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Florida Field Naturalist

PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Vol. 39, No. 4 November 2011 Pages 111-156

Florida Field Naturalist 39(4):11M15, 2011.

YEAR-ROUND RESIDENT WHITE-EYED VIREOS

(Vireo griseus) IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

Peter H. Homann

117 Ridgeland Road , Tallahassee Florida 32312-1906
E-Mail: phhomann@yahoo.com

Abstract.— In the Panhandle of North Florida, White-eyed Vireos ( Vireo griseus )
are relatively common in the summer but quite rare in the winter. Because White-eyed
Vireos farther south in peninsular Florida apparently are non-migratory, year-round
residency might be assumed also for at least some individuals in the Florida Panhandle.
Using data from recaptures of banded White-eyed Vireos on a study area in suburban
Tallahassee in the Panhandle, I have confirmed permanent residency for four out of
thirteen wintering individuals, and provide evidence that such a status is very likely
for at least one other. Two of the year-round residents occupied their home range for
several years.

The White-eyed Vireo ( Vireo griseus) of North Florida is the
nominate subspecies Vireo g. griseus and was described by Stevenson
and Anderson (1994) as a permanent resident of most of Florida but
“generally rare in the Panhandle” during the winter season. Wheeler
(2003), in Florida's Breeding Bird Atlas, writes that “(i)n winter the
resident population shifts southward.” Nevertheless, among the White-
eyed Vireos wintering in Florida’s Panhandle may be non-migratory
individuals from the local breeding population. A case of year-round
residency of a White-eyed Vireo in the southern United States north of
the Gulf coast has been reported by Somershoe and Twedt (2005) for
Louisiana, but for the Florida Panhandle no evidence for year-round
residency appears to have been published, and none exists among the
encounter records of the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. With data
collected during banding operations covering the period from 2000
through 2010 I now document such a status for some individuals
wintering in the Tallahassee area of the Florida Panhandle.

ill

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Methods

Mist nets for capturing passerine birds were distributed over approximately 1.5 ha
consisting of my home’s backyard in suburban Tallahassee and a partially wooded area
to its south about six times larger (Homann 2008). I used four to nine nets (12 and 9 m),
and the effort amounted to about 1,000 net hours per month (based on 12 m net length)
in late summer and early fall but dropped to about 550 net hours per month in mid
November through February. During the nesting period in the summer only 2-4 nets
were used and effort was typically less than 200 net hours per month. All individuals
were banded with USGS aluminum bands when first captured. A White-eyed Vireo was
considered an overwinterer when I captured it at least once between 10 November and
20 February which I consider to be the period between the end of fall migration and the
beginning of spring migration (cf. Crawford 1981).

Results

From 2000 through 2010 I banded 333 White-eyed Vireos, most of
them transient migrants. On the basis of physiological characteristics
like brood patch or cloacal protuberance (Pyle 1997), I identified
20 individuals to be breeders on or near my study area, and from
observations of behavior like singing or association with confirmed
breeders I suspected breeding of additional nine individuals. I counted
the largest number of possible breeding birds in the summer of 2004
when I identified five breeders and one suspected breeder. The lowest
number was one suspected breeder in the summer of 2006.

In the eleven winters covered by this study, I recorded 21 incidences
of overwintering by 13 individuals, two of them documented to be
present in two successive winters, one in three and one in five winters.
Interestingly, all these individuals were hatch-year birds when I first
recorded them in a winter except the one registered in five winters. I
had banded it as an after-hatch-year bird on 28 February 2001, possibly
after it had spent the winter on or near my study site. This individual
and three other wintering birds turned out to be year-round residents
because I recaptured them in breeding condition. The pattern of capture
records of each of these four individuals as a function of calendar year
is presented in Fig. 1 that identifies them by the last three digits of
their band numbers 329, 328, 172 and 676, respectively. Next to the
number of each individual I provide in parentheses the cumulative
number of captures. Documented presence of an individual is shown as
a horizontal bar on which confirmed breeder status is highlighted by
black shading of the respective summer period.

Fig. 1 also provides information about two other birds that may
have been year-round residents but not on the study-site proper. I
banded White-eyed Vireo #464 as a very young fledgling on 15 July
2001; I recaptured it the following winter on 10 February, and again
on 23 February, but after that not until 28 November. Lack of a record
for the intervening summer precludes conclusions about breeding,

Homann — Year-Round Resident White-eyed Vireos

113

Figure 1. Documented and possible year-round resident White-eyed Vireos
on a 1.5 ha suburban location in North Florida’s Panhandle. Each individual
is identified with the last three digits of its USGS aluminum band. The
total number of captures for each is given by the number in parentheses.
Each period is subdivided into breeding season (15 March-31 July), fall (1
September-10 November) and winter (10 November-20 February), and the
captures documenting presence of an individual in any of these seasons are
shown as horizontal gray bars on which evidence of breeding is highlighted
by black shading. Wintering status of #329 in winter 2000/2001 is tentative
because capture was on 28 February, 8 days after what I defined as winter.
This is indicated by omitting the gray shading of the bar.

but because the bird had been raised locally it presumably remained
not far from the study location. Individual #788 was banded on 6
November 2008, then twice in the winter and finally on 8 May 2009.
Having neither a brood patch nor a distinct cloacal protuberance at
that date it could have been a tardy migrant from the north, but I did
not detect any fat deposits that would have suggested future migratory
activity. This bird may have been single and left the study area to
breed elsewhere.

Individuals #329 and #676 were males and individuals #172 and
#328 were females, the latter sharing my location as a breeder with
male #329 in 2001, 2002 and 2003 but pairing with it only in 2003.
The female #172 was documented in 2004 near a banded male that I
monitored during the years 2003 through 2007. Its very spotty capture
history during that period did not allow me to confirm wintering
unequivocally as the bird apparently spent much of its time outside
my study area. On the other hand, for two other males recorded as
breeders in more than one summer I obtained no hint at all at possible
wintering.

Discussion

Because the nominate subspecies Vireo g. griseus of the White-
eyed Vireo is a partial migrant (Hopp et al. 1995), it is to be expected
that the proportion of non-migratory individuals in local populations

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

of any particular geographic region will increase as latitude decreases

(Lack 1943, Biebach 1983). Studying the White-eyed Vireo 200 km
ESE from here near Gainesville on the Florida peninsula, Bradley
(1981) stated that the population there is “apparently nonmigratory”
and, on the basis of data from a bird banding project, Richard Poole
(in litt.) considers this to be the fact for central Florida 150 km farther
south in the vicinity of Orlando. It is unknown, however, whether
members of these populations, especially the latter one, carry traits
of the sedentary Vireo g. maynardi subspecies of South Florida (cf.
Stevenson and Anderson 1994). Such considerations do not apply to
the White-eyed Vireos of North Florida’s Panhandle for which I have
now documented year-round residency of some individuals. The small
size of my study area precluded gathering sufficient data to arrive at
any definitive statement regarding the local wintering population.
The records of the Bird Banding Laboratory list an after-hatch year
individual that was banded with band #220085293 on 11 October
2002, approximately 250 km NNW of my site near Auburn, Alabama,
and was found freshly dead in Tallahassee two months later on 16
December. This could be taken as evidence for migrants from farther
north wintering in this area of the Florida Panhandle, but such an
inference is compromised by the fact that a blood sample had been
taken from the bird at the time of banding to test for West Nile Virus.
While it is generally assumed that the procedure has no significant
adverse effects, published reports to the contrary (cf. Voss et al. 2010)
raise the possibility that the individual in question was weakened and
might have continued its southward migration beyond Tallahassee
under normal circumstances. Nevertheless, migrants from the north
may well be among the local wintering population, but I suspect that
most, if not all, the individuals that I did not recapture after having
confirmed them to be wintering were birds from this area. All of
them were hatch-year birds, and it is likely, therefore, that they were
scouting the region for unclaimed territories where they could settle in
the summer for breeding.

Note added in proofs Male #676 was recaptured 30 September
2011. It had been confirmed as an overwinterer before and after being
documented as a breeder in 2010 (see Fig. 1). Even though I did not
capture this individual in the summer of 2011, its recent capture very
likely reveals another case of year-round residency in the same area
for more than one year.

Acknowledgments

I thank Danny Bystrak and Matthew Rogosky of the Bird Banding Laboratory at the
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland, for making available the White-
eyed Vireo encounter records, and Geoffrey Hill in Auburn, Alabama, and Charles LeC-

Homann -Year-Round Resident White-eyed Vireos

115

roy of Tallahassee for information about a banded individual of interest and the permis-
sion to use the data. I am grateful, furthermore, to the Bird Banding Laboratory and the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for supporting my banding activi-
ties, to a reviewer for constructive criticism, and to the Managing Editor of the Florida
Field Naturalist, Tom Webber, for encouragement and many helpful suggestions.

