Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, October 31
7:25 am-1:00 pm
“The water is slowly receding, but there are still wet areas and muddy spots between markers 6 and 3. Heading out early in the morning, I could only find 11 gators, but on my way back in the late morning and early afternoon, 38 more had appeared. I think Ida moved from her pond to the ditch beside the gravel path, close to the kiosk. She was in
the water there right around sunrise and was basking on the far bank in the early afternoon. Baby gators were chirping close to her vicinity.
An interesting sighting around 1 o’clock in the afternoon was an immature Common Gallinule foraging in the southeast corner of the parking lot pond near Shady Hollow. It had the adult call and size, but its shield and bill hadn’t turned adult colors.”
BIRDS
Anhinga – 14
Great Blue Heron – 6
Great Egret – 7
Little Blue Heron – 17
Tri-colored Heron – 3
Green Heron – 12
Black-crowned Night Heron – 11
Yellow-crowned Night Heron – 1
White Ibis – 54
Black Vulture – 24
Turkey Vulture – 10
Osprey – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 18
Common Gallinule – 1
Limpkin – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 20
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Great-crested Flycatcher – 7
Eastern Phoebe – 13
Blue Jay – 1
American Crow – 4
Tufted Titmouse – 9
Carolina Wren – 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 19
Northern Mockingbird – 2
Loggerhead Shrike – 1
Gray Catbird – 39
White-eyed Vireo – 1
Palm Warbler – 8
Common Yellowthroat – 5
Northern Cardinal – 5
Common Grackle – 20
BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 9
Tiger Swallowtail – 9
Ruddy Daggerwing – 3
White Peacock – 106
Viceroy – 2
Phaon Crescent – 7
Pearl Crescent – 3
Cloudless Sulphur – 1
Barred Yellow – 13
Brazilian Skipper – 32
Dorantes Longtail – 2
Tropical Checker – 2
DRAGONFLIES/DAMSELFLIES
Eastern Pondhawk – 27
Needham’s Skimmer – 16
Blue Dasher – 5
MAMMALS
Gray Squirrel – 2
REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
Alligator – 49
Brown Anole – 14
Green Anole – 3
Yellow Rat Snake – 1
Red-bellied Turtle – 3
Green Treefrog – 11
By Dick Brewer