations by himself and others and created two wildlife checklists: one for Bird Rookery Swamp and one for the Cypress Dome Trails. The lists have everything from alligators to skippers, bitterns to bats. Check them out and print a copy for your next visit to the trails!

CYPRESS DOME TRAILS wildlife checklist

BIRD ROOKERY SWAMP Wildlife Checklist

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This week’s Bird Rookery Swamp critter count

Wondering what there is to see – or what may be seeing you – at Bird Rookery Swamp this week? Check out volunteer naturalist Dick Brewer’s critter count!

Bird Rookery Swamp

Monday, September 24 ~~ 7:05 AM – 1:25 PM

temperature: 76..0-93.8º ~~ RH 88.8-56.1%

sky: mostly sunny ~~ wind 0-5 mph

BIRDS

Anhinga – 5

Great Egret – 1

Snowy Egret – 1

Little Blue Heron – 2

Green Heron – 1

Black-crowned Night Heron – 3

White Ibis – 1

Black Vulture – 7

Turkey Vulture – 3

Red-shouldered Hawk – 20

Mourning Dove – 4

Common Ground Dove – 2

Belted Kingfisher – 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 26

Pileated Woodpecker – 6

Great-crested Flycatcher – 5

Eastern Wood Pewee – 1

unknown flycatcher – 1

Carolina Wren – 16

Blue Jay – 3

Tufted Titmouse – 6

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 3

Northern Mockingbird – 3

White-eyed Vireo – 29

Louisiana Waterthrush – 3

Northern Cardinal – 13

Common Grackle – 4

BUTTERFLIES

Tiger Swallowtail – 4

Palamedes Swallowtail – 23

Viceroy – 5

White Peacock – 49

Ruddy Daggerwing – 3

Phaon Crescent – 10

Cloudless Sulphur – 2

Barred Yellow – 1

Brazilian Skipper – 4

Eufala Skipper – 3

Three-spotted Skipper – 53

Tropical Checker – 13

Red-waisted Florella Moth – 2

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 22

Halloween Pennant – 12

Needham’s Skimmer – 3

Blue Dasher – 9

Eastern Amberwing – 1

Citrine Forktail – 3

HERPS

Alligator – 57

Brown Anole – 13

Pig Frog – 7

MAMMALS

White-tailed Deer – 3

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Observations from the Cypress Dome Trails and Caracara Prairie Preserve this week

Volunteer naturalist Dick Brewer donates a lot of time to FWC and the CREW Trust collecting data. From his animal counts on hikes to assisting with Swallow-tailed kite nest monitoring, Dick plays a valuable role as a citizen scientist. This week he spent a long morning hiking the Cypress Dome Trails and Caracara Prairie Preserve. The area is getting quite wet with the week of rain and the marshes are filling up, attracting a lot of wading birds. Check out his observations below from his hike – and this amazing photo he snapped of a Swallow-tailed kite flying back to its nest with a tree frog as a snack.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

7:10 AM -11:40 AM

72.8º-84.4º, overcast

BIRDS

Black-bellied Whistling Duck – 3

Great Egret – 3

Snowy Egret – 17

Little Blue Heron – 9

Tri-colored Heron – 1

Green Heron – 11

White Ibis – 12

Glossy Ibis – 5

Black Vulture – 25

Swallow-tailed Kite – 34

Red-shouldered Hawk – 14

Short-tailed Hawk (white phase) – 1

Common Gallinule – 7

Limpkin – 1

Killdeer – 4

Mourning Dove – 12

Common Ground Dove – 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 19

Pileated Woodpecker – 1

Great-crested Flycatcher – 4

Blue Jay – 5

Carolina Wren – 4

White-eyed Vireo – 4

Pine Warbler – 1

Northern Cardinal – 23

Common Grackle – 3

 

BUTTERFLIES

Bella Moth – 1

Queen – 1

White Peacock – 1

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 7

Carolina Saddlebags – 5

HERPS

Brown Anole – 9

Pig Frog – 7

Florida Cricket Frog – 4

Greenhouse Frog – 2

Green Treefrog – 15

Squirrel Treefrog – 28

Cuban Treefrog – 2

MAMMALS

Raccoon- 1

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Check out what you can see on a shortened hike at Bird Rookery Swamp

We all miss the feel of the grassy tram beneath our feet and the quiet solitude of standing along the edge of the first pond, watching the wading birds feast and preen at Bird Rookery Swamp.