Literature Cited

Bradley, R. A. 1981. Song variation within a population of White-eyed Vireos ( Vireo
griseus ). Auk 98:80-87.

Biebach, H, 1983. Genetic determination of partial migration in the European Robin
(. Erithacus ruhecula). Auk 100:601-606.

Crawford, R. 1981. Bird Casualties at a Leon County Florida TV Tower: A 25 Year
Migration Study. Bulletin of Tall Timbers Research Station 22:1-29.

Homann, P. H. 2008. Wintering-site persistence and fidelity of eight passerine migrants
at a location in northern Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 36:23-32

Hopp, S. L., A. Kirby, and C. A. Boone. 1995. White-eyed Vireo ( Vireo griseus ). In The
Birds of North America, No. 168 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural
Sciences, Philadelphia, and the American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Lack, D. 1943. The problem of partial migration. British Birds 37:122-130.

Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American birds. Part I. Columbidae to
Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California.

Somershoe, S. G., and D. J. Twedt. 2005. Winter status of White-eyed Vireos in
northeastern Louisiana. North American Bird Bander 30:101-103.

Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. University Press of
Florida, Gainesville.

Voss, M., D. Shutler, and J. Warner. 2010. A hard look at blood sampling of birds. Auk
127:704-708.

Wheeler, M. C. 2003. White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus. In Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission. Florida’s Breeding Bird Atlas: A Collaborative Study of
Florida’s Birdlife. <http://myfwc.com/bba/> (accessed 25 June 2010).

Florida Field Naturalist 30{4):116-125, 2011.

KELP GULL (Lams dominicanus) IN PASCO COUNTY:
FIRST RECORD FOR FLORIDA

Bill Pranty1, Ed Kwater2, and David Gagne3
18515 Village Mill Row , Bayonet Point , Florida 34667-2662

E-mail : hillpranty@hotmail.com

23803 Cloverhill Court } Brandon , Florida 33511

3 35 11 Rockaway Drive , Holiday , Florida 34691

Abstract*— We describe the discovery of a third-cycle Kelp Gull ( Lams dominica-
nus) at Anelote Gulf Park, Holiday, Pasco County, Florida, from 28 December 2010 to
8 January 2011. Identification was based on review of high-quality digital photographs
and from extended field study. Eight of nine ornithologists familiar with the intricacies
of gull identification agreed with the identification. The Florida Ornithological Society
Records Committee reviewed the record (FOSRC 2011-838) and accepted the Kelp Gull
as a natural vagrant. This observation represents the first record for Florida. We sum-
marize the history of Kelp Gulls in North America and detail the two previous unac-
cepted reports from Florida.

At 0727 hours on 28 December 2010, while participating in the
West Pasco Christmas Bird Count, Frank Brandt, Bob Lane, and
Steve Mann found a black-backed gull at Anelote Gulf Park, Holiday,
Pasco County, Florida (28.19307°N, ~82.78885°W). The park fronts the
Gulf of Mexico along the Pasco County mainland, 2.25 km north of
the Pinellas County line, and lies along the northern canal of Progress
Energy’s Anelote power plant. Mann obtained five photographs of
the gull as it rested on a mudflat. Subsequent examination of these
photographs suggested that the gull might be a Kelp Gull (. Larus
dominicanus ) rather than the more likely Lesser Black-backed Gull
(L. fuscus ) or Great Black-backed Gull (L. marinus). Gagne and Pranty
searched for the gull during the afternoon of 30 December 2010, when
it was not found, and during the morning of 3 January 2011, when it
was rediscovered and photographed. During the next two mornings,
the Kelp Gull was studied and extensively photographed (e.g., Figs.
1-2) as it roosted on intertidal fiats and fed on catfish carcasses lying
on the fiats or floating in shallow water. On 6 January, the gull was
observed offshore “harassing some Common Loons [ Gavin immer ] and
other gulls” (K. Tracey in litt.) but it never landed on the flats. The
following day, the gull was viewed for more than three hours as it

116

Pranty et al. — Kelp Gull in Florida

117

roosted on the water but it again avoided the flats. The Kelp Gull was
last seen shortly after sunrise on 8 January 2011 as it stood in shallow
water and then flew past the park’s fishing pier.

Results

Description. — Series of photographs of the Kelp Gull were taken
by Tony Cambria on 3 January 2011, Steve Mann the following day,
and Mark Berney on 5 January. The following description is based on
examination of these photographs by us and others, as well as detailed
field notes taken by Kwater immediately after viewing the gull from
ca. 0730-0900 hours on 4 January 2011. Kwater observed the Kelp Gull
in excellent light with a lOx binocular and a 32 x spotting scope at
distances of less than 30 meters on a day with little wind. For most
of the observation period, the gull rested and foraged on an intertidal
flat near the fishing pier, but it also flew past the pier several times at
distances of less than 15 meters.

First impressions were of a large, black-backed gull virtually
identical in size to American Herring Gulls ( Larus argentatus
smithsonianus ) in direct comparison, but with a slightly heavier body.
The bird’s proportions were more reminiscent of a Great Black-backed
Gull, with a bulky head, massive bill, relatively short wings, and
long legs. The head shape varied from rounded to blocky depending
on posture, and the crown often appeared flattened. The head, neck,
underparts, and tail were wholly white, lacking any dark markings.
When the gull was at rest, the back, scapulars, tertials, and folded
wings were black or blackish. The gull showed narrow white scapular
crescents and broad white tertial crescents, the latter merging with
exposed white-tipped secondaries to form a white margin on the
trailing edge of the closed wing. Four primaries (P6-P9) were always
visible while at rest, with P5 occasionally visible just beyond the tertial
crescent (M. Berney in litt.). The primary projection beyond the tail tip
was about one-third the length of the longest tertial, with the tail tip
aligned close to P7.

The bill was proportionately massive and thick, perhaps even more
so than that of a Great Black-backed Gull in our experience. The bill
was bright yellow with a large red to red-orange gonydeal spot and a
duller, grayer tip. The gonydeal angle was very pronounced. Leg color
was somewhat difficult to assess but the tibia appeared to be either
bluish-gray or greenish-gray, with a definite yellow tinge around the
heel joints. The tarsus, toes, and webbing between them were grayish-
yellow, tinged with pink. The irides were clear, straw yellow. The color
of the orbital rings was difficult to discern because of distance, lighting,
and the proximity to the yellow irides, but were alternately described

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Pranty et al . — Kelp Gull in Florida

119

Figure 1. (Top Left) Third-cycle Kelp Gull (right) and first-cycle American
Herring Gull at Anclote Gulf Park, Holiday, Pasco County, Florida, 4 January
2011. The Kelp Gull was virtually identical in size to American Herring Gulls
but had a massive bill with a sharper gonydeal angle and longer legs. In this
photograph, the Kelp Gull appears adult-like, but when in flight or when
its wings were extended, it showed characters of third-cycle plumage. The
Kelp Gull dominated other gulls that attempted to feed on catfish carcasses.
Photograph by Steve Mann.

Figure 2. (Bottom Left) Third-cycle Kelp Gull at Anclote Gulf Park, Holiday,
Pasco County, Florida, 4 January 2011. The wings were dark with black outer
primaries and a white sub-terminal spot on the inner web of the outermost
primary (P10). Note also the limited “string of pearls” pattern on the inner
primaries. Features visible here that indicate a third-cycle bird are the
lack of white terminal tips to P6-P9 and mottling on the underwing coverts.
Photograph by Steve Mann.

as yellow with a distinct orange tinge visible mainly in front of the
eyes (Kwater) or uniformly orange-red with no yellow component (M.
Berney in litt.).

In flight or when the wings were extended, the Kelp Gull showed
two-tone upperwings. The lesser, median, and inner greater coverts
were fresh and blackish, contrasting with the more worn outer greater
coverts and all primary coverts, which were paler and browner. Pale
feather shafts were visible on the greater primary coverts. The marginal
coverts were white. The outer primaries (P6-P10) were black, with one
small white sub-terminal mirror on the inner web of P10. The lack of
white terminal tips to P6-P9 indicated a Kelp Gull in its third plumage-
cycle (Howell and Dunn 2007), meaning that this individual hatched
in 2008. Little or no contrast was visible between the color of the back
and the color of the outer primaries. The inner primaries were much
browner, with paler inner webs and fairly large sub-terminal white
spots on the inner webs of P2-P5, creating a limited “string of pearls”
effect vaguely reminiscent of Slaty-backed Gull (L. schistisagus ). The
white-tipped outer secondaries were blackish on their outer webs and
much paler on their inner webs. The inner secondaries were more
uniformly dark and were also white-tipped, forming a broad white
trailing edge to the inner wing.

