Tag: birds

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See what’s flitting around Bird Rookery Swamp this week!

Special thanks to volunteer naturalist Dick Brewer, who regularly visits the CREW trails and compiles wildlife counts. This valuable citizen science is shared with the CREW Trust staff and our FWC biologists and helps give us a glimpse of all the wildlife using the trails.

Needham’s Skimmer, identified and photographed by Dick Brewer


Bird Rookery Swamp

Thursday, March 28 ~~ 7:25 AM – 2:10 PM

temperature: 59.3-77.8º ~~ RH 83.9-44.9%

sky: clear ~~ wind 7-12 mph

BIRDS

Common Gallinule – 1

Double-crested Cormorant – 1

Anhinga – 10

Great Blue Heron – 2

Great Egret – 12

Snowy Egret – 1

Little Blue Heron – 5

Tri-colored Heron – 1

Black-crowned Night Heron – 2

White Ibis – 72

Black Vulture – 3

Turkey Vulture – 4

Swallow-tailed Kite – 7

Red-shouldered Hawk – 23

Belted Kingfisher – 4

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 23

Downy Woodpecker – 3

Pileated Woodpecker – 5

Great-crested Flycatcher – 3

Eastern Phoebe –  1

White-eyed Vireo – 19

Blue Jay – 1

American Crow – 2

Tufted Titmouse – 9

Carolina Wren – 17

House Wren – 1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 2

Gray Catbird – 13

Common Grackle – 9

Palm Warbler –  2

Northern Cardinal – 13

BUTTERFLIES

Palamedes Swallowtail – 3

Tiger Swallowtail – 1

Ruddy Daggerwing – 1

White Peacock – 61

Gulf Fritillary – 1

Phaon Crescent – 1

Tropical Checker – 3

DRAGONFLIES

Eastern Pondhawk – 72

Blue Dasher – 82

Blue Dasher, identified and photographed by Dick Brewer

Needham’s Skimmer – 18

Regal Darner – 3

Halloween Pennant – 1

Slaty Skimmer – 1

REPTILES

Alligator – 41

Brown Anole – 1

Red-bellied Turtle – 3

MAMMALS

White-tailed Deer – 1

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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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You’re invited to our first annual Family Fun Day!

As part of our commitment to teaching people of all ages about our mission to protect the watershed and wildlife of the 60,000 acre CREW Project, the CREW Land & Water Trust will host its first annual Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Cypress Dome Trails, located just 15 minutes east of I-75 at 3980 Corkscrew Road, Immokalee FL 34142.

So, what exactly is going on, and why?

We are passionate about helping families connect with nature. So many students come to the trails on school field trips, and our hope is that they will return with their families. At the same time, we know from leading walks that many people need a guiding hand to help them reach the comfort level they need to walk the trails with family and friends.

On Saturday, when families arrive, children will receive a Nature Passport and travel to 10 different stations. They’ll measure their wingspan to see if they can reach as wide as an eagle, they’ll check out a camping demonstration in our primitive and private camping site, they’ll learn about the birds that might see on the CREW Trails and head out on a guided walk with one of our volunteer naturalists. On the walk, families will learn about the flora and fauna around them and hopefully become more comfortable on the trails and more interested in the ecosystems around them.

This event is free for members and $5 per family for non-members. You can register on eventbrite or at the event. Please wear appropriate footwear for sandy trails and bring water and snacks.

We hope to see you Saturday!

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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

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Guided Hikes at CREW Trails Starting in November

guided hike

Join our excellent volunteers for an entertaining and informative 2.5-hour guided walk on a portion of the Bird Rookery Swamp trails near Naples, FL. Learn the history, see wildlife and enjoy the view.BRS eventbrite pic

 

  • Wednesdays (9:00 – 11:30 AM) – November through April
  • 1st Sundays (1:30 – 4 PM) – November through April
  • 4th Saturdays (9 – 11:30 AM) – November through August

The Bird Rookery Swamp Trail is part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (owned by the South Florida Water Management District). It includes a 1500 ft. boardwalk and nearly 12 miles of raised trails on old railroad trams. The cypress/maple swamp is home to wading birds, owls, deer, bear, panther, bobcat, limpkins, and much more.

