Everglades Birding Festival
This past Friday and Saturday I participated in the 15th Annual Everglades Birding Festival. The event is organized by Paddy Cunningham of Birding Adventures. Each day trip started at 7am and ended at 5:30pm.
Friday I went on the “South Dade Hotspots” trip and Saturday the “Stormwater Treatment Area 1 & Palm Beach Wetlands” trip. My total event cost was $330 ($50 registration fee, $125 for each trip, and two $15 “quick dinners” at the end of each evening program). At the end of each trip I was tired and ready to get back to my RV so I didn’t eat the dinners or stay for the evening programs.
Friday’s trip began at Pine Woods Park where the target bird was the Scaly-breasted Munia. We found it right away. Two were in tall grass near the park entrance - a male and female. A small flock of about eight more munias flew by but didn’t hang around. Our birding group found some other interesting vireos and warblers high in the trees but there was no shot to be had. We did run across a female or immature male Painted Bunting but it was deep in the tree with its tail toward the camera. She slightly turned her head a bit, but I really couldn’t get a good shot.
Scaly-breasted Munia (male). My first lifer on this trip. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 560.
Scaly-breasted Munia (female). Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1250.
Gray Catbird. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 2200.
Painted Bunting. This immature male or female Painted Bunting has different shades of green feathers and is therefore known as a “Greenie.” Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 3200.
Eastern Phoebe. Enjoying a tasty bug meal, I think dragonfly. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 900.
Our group then went to Castellow Hammock Park to find hummingbirds and Painted Buntings. We didn’t see any buntings but we were successful in finding hummingbirds. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were buzzing about, going from one pollinator-friendly plant to another near the entrance to the nature center. In an effort to get good sun angle on the hummingbirds, I broke away from the main group who had spotted a warbler high up in the trees. That’s when I noticed a Northern Parula at eye level in a shaded bush. Then, a Prairie Warbler popped out on a nearby branch. I was thrilled! I tried to get the attention of the group, but at the same time I didn’t want to scare off the birds and miss shots. I never got their attention and I think I was the only one to see them.
Northern Parula. This bird was in deep shade, so I had to crank the ISO all the way to 11,400. Topaz Photo AI did a good job of cleaning up the noise. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 11400.
Prairie Warbler. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 10000.
Prairie Warbler. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 9000.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/3200 sec, ISO 2200.
We went to a few other places on Friday in search of rare birds but we didn’t have any luck. Still, it was a good day of birding and I enjoyed myself.
Saturday’s trip began at Ocean Ridge Hammock Park in Boynton Beach where there were reports of Black and Surf Scoters and King Eider. We did not see the King Eider but there were a couple dozen Black Scoters about a hundred yards offshore - directly into the sunlight. I took a few shots, but all were unsuccessful due to the direction of the light. With conditions working against me, I started looking for other subjects. That’s when I noticed a small flock of about 8 Sanderlings scurrying about the shoreline. I plopped down on the beach and took a few shots as they ran by.
Sanderling. Nikon Z8 with handheld Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 720.
Having not seen the King Eider, I think most of the group left the beach feeling a bit disappointed. But the disappointment was short-lived as we moved on to nearby Boynton Beach Inlet Park. While there were no exotics at the park, we did find a dozen Ruddy Turnstones on the pier, Brown Pelicans flying about, Boat-tailed Grackles making a racket as usual, and a variety of egrets, gulls, and terns.
Brown Pelican. This pelican is non-breeding as indicated by the brown feathers on the head. During the breeding season, the plumage turns bright yellow on the head and white on the neck. Nikon Z8 with handheld Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1250.
Still wanting to see Painted Buntings, our group drove over to Okeeheelee Park and went to the Nature Center. Millet feeders are placed all around the Nature Center and we sat on them for a good 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes of patiently waiting, a male Painted Bunting flew out of the brush and onto the feeder, and almost nearly as fast a Blue Jay swooped onto the feeder chasing the bunting away. We never saw him again. Some saw it, some didn’t, no one got a good photo.
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly. Sometimes you photograph non-birds while waiting on your target bird to make an appearance. :-). Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 1600.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/3200 sec, ISO 2200.
Following lunch our group next headed to Paul Rardin Park on the southeast side of Lake Okeechobee. There were recent sightings of a Vermilion Flycatcher and it didn’t take long for our group of 25 or so birders to find it. Like the Vermilion Flycatcher I recently photographed in Foley, AL, this one was perched on a chain-link fence. He stayed that way for some time while the group watched him from a good distance. Eventually the group moved on to find something else and I slowly made my way back to that area where the flycatcher had moved in a little closer and perched on a dike.
Vermilion Flycatcher. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 3600.
Like everywhere else we had been on this trip Boat-tailed Grackles were omnipresent and making all kind of noise. Sometimes it seemed they were hollering at me to photograph them. “Look at me! Take my picture!” So of course I did. There was one grackle at this park that was particularly noisy, so I took this photo. With its light blue nictitating membrane down, it’s pretty scary looking!
Boat-tailed Grackle. Now that’s an angry bird! Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2500 sec, ISO 5000.
Our last stop of the day was the Stormwater Treatment A1-FEB storage impoundment. As we drove onto the access road, we immediately saw a variety of birds in a flooded impoundment area on the left side of the gravel road. In this one pond we saw Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilt, Tricolored Heron, Wood Storks, flying Black Skimmers, Wilson’s Snipe, Snowy Egret, Limpkin, and many more. It was terrific. As good as this area was, a flash of pink caught my eye in an area about 50 yards further down the road. There were two Roseate Spoonbills and I immediately started in that direction. While walking there, eight more Roseate Spoonbills flew in! Then, they all decided to cross the road! They hung out for a bit, keeping a close eye on the large group of birders - a telltale sign that the people were already too close. Then the birders starting moving in even closer. That’s all it took, as all the spoonbills took to the air never to be seen again.
Limpkin. Ruffled up before shaking to dry off. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 6400.
Roseate Spoonbill crossing the road. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 2200.
Wood Stork. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 3600.
Roseate Spoonbills. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 2800.
Roseate Spoonbill. Nikon Z8 with handheld Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 4000.
Roseate Spoonbill and Snowy Egret. These two were exhibiting cooperative feeding behavior as they rooted around in the shallow water. Nikon Z8 with handheld Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2500 sec, ISO 2800.
Finally, the Black Skimmers were putting on a real show as they skimmed the pond feeding on small fish. And they were successful too! I didn’t realize how many fish they were catching until I checked my photos but I have several shots where they snagged a fish on their runs. It must be why they were feeding in the late afternoon, which is an unusual time for them to feed. Usually they fish at night, so it was a nice treat for the out-of-town birders to see these birds in action.
Black Skimmer. Typical feeding behavior, with long lower bill in the water which snaps shut when it hits something. Nikon Z8 with handheld Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/3200 sec, ISO 2800.
Black Skimmer. Success! Nikon Z8 with handheld Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/3200 sec, ISO 4000.
I had a nice time at the Everglades Birding Festival and look forward to next year when I can hopefully participate on more days. My only recommendation for anyone attending is to bring your own lunch and snacks, especially if you have a special diet. These were long days in a jam-packed van so you at least want to have some good food with you. Otherwise, it was good birding and the participants and the guides were all very friendly.
Happy birding!