The underwings showed marked contrast between the white
coverts (with some blurred mottling) and the dark flight feathers. The
white trailing edges to the secondaries and the “string of pearls” on
P2-P5 were again evident, as was the small white sub-terminal mirror
on P10. Many of the lesser and median coverts on the underwing had
distinct brown edges, another indication of a Kelp Gull in its third cycle.

The Kelp Gull was dominant over American Herring Gulls when
battling over catfish carcasses, and it vocalized several times during

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

these interactions. Two calls were heard: a short yelping aeeah ” call
(M. Berney in litt.) and a long “laughing55 call made up of a series of
“cah” calls that was delivered with the wings raised and the head
bowed. This long call was similar to congeners but was more hoarse
and lower-pitched than Lesser Black-backed Gull or American Herring
Gull, and less hoarse and higher-pitched than Great Black-backed Gull
(M. Berney in litt., R. Smart in litt.). Paul Francois obtained video of
the Kelp Gull while it uttered one long call (http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=o82TKruBLww).

Based on his examination of photographs of the Pasco County Kelp
Gull, Peter Pyle (in litt.) analyzed its wing molt; his narrative (lightly
edited, with permission) follows:

The molt is very interesting and the limit in the greater
coverts seems anomalous. I wouldn't expect the gull to be
starting molt now, as past evidence (e.g., Laughing Gulls
[. Leucophaeus atricilla ] in Australia) suggests that gulls
that cross the equator immediately switch to hormonal/
molt cycles corresponding to the new light regimes.

I at first thought that there may have been a suspension
of molt between P4 and P5 (and associated primary
coverts), or in any case it was very protracted, explaining
the strong cline between the browner P1-P4 and blacker
P5-P10. But the latter feathers also seem pretty worn, so
this shift may be more due to molt and age, with the molt
starting when hormonal/feather-pigment signals were
indicating younger plumage, and that these then shifted
toward signaling more adult-like coloration as the molt
proceeded. The cline in the primaries is more obvious
than in most third-cycle gulls (cf. Pyle 2008), but it
appears to be related to age/molt/hemisphere-switching
interactions to a greater extent than to anything related
to hybridization with Herring Gull.

The browner outer greater coverts are much harder to
comprehend. Molt of these normally begins near the body
(tertial coverts) and then proceeds distally, more or less.

But in some groups, including gulls, these feathers can
all molt fairly rapidly and not quite orderly. At any rate,
this makes me think that those outer greater coverts
truly are retained from the previous generation, rather
than being based on a protracted and/or suspended molt
and hormone-color switch, as in the primaries. (The
one replaced covert distally in the left wing may have
been replaced accidentally or later for some reason, but

Pranty et al. — Kelp Gull in Florida

121

it is not unusual to see this sort of pattern). It is also
possible that molt started with the outer five feathers
when signals were for younger (browner) feathers, that
the molt was then suspended, and then resumed with
the inner feathers after the hormonal switch to blacker
(older). In either case I would view this as an anomaly
that was likely related somehow to the gulFs changing
hemispheres in the middle of its third pre-basic molt.

Again, I don’t see this as any indication for hybridization
with Herring Gull.

Identification.— Because the Pasco County Kelp Gull was in its
third cycle and appeared adult-like in most respects, it is compared
here with adults of other species. Worldwide, 11 species of gulls are
white-bodied and dark-backed in adult plumage. Adults of five of these
species have a bold black sub-terminal tail band and can be eliminated
from contention: Black- tailed Gull (. Larus crassirostris ) and Pacific Gull
(L. pad ficus) of the Old World; and Belcher’s Gull (L. belcheri ), Dolphin
Gull (L. scoresbi ), and Olrog’s Gull (L. atlanticus ) of South America.
The six remaining species of white-bodied and dark-backed gulls have
white tails in adult plumage, and all have been recorded in North
America. Kelp Gull can be distinguished from the other five species by
the combination of body size and proportions, bill morphology, the lack
of color contrast between the back and outer primaries, the pattern
of white spotting on the outer primaries, and bare-parts coloration.
Arranged in decreasing likelihood of occurring in Florida, descriptions
of the five other dark-backed and white-tailed gulls follow.

Lesser Black-backed Gull of Europe and Africa is a regular
and increasing winter resident in eastern North America, including
Florida. It is noticeably smaller than American Herring Gull in direct
comparison. The subspecies graellsii, which is the subspecies typically
found here, has a heavily-streaked head during basic plumage, bright
yellow legs and feet, and a dark gray back that contrasts with the black
outer primaries. The blacker-backed subspecies fuscus and intermedins
are otherwise similar except that in basic plumage the head is not as
streaked. Structurally, the Pasco County gull did not resemble a Lesser
Black-backed Gull: its wings were too short (the folded primaries did
not project far enough beyond the tail), its legs were proportionately
long, and its bill was much heavier and thicker, with a much more
pronounced gonydeal angle.

Great Black-backed Gull is a regular winter resident along
Florida’s coasts, primarily the Atlantic side. It is a huge gull with a
massive bill, a very dark gray back showing little contrast with the
outer primaries, and dull pink legs and feet. P10 has a large white tip

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

that merges with a white sub-terminal spot on P9. P6-P8 also have
sub-terminal white spots. Occasionally, Great Black-backed Gulls can
show yellowish legs and toes with pink webbing (L. S. Atherton in
litt.), but plumage characteristics of the Pasco County gull rule out an
aberrant, rant L. marinus .

Slaty-backed Gull is resident in coastal northeastern Asia; it is a
vagrant in much of North America, with one Florida record (Bowman
and Greenlaw 2008). It has a dark gray back and wings, black outer
primaries with white terminal spots, and pink legs and feet. Its head
is heavily streaked in basic plumage and the inner primaries show a
strong “string of pearls” pattern.

Western Gull (L. occidentalis ) of western North America has
rarely strayed eastward; there is no Florida record. It too has a dark
gray back and wings, black outer primaries with white terminal spots,
a large white sub-terminal spot on P10, pink legs and feet, and a head
streaked with brown in basic plumage.

Yellow-footed Gull (L. livens ) breeds in the Gulf of California and
strays northward to southern California; there is no Florida record.
It is very similar to Western Gull, including the contrast between the
back and outer primaries and the pattern of white terminal spots, but
its legs and feet are bright yellow and the bill is massive with an even
more pronounced gonydeal angle.

Finally, we must address the so-called “Chandeleur” Gulls
(Dittmann and Cardiff 2005), which are hybrids between Kelp Gull
and American Herring Gull parents. These gulls are named after the
Chandeleur Islands, Breton National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana. In
July 1989, a territorial pair of Kelp Gulls was found on the southern
Chandeleur Islands, furnishing the first report of the species in North
America. In 1990, presumably the same Kelp Gull pair was again
present, along with another Kelp Gull that was paired with a Herring
Gull and was guarding a fledgling (Dittmann and Cardiff 2005). By
1998, the Chandeleur Islands colony included at least 22 pairs of large
gulls, among these nine pairs of Herring Gulls, Kelp Gulls paired with
a hybrid and apparently with a Herring Gull, and at least 14 hybrids
of various ages. The last “pure” Kelp Gull at the Chandeleur Islands
was seen in 2000, and only one “pure” Herring Gull remained by 2004,
leaving as many as four generations of hybrids to continue in the
colony (Dittmann and Cardiff 2005). Back color of the hybrids varied
hut was usually between gray and dark gray (e.g., Fig. 6 in Dittmann
and Cardiff 2005). The gull colony at the Chandeleur Islands has not
been visited since spring 2005 (D. Dittmann in litt.), preventing recent
assessment of its status. In 2010, three “Chandeleur” Gulls were found
on a spoil island at Mobile Bay, Alabama, including one light-gray-
backed adult photographed on a nest 4 May 2010 (McConnell 2010).

Pranty et al. — Kelp Gull in Florida

123

Discussion

The identification of the Pasco County gull as a Kelp Gull would
be straightforward if not for the presence of “Chandeleur” Gulls in the
Gulf of Mexico —especially given the 2010 breeding record in Alabama
(McConnell 2010). While we cannot exclude the possibility that Kelp
Gulls are again breeding somewhere in the Gulf region, the plumage
pattern of the Pasco County gull suggests that it was neither a hybrid
nor a backcross. Donna Dittmann and Steve Cardiff, who discovered
and documented the “Chandeleur” Gulls in Louisiana (Dittmann
and Cardiff 2005), saw no evidence (in litt.) of hybridization in the
photographs that they examined. Likewise, six other gull experts
pronounced the Pasco County gull a Kelp Gull (L. S. Atherton, J.
Dunn, A. Jaramillo, T. Leukering, P. Pyle, and M. Reid in litt.). Alvaro
Jaramillo (in litt.) went so far as to call it an “absolutely perfect third-
cycle Kelp Gull” and a “classic.”