Unfortunately the trail remains closed at the end of the boardwalk as repairs continue on washouts in the back sections. Once those are completed, repairs must be done on the front sections to fill in deep ruts left by the machinery.

In the meantime, fellow lovers of Bird Rookery Swamp, there still is a lot to see. Yesterday a bald eagle was spotted in the parking lot and was later chased away in dramatic fashion by the nesting pair of red-shouldered hawlks. I did not get a photo of the action, but please enjoy this gallery from last week’s (short) free weekly guided walk.

 

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How to make your wildlife observations count

For me, it started with something as simple as an odd bird call.

We heard the loud call at dusk and tiptoed into the backyard. I turned on my phone to record the sound and shushed the kids, afraid we would scare away the bird.

(apologies for the video being sideways- I was a bit excited)

A quick text to a birding friend revealed it was a Chuck-will’s-widow and, while it was new to us, it wasn’t as uncommon as we thought. A little curiosity about our backyard resident led to a bit of research and learning for our family. I added the bird to my lifetime birding list (which is admittedly shorter than I’d like it to be). The experience certainly meant something to my family but, beyond observation, would it count to anyone else?

Making our wildlife observations count is the topic of the CREW Trust’s final Strolling Science Seminar this season. Dr. Win Everham will lead us along the trail at Bird Rookery Swamp in Naples for a hands-on learning experience.

Our everyday observations can be scientific and can help conservation efforts. It’s just a matter of knowing how.

 

One of our volunteers, Tom Mortenson, wanted to learn more about the wildlife in his new Florida home. He set up game cameras, similar to those he had up north, on parts of the CREW Project. That led to his first images of Florida panthers and he now submits the data he collects to the FWC panther biologists. His curiosity led to his contributions as a citizen scientist.

From backyard calls to uncommon sightings, your observations count.

Want to learn how you can also be a citizen scientist? Join us on April 29 at 9 a.m. Tickets are $15 for members, $25 for non-members, and must be purchased in advance (eventbrite.com).

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What you might see at Bird Rookery Swamp this week

On Wednesday, March 22, volunteer Dick Brewer walked the trails at Bird Rookery Swamp and sent us his wildlife observations.

If you are planning on visiting Bird Rookery Swamp this weekend, trail conditions are very dry and water levels are low. Below are Dick’s observations along with photos by Dick and another volunteer, Bill Zaino.

Please note that there are no guarantees that you will see the same animals that were seen on March 22. 

Hikers at Bird Rookery Swamp by Bill Zaino

Bird Rookery Swamp observations

Wednesday, March 22

7:15 a.m. 3:25 p.m.

