Life Birds of Everglades National Park (Florida)

Before our trip to Florida, we went to the library to borrow books and Field Guides. There were 2 life birds that I really, really wanted to see. The Magnificent Frigatebird and the Snail Kite.

I had seen many pictures of the Magnificent Frigatebird and couldn't wait to see it in real life! The male has this strange red throat pouch that can be inflated like a balloon when it is breeding. I read that its wingspan is 200cm and longer than its body! It can fly for days and days before landing.

...so I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it!!! I was so excited!

                                                          Male Magnificent Frigatebird

                                                        Female Magnificent Frigatebird

                                                    Immature Magnificent Frigatebird

The other bird I really wanted to see was the Snail Kite. It is a raptor that feeds only on apple snails. It has a very deeply hooked beak, so as to dig into the snails to feed. It was already the last day of our trip and we still had not seen any Snail Kites. We decided to stop our car behind a large field and eat lunch before moving off. We were munching on our sandwiches and looking out into the field when suddenly, a large black raptor with an orange bill swooped down into the field. We couldn't believe our eyes! The snail kite!!! Dad took out his spotting scope and we all had a good look. We actually saw it feeding on the snails.

Snail kite

This is truly one of my favourite birding trips! Besides Yellowstone NP, of course!

Birding Florida (Trip report 1 year late!)

Exams are over (did I say that already?) and I finally have some time to sit down and reminisce about the wonderful time spent in USA. It was never hot or humid in America and we could hike for hours. Bird watching was so fun! How I miss America!

Anyway, it was almost spring last year when dad decided to visit Everglades National Park. Before it got too hot. It is the must-see place for all birders. I was so excited! We flew into Florida and drove to the National Park. Everglades NP is a wetland reserve, just like Sungei Buloh, except that it was a hundred times bigger.

There are many different ecosystems in Everglades NP. There are fresh water sloughs where all the wading birds are. There are mangrove swamps which we kayaked around and there are hardwood hammocks and pineland which we drove around, birding from the car until the sun went down or walking in the trails.        

The most common wildlife there is the alligator. And there were lots! They even laid lazily across the roads that people had to walk or drive around them.

Here are some of the birds we saw on the first day. And that was only the beginning. It just got better and better!

Double crested cormorants



Mummy Anhiga



Anhiga Nestlings

                    

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

Tricoloured Heron

Immature Tricoloured Heron

Tricoloured Heron

Green Heron

Little blue heron

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Great Egret

White Ibis

Roseatte Spoonbill (such a strange and big beautiful bird!)

Woodstock

Least Sandpipers (can you spot them?)

                                                                   Semipalmated Plover

Spotted Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Common Moorhen 

Purple Gallinule

                                                                    Pied billed Grebe

Black Vulture (scary!)

Turkey Vulture (eww!!)

American Kestrel

Osprey

                                                                Red Shouldered Hawk

                                                                 Broad Winged Hawk

                                                                        Northern Harrier

Tree Swallows

                                                                   Belted Kingfisher

                                                     Northern Cardinal (my old friend!)

Northern Mockingbird (something looks wrong with its bill)

                                                                   Eastern Kingbird

But the best was yet to come....Stay tuned!

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve again!

My parents and I decided to take another jaunt in Sungei Buloh before school reopens.
It's always fun to see my "old friends" and spot new ones!

 Purple Heron

 Whimbrel

Pacific Golden Plover 

 Little Heron

We also saw non-bird wildlife, like

 Giant Mudskipper

Malayan Water Monitor Lizard 

                                                                  Some kind of tree snake

Flying Tree Snake 

Plantain Squirrel

I'm beginning to like Sungei Buloh a lot!