Steven N. G. Howell was the only gull expert who commented that
he could not exclude a hybrid as representing the Pasco County gull.
Howell (in litt.) cited three field marks that he felt did not “look quite
right” for Kelp Gull: the “relatively pale tone” of the upperparts; the
white mirror on P10 thought to be “very rare” on third-cycle birds (but
see Howell and Dunn 2007:432); and “the slight pinkish tinge to the
legs.” But Howell admitted (in litt.) that the range of variation within
Kelp Gulls also was uncertain, and that he was uncertain whether
any of these field marks was sufficient to rule out a “pure” Kelp Gull.
In response to Howell’s evaluation, A. Jaramillo stated (in litt.) that
“[t]here is nothing obvious on this bird that suggests it is a hybrid.”
Peter Pyle (in litt.) stated that he “wouldn’t worry too much about [the
Pasco County gull being a] hybrid with Herring [Gull] unless there are
some obvious signs indicating FI or F2.”

Kelp Gulls attain adult plumage during their fourth cycle (Howell
and Dunn 2007), but individuals in their third cycle are often very
adult-like (Dittmann and Cardiff 2005, A. Jaramillo in litt.). With its
wholly white head and tail and yellow bill lacking any dark smudging,
the Pasco County gull appears like an adult Kelp Gull, but third-cycle
features include the brownish wash on the inner wings, mottling on
the underwing coverts, lack of white tips to the outer primaries, and
duller leg color. Alvaro Jaramillo (in litt.) predicted that the white
mirror on P10 of the Pasco County Kelp Gull would be a bit larger by
its fourth cycle.

The number of subspecies of Kelp Gull is uncertain. Dickinson
(2003) lists only two subspecies: nominate dominicanus of mainland
South America, subantarctic islands, New Zealand, and southern
Australia; and vetula of Madagascar and South Africa. Howell and

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Dunn (2007) accept five subspecies: nominate dominicanus in mainland
South America; austrinus on the Falkland and Shetland islands, South
Georgia Island, and Antarctica; vetula in South Africa; melisandae
on Madagascar; and judithae on Subantarctic Indian Ocean islands.
Distinguishing between subspecies in the field is difficult; Howell and
Dunn (2007) use terms such as “relatively,” “slightly,” and “varying”
to describe subspecific differences in bill morphology, back color, and
soft-parts coloration. We dare not assign the Pasco County Kelp Gull
to subspecies, but we presume that it came from South America, based
solely on geography.

Since the first record in Louisiana in 1989, Kelp Gulls have shown
a pattern of vagrancy to North America. They are casual visitors along
the Gulf of Mexico (in Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida)
and are accidental to Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Barbados, Panama,
and Trinidad (Lockwood and Freeman 2004, Howell and Dunn 2007,
Semo 2007, Pranty et al. 2008, this paper).

Reviewers of Kelp Gull records in Colorado and Maryland
considered the possibility of an escape from captivity. Because of the
documented pattern of vagrancy of Kelp Gulls to the Gulf of Mexico,
we saw no need to consider the issue of provenance of the Pasco County
gull. Nonetheless, we reviewed the website of the International Species
Information System (ISIS 2011) to determine the number of Kelp Gulls
held in captivity. Only four facilities in the world reported captive Kelp
Gulls as of January 2011: one in Chile, two in Argentina, and one in
the United States. The latter facility was the John Ball Zoo at Grand
Rapids, Michigan, which held one male and two female Kelp Gulls
(ISIS 2011). Zoo staff confirmed that all three Kelp Gulls remained at
the facility, that all are banded, and that all are 28-year-old adults (C.
Dykstra in litt.).

In June 2011, the Florida Ornithological Society Records
Committee (FOSRC) reviewed the record of the Pasco County Kelp
Gull (FOSRC 2011-838). The committee unanimously accepted the
record as representing a natural vagrant and added the species to its
Official State List (A. W. Kratter in litt.). Two previous reports of Kelp
Gulls in Florida were rejected by the FOSRC: description of one third-
winter gull (FOSRC 96-361) at Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National
Seashore, Escambia County, on 23 December 1995 (Bowman 2000);
and photographs and description of one unstated age (FOSRC 02-475)
at Captiva Island, Lee County, on 12 March 2002, which the FOSRC
considered a Great Black-backed Gull (Bowman 2004).

Acknowledgments

We thank all who offered detailed commentary on the identity of the Pasco County
Kelp Gull, including those who posted to the ID Frontiers listserver maintained by Will

Pranty et al. — Kelp Gull in Florida

125

Russell or the BRDBRAIN listserver maintained by Ron Smith et al.: Lyn S. Atherton,
Tyler Bell, Mark Berney, Michael Brothers, Donna Dittmann, Jon Dunn, Jon S, Green-
law, Mitchell Harris, Steven N. G. Howell, Alvaro Jaramillo, Tony Leukering, Rob Par-
sons, Michael Price, Martin Reid, Ray Smart, and especially Peter Pyle for his detailed
analysis of the gull’s wing-molt. We thank all those who provided photographs: Charles
Buhrman, Don Chalfant, Murray Gardler, Alvaro Jaramillo, Mike Kell, Martin Reid,
Carlos Sanchez, Andrea Webb, and especially Mark Berney, Tony Cambria, and Steve
Mann. We thank Bob Lane for relating the circumstances of the gull’s discovery and Ken
Tracey for helping to monitor the gull’s movements. Cheryl Dykstra, the Animal Man-
agement Supervisor of the John Ball Zoo at Grand Rapids, Michigan, provided the status
of the zoo’s captive Kelp Gulls. Pranty thanks Helen W. Lovell and L. Caitlin Coberly
for support. Lyn S. Atherton, Jon S. Greenlaw, and Mark Berney improved drafts of the
manuscript.

Literature Cited

Bowman, R. 2000. Thirteenth report of the Florida Ornithological Society Records
Committee: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. Florida Field Naturalist 28:138-160.

Bowman, R. 2004. Fourteenth report of the Florida Ornithological Society Records
Committee: 2001-2001. Florida Field Naturalist 32:7-33.

Bowman, R., and J. S. Greenlaw. 2006. Fifteenth report of the Florida Ornithological
Society Records Committee: 2003-2005. Florida Field Naturalist 34:69-102.

Dickinson, E. C. (Ed.). 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of
the World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Dittmann, D. L., and S. W. Cardiff. 2005. Origins and identification of Kelp x Herring
gull hybrids: The “Chandeleur” Gull. Birding 37:266-276.

Howell, S. N. G., and J. Dunn. 2007. Gulls of the Americas. Houghton Mifflin Company,
Boston, Massachusetts.

ISIS [International Species Information System]. 2011. Species holdings: Aves. <www.
isis.org/pages/findanimals.aspx>. Accessed 23 January 2011.

Lockwood, M. W., and B. Freeman. 2004. The TOS Handbook of Texas Birds. Texas A&M
University Press, College Station.

McConnell, S. W. 2010. Alabama & Mississippi [Spring 2010 regional report]. North
American Birds 64:439-442.

Pranty, B., J. L. Dunn, S. C. Heinl, A. W. Kratter, P. E. Lehman, M. W. Lockwood,
B. Mactavish, and K. J. Zimmer. 2008. ABA Checklist: Birds of the Continental
United States and Canada, 7th ed. American Birding Association, Colorado Springs,
Colorado.

Pyle, P. 2008. Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part 2. Slate Creek Press,
Point Reyes Station, California.

Semo, L. 2007. The 43rd report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee— Decision
summary: Acceptance of Kelp Gull to list of Colorado birds. Colorado Birds 41:33-49.

Florida Field Naturalist 39(4):126~133, 2011.

AN ADDITION TO FLORIDA’S EXOTIC AVIFAUNA:

SUN PARAKEETS (Aratinga solstitialis) IN PASCO COUNTY

Bill Pranty1 and Helen W. Lovell- Wayne2
18515 Village Mill Row , Bayonet Point , Florida 84887-2662
E-mail : billpranty@hotmail.com

23179 River Branch Circle } Kissimmee , Florida 34741
E-mail: hlovell@gmail.com

With 218 exotic bird species reported outside of captivity, and with
132 of these verifiably documented from photographic or specimen
evidence (Pranty in prep.), Florida is recognized ae one of the exotic-bird
capitals of the world. Monitoring exotic birds is important for several
reasons, including documentation of the species richness present
and determination of potential impacts to native species, habitats,
agriculture, animal husbandry, human health, or commerce. Here,
we describe a new exotic bird for Florida, the Sun Parakeet (Aratinga
solstitialis ), a monotypic, endangered species native to savanna, dry
forest, and seasonally flooded scrub forest in northeastern Brazil and
southern Guyana (Silveira et al. 2005), Sun Parakeets are popular
in aviculture due to their bright colors, but neither Long (1981) nor
Lever (1987, 2005) knew of the presence of any exotic populations. The
only potential previous report for Florida referred to two Aratinga that
may have been Sun Parakeets observed in flight over Wilton Manors,
Broward County, during 2000 (Pranty and Epps 2002).