Register ahead at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/bird-rookery-swamp-guided-walks-tickets-17327245257

 

Join CREW Land & Water Trust volunteer and FL Master Naturalist, Dr. David Cooper, for a humorous and informative 2.5 to 3-hour guided walk at the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails. Learn about the watershed as a whole, view wildflowers, animal signs, birds, butterflies, and more.marsh trails for eventbrite

  • 1st and 3rd Tuesday (9:00-12:00) November-April
  • 2nd Saturday  (9:00-12:00) November-April

 

The CREW Marsh Trails are part of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (owned by the South Florida Water Management District). These trails meander through pine flatwoods, along the edge of the marsh, to oak hammock and popash slough. The Marsh Trails are home to FL black bears, FL panthers, bobcats, limpkins, many songbirds, and more.

Register ahead at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/crew-marsh-trails-guided-walks-registration-17800793653

 

 

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A View of Bird Rookery Swamp- Water on the Trails

Black and White Warbler
Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, September 5 ~ 7:15 am–1:15 pm
“Below are my observations from today at Bird Rookery Swamp (BRS). Not a bad day for birding, especially with more Barn Swallows over the meadow opposite the start of the boardwalk and a small “flock” of Eastern Kingbirds between markers 6 & 3. Attached is a photo of a Black-and-white Warbler that was prying little insects from bark crevices in a cypress near Ida’s Pond; it has one in its bill. Ida wasn’t visible while either going out or coming back. Several pairs of hikers armed with cameras were on the trails plus two bicyclers; the bikers turned back a little past marker 3 toward marker 6 when the mud got slippery and the water was flowing over the trail. Other than that, a nice day!

Black and White Warbler
Black and White Warbler

BIRDS
Anhinga – 1
Great Blue Heron – 2
Great Egret – 4
Snowy Egret – 9
Little Blue Heron – 11
Tri-colored Heron – 10
Green Heron – 8
White Ibis – 6
Black Vulture – 71
Turkey Vulture – 12
Red-shouldered Hawk – 7
Mourning Dove – 2
Common Ground Dove – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 13
Pileated Woodpecker – 5
Great-crested Flycatcher – 2
Eastern Kingbird – 7
Barn Swallow – 46
Blue Jay – 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 3
Tufted Titmouse – 10
Carolina Wren – 12
Northern Mockingbird – 1
White-eyed Vireo – 13
Prothonotary Warbler – 1
Northern Parula – 1
Black-and-white Warbler – 1
Ovenbird – 1
Louisiana Waterthrush – 1
Northern Cardinal – 12
Common Grackle – 7

BUTTERFLIES
Palamedes Swallowtail – 11
Spicebush Swallowtail – 4
Ruddy Daggerwing – 8
Zebra Longwing – 1
White Peacock – 15
Gulf Fritillary – 1
Viceroy – 1
Common Buckeye – 1
Pearl Crescent – 1
Cloudless Sulphur – 3
Brazilian Skipper – 7
Silver-spotted Skipper – 1
Tropical Checker – 2

DRAGONFLIES
Eastern Pondhawk – 34
Eastern Amberwing – 2
Blue Dasher – 3

MAMMALS
Raccoon – 2
Cottontail Rabbit – 1

REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
Alligator – 39
Brown Anole – 13
Red-bellied Turtle – 1
Pig Frog – 17
Greenhouse Frog – 2
Green Treefrog – 1
Cuban Treefrog – 1 “

By Dick Brewer
http://www.dickbrewer.org/CREW.html
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Swallow-tailed Kite Roost in CREW

Swallow-tailed kite roost

Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission biologist Kathleen Smith shot this photo of a swallow-tailed kite roost in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary just over the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp border while doing wading bird survey flights over CREW in June.

Swallow-tailed kites migrate to southwest Florida from South America (Brazil) to nest during our spring/summer seasons. By June, the young are fledging and flying with the adults in preparation for their journey back to South America in August. Here, you can count as many as 19 birds roosting together on one tree with a few others scattered in nearby trees.

The Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) provides critical habitat for this at-risk species. Your support of CREW and other conservation organizations that protect habitat helps species like these kites survive.

Learn more from Audubon’s WatchList

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