Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

Twenty birders joined Paul Bithorn and me for TAS's annual field trip to the Everglades Agricultural Area in Palm Beach County. We searched for flooded fields along US 27, but didn't find much. In rice fields just south of the intersection of US 27 with CR 827, a King Rail was seen, but only by the lead vehicle. Mottled Duck, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black-necked Stilt and Black Tern were also seen in this area.

We next visited the Six Mile Bend area, on CR 880 east of Belle Glade. Along the way, four Yellow-crowned Night-Heron were spotted in a bush at the intersection of CR 827 and SR 80. Flooded fields at the intersection of CR 880 and Browns Farm Road held large numbers of shorebirds, most notably Wilson's Phalarope (seventeen, by one count) and American Avocet (at least a dozen). Other birds seen here included Roseate Spoonbill, Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Stilt, Least, Pectoral, Semipalmated and Western Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Gull-billed, Caspian and Black Tern and Black Skimmer.

We searched for Upland Sandpipers on sod fields at Six Mile Bend and on Hatton Highway between US 441 and CR 700, but only found more Black-bellied Plovers, Killdeer and Pectoral Sandpipers. Our only rain shower of the day was while were at the Hatton Highway sod fields, but it only lasted a few minutes.

After lunch in Wellington, we visited the Sem-Chi rice plant. The only blackbirds seen there were Red-winged and the only cowbirds seen were Brown-headed. Our only Wood Storks for the day were at semi-flooded fields south of Sem-Chi. Roseate Spoonbills, a few shorebirds (yellowlegs, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers, dowitchers) and Gull-billed and Black Terns were also here. We checked the rice plant again on the way out, then called it a day.