Results

Discovery and description.— We discovered and photographed six
Sun Parakeets (Fig. 1) along Old Dixie Highway, north of Hudson,
Pasco County, Florida, at 0901 hrs DST on 5 July 2009. One adult was
peering out of an abandoned woodpecker cavity in a wooden utility pole
while the other parakeets were perched nearby. The Sun Parakeets
were medium-sized parakeets with brilliant plumage. In the flock of six,
three were adults, with orange heads and underparts, yellow crowns,
backs, and shoulders, lime upperwing surfaces with blue primaries
and yellow-tipped coverts, lime tails, and yellow undertail coverts. One
of the adults was individually recognizable from several white-tipped
inner primary feathers on its right wing. The other three parakeets
were juveniles, similar in plumage to adults but with olive tones on the
throat, breast, and nape, mottled yellow and lime on the back, shoulders,

120

Pranty— Sun Parakeets in Florida

127

Figure 1. Five Sun Parakeets (from the left: two juveniles retaining some
juvenal plumage, two adults, and one juvenile largely in adult plumage) north
of Hudson, northwestern Pasco County, Florida. These five parakeets, part of a
flock of three adults and three juveniles when discovered in July 2009, furnish
the first record for Florida. Photograph by Bill Pranty, 13 March 2010. Another
photograph of the parakeets was published in color in Strycker (2009).

and coverts, and olive undertail coverts. Each juvenile differed in the
amount of yellow versus lime on the shoulders and back. In flight, the
underwing coverts of the adults showed orange and yellow, while those
of the juveniles showed orange and olive. On all six parakeets, the
undersides of the flight feathers were gray, the bills blackish, and the
legs and feet gray. The narrow orbital rings were gray, darker on the
adults. None of the parakeets was banded. The illustration in Silveira
et al. (2005) and numerous photographs on avicultural websites that
we examined show bold white orbital rings on adults and juveniles.
Orbital rings of some non-captive parakeet species, including Nanday
(Black-hooded) Parakeets ( Nandayus nenday ) in Florida, are darker
than those in captivity (Pranty and Garrett 2011), evidently a result of
exposure to the sun (Pranty pers. obs., P. Simdars in litt.). The adults
were distinguished from the similar Jandaya Parakeet ( Aratinga
jandaya) and Sulfur-breasted Parakeet (A. pinttoi ) by their orange
underparts and wholly yellow backs and shoulders (see Silveira et al.
2005), among other features. Because Sun Parakeets are popular in
captivity and sell locally for $150-200 each, we presumed that the birds
escaped accidentally or were released maliciously.

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FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

The parakeets called frequently, both when perched and in flight.
The primary call was a high-pitched, disyllabic screech. Other calls heard
included less shrill “chattering” notes and quiet “murmuring” notes
uttered when the parakeets were perched next to each other. Behaviors
that we observed included flying, loafing, preening, allopreening, bill-
tugging, acrobatic perching (e.g., upside-down, from one leg, solely
from the bill), roosting, examining other cavities, defecating, feeding,
and copulating. Twice BP video-recorded “rough play,” during which
one parakeet (in 2009 an adult) bit the toes, wings, breast, or uppertail
coverts of a second parakeet (in 2009 two juveniles), while the second
parakeet called in apparent distress. One of BP's videos is posted to
chttp ://www.youtube . com/watch?v=XJzE AlmvrOYx

Survey results. —We searched for the parakeets for 4,362 min (72.7
hrs) during 84 days over a 19-month period, 5 July 2009-14 January
2011. We observed the parakeets for 1,809 min (30.1 hrs) during
44 days, 5 July 2009-25 November 2010. All but a few minutes of
observation time were made in the vicinity of the roost pole. Although
six Sun Parakeets were originally discovered, only four of them (one
adult and the three juveniles) were observed on most occasions during
2009. During 2010 however, all observations but one were of the six
parakeets together. We never determined the whereabouts of the two
other adults when only four parakeets were present during 2009. The
parakeets were reliably found through 22 September 2009, after which
their appearance around the roost pole was sporadic, indicating that
they were roosting elsewhere. By our next survey, on 30 September

2009, the roost cavity was occupied by a swarm of honey bees ( Apis
mellifera). The honeycomb persisted for several months, even though
the bees had disappeared by mid-November 2009. The parakeets were
rediscovered at the roost pole on 21 January 2010 (D. Gagne pers.
comm.), after which we resumed observations. The cavities in the roost
pole were covered with sheet metal, presumably by the local electric
company, by 8 April 2011, thus ending our study.

Remarkably, the Sun Parakeets were observed at four other
locations, each more than 6 km from the roost pole. On 21 October 2009,
Ken Tracey (in litt.) observed six and photographed four parakeets in
flight over Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park, Bayonet Point, Pasco
County. On 27 June 2010, Pranty observed from his yard at Bayonet
Point a flock of vocal parakeets about 200 m away that he identified
as Sun Parakeets based on their call notes. On 28 July and 13 August

2010, Lynda Barhorst (pers. comm.), who maintains about 40 captive
psittacids in outdoor cages on her property in Hudson, observed the six
parakeets perched in her yard. Finally, on 15 November 2010, A1 and
Bev Hansen observed the six parakeets flying south over Weekiwachee
Preserve, Spring Hill, in Hernando County (Pranty 2011).

Pranty- Sun Parakeets in Florida

129

Habitats and landscape.— The area that supported the Sun
Parakeets was more rural than is typical of sites occupied by psittacids
in Florida, despite the proximity of development (Pranty pers.
obs.X Habitats within 3 km of the roost pole were heterogeneous,
consisting of medium-dens ity residential, commercial, and industrial
development; a six-lane divided highway (U.S. Highway 19); slash pine
(. Pinus elliottii)/ cabbage palm ( Sabal palmetto)/ red cedar ( Juniperus
virginiana ) uplands; open-pit limerock mines; small patches of xeric
oak scrub; and black needlerush ( J uncus roemerianus ) salt marshes
interspersed with cabbage palm/red cedar hammocks. Many of the
uplands and wetlands were overgrown with Brazilian pepper ( Schinus
terebinthifolius) and other exotic vegetation. Lands beyond 3 km
were mostly high- and medium-density residential and commercial
developments to the northeast and south, and extensive conservation
lands to the north.

Because most of our observations were at the roost, only once did
we observe the parakeets feeding. On 25 July 2009, in the Sea Pines
development east of the roost pole, we found one adult and the three
juveniles feeding on marble-sized, dark berries that they apparently
had earlier stashed on the tops of wooden utility poles. The parakeets
had no food items in their bills when they flew to the tops of the poles, but
began picking up and feeding on the berries shortly after they landed.
Outside of this event, we often saw the parakeets fly into trees near the
roost pole, but foliage and distance prevented us from determining if
they were feeding: five times in a live oak ( Quercus virginianus) laden
with acorns; three times in an Indian rosewood ( Dalbergia sissoo) laden
with seed pods; and twice in a lead tree ( Leucaena leucocephala ) laden
with seed pods. We presumed that during 2009, the parakeets foraged
mostly in the Sea Pines development, as that was almost always the
direction from which they flew in to roost in the evening. We found the
parakeets feeding in this development on 25 July 2009 prior to their
roosting, and they flew in that direction after they left the roost cavity
the morning of 8 August 2009.

We later ascertained that three weeks before we discovered the
parakeet flock, Ken Tracey (pers. comm.) had spoken with a nearby
resident who commented that orange and yellow parakeets had recently
been visiting his bird feeder in the Rainbow Palms development to the
south. Searches for the parakeets in Rainbow Palms during October
2009 were not successful. On several occasions, the parakeets flew into
the pine/palm/cedar uplands west of the roost pole but we could not
follow them because the property was privately owned.

Roost site and roosting behavior. When roosting, the Sun
Parakeets entered one of two cavity entrances (one facing south-
southwest and the other southwest) that led to an interconnected cavity

130

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

inside the utility pole. The parakeets usually began to enter the cavity
about an hour before dark. One bird, during 2009 usually a juvenile,
would remain perched on top of the pole for 10-15 min after the other
parakeets had entered the cavity, presumably watching for predators.
Once all parakeets had entered the cavity, one adult, often joined by one
or more juveniles for shorter periods, roosted with its head protruding,
again evidently watching for predators, until darkness prevented
continued observations. Several psittacids are known to engage in
sentinel behavior (Juniper and Parr 1998, Pranty et al. 2010), but our
observations appear to be the first known for Sun Parakeets (Forshaw
1977, 2006; Juniper and Parr 1998). On five occasions (22 September
2009 and 5, 6, 14 & 19 September 2010), the parakeets flew into the
area and began to roost, but then the flock unexpectedly departed
and did not return. The 2009 event was caused by a Peregrine Falcon
(. Falco peregrinus ) that flew overhead (see below), but no cause for the
September 2010 events was apparent.