BIRDS

Anhinga – 23

Great Blue Heron – 4

Great Egret – 38

Little Blue Heron – 11

Tri-Colored Heron – 2

Green Heron by Bill Zaino

Green Heron – 5

Black-crowned Night Heron – 14

White Ibis – 31

Roseate Spoonbill – 4

Roseate Spoonbill by Dick Brewer

Wood Stork – 17

Black Vulture – 117

Turkey Vulture – 33

Red-shouldered Hawk – 25

Common Ground Dove – 4

Mourning Dove – 4

Barred Owl – 3

Belted Kingfisher – 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 30

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1

Downy Woodpecker – 3

Pileated Woodpecker – 7

Eastern Phoebe – 4

Great-crested Flycatcher – 6

Carolina Wren – 23

House Wren – 1

Blue Jay – 1

American Crow – 3

Tufted Titmouse – 16

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 12

Gray Catbird – 34

White-eyed Vireo – 24

Blue-headed Vireo – 1

Ovenbird – 1

Northern Waterthrush – 1

Black-and-white Warbler – 7

Common Yellowthroat – 6

Northern Parula – 10

Black-throated Green Warbler – 2

Black-throated Green Warbler by Dick Brewer

Palm Warbler – 15

Northern Cardinal – 13

Common Grackle – 2

BUTTERFLIES

Spicebush Swallowtail – 3

Palamedes Swallowtail – 18

Tiger Swallowtail – 1

Zebra Longwing – 42

Julia – 3

White Peacock – 62

Gulf Fritillary – 3

Viceroy – 2

Phaon Crescent – 10

Pearl Crescent – 1

Great Southern White – 1

Cassius Blue – 5

Tropical Checker – 3

Red-Waisted Florella Moth – 3

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 26

Needham’s Skimmer – 4

Blue Dasher – 8

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS

Alligator and turtle at Bird Rookery Swamp by Bill Zaino

Alligator – 139

Brown Anole – 2

Red-bellied Turtle – 20

Banded Water Snake – 1

MAMMALS

Gray Squirrel – 1

River Otter – 3

River Otter eating a fish by Bill Zaino

Raccoon – 2

Cottontail Rabbit – 1

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Swallow-tailed Kites are here!

For the last two weeks, the CREW Trust staff and FWC biologists have been anxiously watching the skies.

Why?

It’s Swallow-tailed Kite time.

photo credit: Dick Brewer

Reports trickled in from our volunteers. Jayne posted on Facebook that she saw kites during a hike with students from FGCU on the Marsh Trails . Peggy sent us an email that she saw two at the observation tower at the same trails and they were “calling like crazy!”

I led a small group of volunteers through trail steward training on Sunday and kept one eye on the sky but still, no sightings.

Swallow-tailed kites come to SWFL to breed and are always spotted mid-February, right around Valentine’s Day. Sightings are not limited to our trails, but the birds do require tall trees for nesting and tend to choose open pinewoods near marshes or cypress swamps as their habitat.

photo credit: Dick Brewer

 

In other words, CREW is great breeding spot for them.

The kites will be here until late August. If you’re eager to spot one or two, head out to Cypress Dome Trails (3980 Corkscrew Road) or CREW Marsh Trails (4600 Corkscrew Road) and keep your eyes on the skies!

 

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This week’s Bird Rookery Swamp critter count

Each week volunteers Dick Brewer and Rick Mears walk the trail at Bird Rookery Swamp and complete a critter count. Below is this week’s list. This is a great example of citizen science and we hope you’ll hit the trails and see if you can match any of their findings!

 

Bird Rookery Swamp observations

Tuesday, February 21

6:50 am-2:05 pm

BIRDS

Wood Duck – 2

Mottled Duck – 2

Pied-billed Grebe – 2

Double-crested Cormorant – 16

Anhinga – 21

Great Blue Heron – 16

Great Egret – 48

Snowy Egret – 54

Cattle Egret – 2

Little Blue Heron – 13

Tri-Colored Heron – 14

Green Heron – 13

Black-crowned Night Heron – 23

White Ibis – 90

Roseate Spoonbill – 3

Wood Stork – 4

Black Vulture – 27

Turkey Vulture – 51

Red-shouldered Hawk – 16

Common Gallinule – 2

Limpkin – 1

Mourning Dove – 1

Common Ground Dove – 3

Barred Owl – 3

Belted Kingfisher – 12

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 24

Downy Woodpecker – 2

Pileated Woodpecker – 7

Eastern Phoebe – 4

Great-crested Flycatcher – 13

Carolina Wren – 29

Tufted Titmouse – 6

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 13

Gray Catbird – 20

Northern Mockingbird – 1

White-eyed Vireo – 21

Common Yellowthroat – 2

Palm Warbler – 18

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 3

Northern Cardinal – 5

Common Grackle – 15

 

BUTTERFLIES

Black Swallowtail – 3

Spicebush Swallowtail – 1

Zebra Longwing – 31

Julia – 6

White Peacock – 70

Gulf Fritillary – 4

Phaon Crescent – 10

Great Southern White – 2

Barred Yellow – 2

Cassius Blue – 1

Horace’s Duskywing – 1

Clouded Skipper – 8

Dorantes Longtail – 2

Three-spotted Skipper – 2

Tropical Checker – 2

Red-waisted Florella Moth – 5

unknown skipper – 1

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 11

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS

Alligator – 142

Brown Anole – 5

Red-bellied Turtle – 5

Banded Water Snake – 2

MAMMALS

Gray Squirrel – 1