Interspecific interactions.— We observed the Sun Parakeets
interacting with 13 other bird species. During July-August 2009 and
July-September 2010, we often observed the parakeets flushing or
chasing other birds that perched near or flew by the roost pole. During
2009, the single adult usually led the chase followed by one or more
juveniles; during 2010, all six parakeets often participated. When the
parakeets were already inside the roost cavity, the adult often flew
dozens of meters to chase the birds, and often continued the pursuit
for 30 m or more. If the bird that was chased perched again, then the
parakeets often flushed it again. Birds flushed or chased were one
to three Mourning Doves ( Zenaida macroura) on six occasions, one
blue-morph Budgerigar ( Melopsittacus undulatus) once, four Monk
Parakeets ( Myiopsitta monachus ) twice chased for more than 120 m,
single Red-bellied Woodpeckers ( Melanerpes carolinus) twice, single
Eastern Kingbirds ( Tyrannus tyrannus ) three times, two Eastern
Bluebirds ( Sialia sialis ) once, one Northern Mockingbird ( Mimus
polyglottos ) once, one male Summer Tanager ( Piranga rubra) once, one
or two male Boat-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus major ) twice, and single
male Red- winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus ) twice.

On 22 August 2009, a Pileated Woodpecker (. Dryocopus pileatus)
landed on the roost pole while four parakeets were perched nearby.
The parakeets called loudly and continuously but did not leave their
perches until the woodpecker flew away, after which the parakeets
pursued it for a short distance before flying to the roost pole. On 22
September 2009, the parakeets had flown in to roost but departed and
did not return that evening after a Peregrine Falcon flew overhead. The
parakeets had clearly identified the falcon from a distance, as they flew
off, calling loudly, before the falcon flew into our view. On 24 November

Pranty — Sun Parakeets in Florida

131

2010, the parakeets had begun to roost when all six flew up and circled,
calling loudly, about 10 seconds before a medium-sized Accipiter (either
a female Sharp-shinned Hawk, A. striatus or a male Cooper’s Hawk,
A. cooperii ) flew low within 30 m of the roost pole. Within 60 seconds,
the parakeets had returned to the pole and had begun to reenter the
cavity. On three occasions, roosting parakeets watching from the cavity
entrances looked downward as single raccoons ( Procyon lotor) walked
past the pole.

Discussion

We found no published information on the length of time that
juvenal plumage is retained in Sun Parakeets (cf. Forshaw 1977, 2006;
Joseph 1992; Juniper and Parr 1998). We presume that the juvenile
Sun Parakeets had fledged no more than a few months prior to our
discovery of the flock in July 2009 (e.g., perhaps sometime during
April-June 2009). By late September 2009, the juveniles had begun
to molt. One juvenile in particular had acquired much adult plumage,
including loss of the olive flush on the head and breast and acquisition
of mostly yellow shoulders. There seemed to be little or no further
molt through early February 2010, when we resumed observations.
By August 2010, two juveniles still retained some lime feathering on
the shoulders and some olive tinges to the breast, but these juvenal
feathers had been replaced by November 2010, when all six parakeets
appeared adult-like. Thus, molt of two of the juvenile Sun Parakeets
seemed to require 16-18 months to complete, with the third juvenile
seemingly completing molt after only 3-5 months.

Information on frequency and distance of psittacid movements
in Florida is lacking, due to logistical difficulties of following flocks
in suburban and urban areas, as well as the inability to distinguish
the same or separate flocks. Because most psittacids in their native
ranges are non-migratory, and because food and water are widespread
and easily obtainable in Florida, we presume that movements of
psittacids are limited to short distances (perhaps < 8 km). Based on a
minimum convex polygon, the home range of the Sun Parakeet flock
in northwestern Pasco County and southwestern Hernando County
between July 2009 and November 2010 was 57.2 km2. Such a home
range seems surprisingly large for a single, small flock of parakeets.
The only other information available on home-range size in psittacids
in Florida was a home range of 74.1 km2 for a population of 24 or more
Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) in Miami-Bade County,
Florida, between January 2003 and July 2009 (Pranty et al. 2010).

Even though it seemed unlikely to us that six or more Sun
Parakeets —including three juveniles— would have escaped or been

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released together sometime during 2009, we observed no direct evidence
of breeding outside of captivity. The juveniles were independent
by the time we discovered the flock in July 2009, and during spring
and summer 2010, all six parakeets were seen together and the roost
cavity was never occupied during daylight hours, which would have
indicated an active nest. The only suggestion that two of the parakeets
were paired was on 10 July 2010, when we observed copulation. Like
nearly all other psittacids, Sun Parakeets nest and roost in cavities
(Forshaw 1977, Joseph 1992, Juniper and Parr 1998). In Florida, many
psittacids regularly nest in former woodpecker cavities excavated in
wooden utility poles (Pranty and Epps 2002, Pranty and Lovell 2011),
so the Sun Parakeet’s roost pole seemed an appropriate nest-site.
The breeding season of Florida’s psittacids is imperfectly known, but
most psittacid nests have been active during spring or summer, and
juveniles have been observed with adults during summer or early fall
(e.g., Pranty and Epps 2002, Pranty and Garrett 2003, Pranty et al.
2010, Pranty and Lovell 2011). Thus, it seems that breeding outside
of captivity during spring 2009 is the most likely explanation for our
discovery of three adult and three juvenile Sun Parakeets north of
Hudson, in Pasco County, Florida.

Postscript. — In June 2011, while this manuscript was in final
review, Pranty was contacted by Paul Simdars, a local resident who
had seen Pranty’s videos of the Sun Parakeets on YouTube. In 2005,
Simdars moved to the Viva Villas development in Hudson, which is 0.8
km east of Old Dixie Highway. Simdars owned a flock of about eight
Sun Parakeets (a breeding pair and their progeny) that initially were
kept in a large outdoor cage in his yard. After about a year, Simdars
allowed the parakeet to fly freely around the area, but they returned to
roost in the cage. (A video by Paul Simdars of five Sun Parakeets free-
flying and then returning to his yard during summer 2006 is posted
to <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ndGxP16GWQ>). At times the
flock would be observed more than 1.6 km from the Simdars yard.
Within another year or two, the parakeets began roosting elsewhere,
but they continued to return daily to feed, during morning and
evening. Over the years, the number of parakeets declined gradually,
presumably from depredation or another cause of death. The final three
Sun Parakeets disappeared at once sometime in spring 2011, months
after we had last seen the flock. Simdars believes that the flock was
captured or otherwise removed. Simdars stated that the female of his
breeding pair was individually identifiable from aberrant spotting on
the feathers on its right wing. This may refer to the adult parakeet that
we photographed with several white-tipped inner primaries on the right
wing. Simdars confirmed that during one year, his female disappeared
for 28 days and then returned. Later, three juveniles began appearing

Pranty— Sun Parakeets in Florida

133

with the rest of the flock. Although anecdotal, Simdars’s observations
confirm that his free-flying flock of Sun Parakeets did breed outside of
captivity. Simdars said that the breeder male later disappeared, which
may explain why we did not find any strong evidence of nesting during
2010; the copulation we observed in July 2010 may have included one
or two of the juveniles.

Acknowledgments

We thank Lynda Barhorst, Mary Barnwell, L. Caitlin Coberly, Eva Dupuis, David
Gagne, Jon and Vi Greenlaw, A1 and Bev Hansen, Valeri Ponzo, and Ken Tracey for
their company or for sharing their observations and photographs; Ken Tracey and Mari
Howard for providing other information; and Mary Barnwell and Vi Greenlaw for aiding
with tree identification. An anonymous reviewer improved a draft of the manuscript.
Finally, we are grateful to Paul Simdars for relating the events of his flock of free-flying
Sun Parakeets, which almost certainly were the birds that we studied.

Literature Cited

Forshaw, J. M. 1977. Parrots of the World, third edition. T. F. H. Publications, Neptune,
New Jersey.

Forshaw, J. M. 2006. Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide. Princeton University
Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Joseph, L. 1992. Notes on the distribution and natural history of the Sun Parakeet
Aratinga solstitialis solstitialis. Ornitologia Neotropical 3:17-26.

Juniper, T., and M. Parr. 1998. Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World. Yale University
Press, New Haven, Connecticut.

Lever, C. 1987. Naturalized Birds of the World. Longman Scientific and Technical, New

York.

Lever, C. 2005. Naturalised Birds of the World. T. & A.D. Poyser, London.

Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World. Reed Proprietary, Sydney.

Pranty, B. 2011. Field observations fall report: August-N ovember 2010. Florida Field
Naturalist 39:57-71.

Pranty, B. In prep. Non-accepted Birds of Florida. Appendices A & B In J. S. Greenlaw
and R. Bowman, The Robertson and Woolfenden Annotated Checklist of Florida
Birds. To be submitted to Florida Ornithological Society.

Pranty, B,, and S. Epps. 2002 Distribution, population status, and documentation of
exotic parrots in Broward County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 30:111-131.
Pranty, B., and K. L. Garrett. 2003. The parrot fauna of the ABA Area: A current look.
Birding 35:248-261.

Pranty, B., and K. L. Garrett. 2011. Under the radar: non-countable exotic birds in the

ABA Area. Birding 43(5):46-58.

Pranty, B., and H. W. Lovell. 2011. Presumed or confirmed nesting attempts by Black-
hooded Parakeets ( Nandayus nenday ) in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 39:75-85.
Pranty, B., D. Feinstein, and K. Lee. 2010. Natural history of Blue-and-yellow Macaws
(Ara ararauna) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 38:55-62.
Silveira, L. F., F. C. Thadeo de Lima, and E. Hofling. 2005. A new species of Aratinga
parakeet (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) from Brazil, with taxonomic remarks on the
Aratinga solstitialis complex. Auk 122:292-305.

Strycker, N. K. 2009. A Birding interview with Bill Pranty. Birding 41(6): 18-20.

NOTES

Florida Field Naturalist 39(4):134-137, 2011.

OBSERVATIONS OF COYOTES (Canis latrans ) IN EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK, FLORIDA

Mark A. Peyton1, Jennifer L. Eelld1, Emily K, Pifek1*, Jeff S. Beauchamp1,

Shona E. Wilson1, Frank J, Mazzotti1, and Ray W. Snow2
^Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Edu-
cation Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Davie , Florida 33314

2South Florida Natural Resources Center, Everglades National Park,

40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida 33034

* Corresponding author E-mail : epifer@ufl.edu

The range of the coyote ( Canis latrans) has been expanding east of the Mississippi
River for the last 30-40 years (Main et aL 1999). Captive releases of C. latrans during
the mid- 1900s may have led to the establishment of small isolated populations in
several southeastern states (Hill et aL 1987). Many of these animals are thought to have
disappeared (Brady and Campbell 1983), but remaining individuals may have expedited
the eastern range expansion of the species (Hill et aL 1987). The expansion of C. latrans
may also have been accelerated due to extirpation of wolves and other large predators
in the southern United States as well as anthropogenic changes in the landscape. C.
latrans is a formidable predator and scavenger, often competing directly with bobcat
(Lynx rufus ) and gray fox ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) (Litvaitis 1992). C. latrans also
poses a concern for ranchers and farmers, as the species has been reported to prey on
livestock and damage agricultural crops such as watermelon (Coates et al. 1998).

Within the last 30 years, C. latrans has extended its range southward within Florida
(Brady and Campbell 1983, Wooding and Hardisky 1990, Maehr et al. 1996, Main et al.
2000). In the early 1980s, scattered sightings were documented in the panhandle and the
north and central regions of the peninsula (Brady and Campbell 1983). By the late 1980s
reports stretched as far south as Broward and Collier Counties (Wooding and Hardisky
1990). In 1996 a significant population of C. latrans was reported from southern Polk
County to southern Hendry County (Maehr et al. 1996). By 2000 C. latrans was recorded
in 65 of 67 counties in Florida, but there were no published reports for Dade and Monroe
Counties in the extreme southern portion of the state (Main et al. 2000). In June 2007,
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported C. latrans in all 67
Florida counties; however, no mention was made of Everglades National Park (ENP)
(McCown and Sheick 2007). Here, we report the first confirmed observations of C. latrans
within ENP obtained from ENP records, personal communication with park managers,
photographs acquired from an ongoing mammal inventory, personal observations, and
carcasses collected by ENP employees.

Observations of C. latrans in ENP span 15 years. The first confirmed observation
of C. latrans by ENP visitors occurred near Nine-mile Pond in the southwest portion
of the Park In December 1993; the visitors took a photograph and submitted it to park
biologists. In 1997, a C. latrans carcass was reported in pinelands habitat in the eastern
section of the Park by Walter Meshaka (ENP museum curator); a wildlife observation
card was filled out giving a full description of the animal (Museum Catalog # EVER
22971). On 13 December 2006, a carcass was collected by the East Everglades Fire crew

134

Notes

135

Figure 1. Locations of C. latrans observations in Everglades National Park.
The checkmark reprents transient observations, the black circle represents
tracks or other sign, the asterisk represents photographs, the black diamond
represents carcasses, and the gray circle represents pack activity.

in the northeast section of the Park, representing the first known specimen of C. latrans
collected within ENP (Museum Catalog # 56625). An additional carcass was discovered
by Shirley McBride (park naturalist) on 18 April 2067 near the Shark Valley tram road.
On 22 September 2007, a remote sensor digital camera (part of an ongoing University
of Florida mammal inventory) photographed an individual along the eastern boundary
of ENP. Multiple live sightings and tracks have been observed throughout the eastern

136

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

section of the Park since 2006 (O.L. Bass, pers. comm.). In January 2008, pack activity-
including vocal choruses— was observed for four consecutive nights in the “Hole in
the Donut” restoration area in the eastern section of ENP (M. Peyton, pers. obs.). On
7 February 2008, C. latrans prints were observed near Eco Pond in the southwestern
section of the Park (J. Eells, pers. obs.). Additional tracks of an adult with two pups were
observed along a road near an abandoned farm field on 20 October 2008 (J. Eells, pers.
obs.). Most of these observations were along roads or in upland areas rather than in
marshes, although coyotes may hunt in the marsh areas during the dry season, possibly
affecting mortality of white-tailed deer fawns (M. Main, pers. comm.).

These reports indicate that the range of C. latrans extends farther south within
Florida than previously reported in the literature (Fig. 1). Observations of C. latrans
have become increasingly frequent within ENP. The largest wilderness area east of
the Mississippi River (over 610,000 ha), ENP is one of the last areas that support the
endangered Florida panther ( Puma concolor coryi ). Everglades National Park may
serve as a model for how arriving coyotes influence a non-human dominated landscape.
While impacts of C. latrans in ENP are not known they could include interactions with
bobcats, gray foxes, or the Florida panther (Koehler and Hornocker 1991, Litvaitis 1992,
Coates et al. 1998, Thornton et al. 2004). Coyotes may also indirectly affect the Florida
panther through competition for prey. Studies have documented coyote predation on
deer (Koehler and Hornocker 1991, Gese and Grothe 1995, Thornton et al. 2004), the
primary prey of panthers, and it is unclear whether the ENP deer population can support
panthers and bobcats along with the addition of coyotes. Further investigation into
this species’ impacts should also consider the resource overlap between C. latrans and
Burmese python ( Python molurus bivittatus)—a known invasive predator in ENP (Snow
et al. 2007)— and the increased strain this may place on native wildlife. In addition,
management of C. latrans will be affected by the debate over whether this is a native
species naturally expanding its range (aided by the extirpation of red wolf [ Canis rufus ]
in the southern U.S.) (McCown and Scheick 2007) or an invasive species being spread by
human alterations in the landscape.

Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by the United States National Park Service, Everglades Na-
tional Park and South Florida/Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. We
would like to thank K. Whelan and M. Patterson for their continued support and O. L.
Bass for providing information and insight. M. Main, M. L. Brien, M. S. Cherkiss, K. M.
Balentine, and an anonymous referee were helpful in reviewing an earlier draft of this
manuscript.

Literature Cited

Brady, J. R., and H. W. Campbell. 1983. Distribution of coyotes in Florida. Florida Field
Naturalist 11:40-41.

Coates, S. F., M. B. Main, J. J. Mullahey, J. M. Schaefer, G. W. Tanner, M. E. Sunquist,
and M. D. Fanning. 1998. The Coyote ( Canis latrans ): Florida’s Newest Predator.
Publication No. WEC-124. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Science. Available online at <http://edis.ifas.ufl.
edu/pdffiles/UW/UW127Q0.pdf> Accessed 23 March 2009.

Gese, E. M., and S. Grothe. 1995. Analysis of coyote predation on deer and elk during
winter in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. American Midland Naturalist
133:36-43.

Hill, E. P., P. W. Summner, and J. B. Wooding. 1987. Human influences on range
expansion of coyotes in the southeast. Wildlife Society Bulletin 15:521-524.

Notes

137

Koehler, G. M, and M. G. Hornocker. 1991. Seasonal resource use among mountain
lions, bobcats, and coyotes. Journal of Mammalogy 72:391-396.

Litvaitis, H. A. 1992. Niche relations between coyotes and sympatric carnivores. Pages
73-82 In Ecology and Management of the Eastern Coyote (A. H. Boer, Ed.). Wildlife
Research Unit, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.

Maehr, D. S., R. T. Mcbride, and J. J. Mullahey. 1996. Status of coyotes in south Florida.
Florida Field Naturalist 24:101-107.

Main, M. B., P. B. Walsh, K. M. Porter, and S. F. Coates. 1999. Monitoring the expanding
range of coyotes in Florida: Results of the 1997-98 statewide scent station surveys.
Florida Field Naturalist 27:150-162.

Main, M. B., S. F. Coates, and G. M. Allen. 2000. Coyote distribution in Florida extends
southward. Florida Field Naturalist 28:201-203.

McCown, W., and B. Scheick. 2007. The Coyote in Florida. In-House Report No. XHR2007-
007. Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, St. Petersburg.

Snow, R. W., M. L. Brien, M. S. Cherkiss, and F. J. Mazzottl 2007. Dietary habits of the
Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus, in Everglades National Park, Florida.
Herpetological Bulletin 101:5-7.

Thornton, D. H., M. E. Sunquist, and M. B. Main. 2004. Ecological separation within
newly sympatric populations of coyotes and bobcats in south-central Florida. Journal
of Mammalogy 85:973-982.

Wooding, J. B., and T. S. Hardisky. 1990. Coyote distribution in Florida. Florida Field
Naturalist 18:12-14.

Florida Field Naturalist 39(4):138-141, 2011.

ECTOPARASITES COLLECTED FROM COMMON YELLOWTHROATS
(■ Geothlypis trichas ) ON VACA KEY, FLORIDA

Lawrence J. Hribar

Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, 503 107th Street, Marathon, Florida 33050
E-mail : lhribar@keysmosquito.org

Gary L. Miller

Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA-ARS , 10300 Baltimore Avenue,
Beltsville, Maryland 20705

There are very few records of ectoparasites from the Common Yellowthroat
( Geothlypis trichas) from Florida (Forrester and Spalding 2003). In autumn of 2010,
two female Common Yellowthroats were found dead outside a building on Vaca Key
in Marathon, Monroe County, Florida. Both birds apparently had collided with a plate
glass window. One bird was found on 30 September, and another on 3 October. Each
bird was washed immediately upon collection with a mild detergent and the liquid was
passed through a cone made from coarse filter paper. The filtrate was examined under
a dissecting microscope.

The bird collected on 30 September was found harboring several hundred feather
mites. The second bird had only about a dozen feather mites. Mites were cleared in a
solution of phenol and ethanol and mounted in Canada balsam on microscope slides
according to the technique of Wirth and Marston (1968). Slide mounts were sent to
specialists for identification. Both birds were found to be harboring an undescribed
species of the genus Amerodectes , most similar to A. geothlypis (Acari: Astigmata:
Proctophyllodidae). All of the slide-mounted specimens taken from the first bird were
Amerodectes near A. geothlypis except for one male Analges sp. (Astigmata: Analgidae).
All mites from the second bird were determined as specimens of the same undescribed
species of Amerodectes. The mites collected from G trichas on Yaca Key differ from
A. geothlypis (Berla) in the structure of the male genitalia and female lobar shield, a
plate-like structure on the dorsal side (Berla 1973). They also differ from another
closely related species, A. havliki (Cemy), which has strong punctae (small pits in the
exoskeleton) whereas the new species lacks punctae (Yalim and Hernandes 2006, 2010;
Fig. 1). Voucher specimens were deposited in the collections of the University of Alberta
(Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia),
the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (Ann Arbor, Michigan), the Florida State
Collection of Arthropods (Gainesville, Florida), and the U.S. National Collection of Acari
(Beltsville, Maryland).

It is unknown why the two bird specimens harbored different numbers of mites. One
possibility is that they were collected at different times after death. Some parasites leave
the host’s body after host death, whereas others remain on the host and die (Kierans
1975, Clayton and Walther 1997). Feather mite load appears not to be related to the
health of the host bird. In fact, feather mites may not be parasites at all. According
to some authors, the relationship between feather mites and their bird hosts is better
described as commensalism or even mutualism (Proctor and Owens 2000, Blanco et aL
2001, Dowling et al. 2001). Feather mites are commonly found on birds. McClure (1981)
working in California, trapped and examined over 47,000 birds belonging to 90 species,
most of them passerines; 40% of the birds examined, belonging to 47 species, harbored
feather mites.

138

Notes

139

Figure 1. Adult female (left) and male (right) of an undescribed Amerodectes sp.
from Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas ) on Vaca Key, Florida.

The bird collected on 30 September also was harboring a single thrips (Insecta:
Thysanoptera). The specimen was cleared and slide-mounted in the same manner as
were the mites. It was determined to be Frankliniella bispinosa (Morgan). This thrips
species is found on a wide range of host plants and is a pest of agricultural crops in
Georgia and Florida (Childers 1999). The specimen was deposited in the US National
Insect Collection (Thysanoptera), Beltsville, Maryland.

It is uncommon but not unknown to collect thrips from birds, e.g=, Aeolothrips sp.
(Aeolothripidae) was found on bird feathers (Lewis 1973) and Apterothrips secticornis
Trybom (Thripidae) on feathers of a Lesser Whitethroat, ( Sylvia curruca ; Morison 1973).
This appears to be the first record of a thrips on a parulid. Why the thrips was on the bird
is open to speculation. Analyses of stomach contents reveal that thrips do not make up
a significant portion of the diet of parulids, making acquisition during feeding unlikely
(Terrill and Ohmart 1984, Strong 2000). However, absence of thrips from bird stomach
contents may be due to their being too small to be worth the effort expended in catching
them, or it may be due to their being so rapidly digested that they are not detected
(Arvidsson and Klaesson 1986).

More commonly, thrips are collected from birds’ nests. Dobroscky (1925) reported
Limnothrips denticornis (Haliday) and Haplothrips verhasci (Osborn) from nests of

140

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

unidentified birds in New York. Neohydatothrips interruptus (Hood) (Thripidae) was
described in part from specimens collected in a bird’s nest in Maryland (Hood 1927).
Hicks (1953) reported several thrips species from nests of American Robin ( Turdus
migratorius), Yellow-billed Cuckoo ( Coccyzus americanus), Common Grackle ( Quiscalus
quiscula aeneus), Eastern Phoebe ( Sayornis phoebe ), and Gray Catbird ( Dumetella
carolinensis ) in Iowa. In a study over the course of 15 years, 38 species of thrips (Thripidae
and Phlaeothripidae) were recorded from nests of birds and mammals in Slovakia
(Fedor et al. 2001, 2002; Pelikan et al. 2002). Additional records include Myceterothrips
alhidicornis (Knechtel) from nests of Turdus merula, T. philomelos , Turdus sp. and
Passer sp. in Slovakia (Fedor 2006). Among the Parulidae, there are a few records of
thrips ( Frankliniella tritici (Fitch) and several other specimens either unidentified or
doubtfully indentified to genus) from nests of the Prairie Warbler ( Dendroica discolor)
in Indiana (Nolan 1955, 1959). Thrips often are collected from birds’ nests, but it is
not known exactly why they are there although they might be preying on nidicolous
arthropods (i.e., those living in the nest) or probing the skins of the birds (Pinent et al.
2002). The thrips are probably carried to the nests by the birds (known as zoochorous
transport) on nesting material (Fedor et al. 2008, 2010).

Acknowledgments

We thank H. Proctor, University of Alberta, and S. Mironov, Russian Academy of
Sciences, for identifying the mites, and S. Nakahara, Systematic Entomology Labora-
tory, USDA-ARS, for confirming our identification of the thrips. We also thank R. Ochoa
and N. Woodley, USDA-ARS, Systematic Entomology Laboratory; G. Evans, USDA-
APHIS-PPQ; and Renee Carleton for their manuscript reviews and helpful suggestions.
D. Adamski, USDA-ARS-SEL, provided the photographs. USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer.

Literature Cited

Arvidsson, B., and P. Klaesson. 1986. Territory size in a Willow Warbler Phylloscopus
trochilus population in mountain birch forest in Swedish Lapland. Ornis Scandinavica
17:24-30.

Berla, H. F. 1973. Analgesoidea Neotropicalis. X. Uma nova especie de Pterodectes
Robin, 1877. Revista Brasileira de Biologia 33:21-22.

Blanco, G., J. R. Tella, J. Potti, and A. Baz. 2001. Feather mites on birds: Costs of
parasitism or conditional outcomes? Journal of Avian Biology 32:271-274.

Childers, C. C. 1999. Flower thrips: Frankliniella hispinosa (Morgan), F. kelliae
Sakimura (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and postbloom fruit drop disease are economic
pests on Florida citrus. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 112:88-
95.

Clayton, D. H , and B. A. Walther. 1997. Collection and quantification of arthropod
ectoparasites of birds. Pages 419-440 In Host-parasite Evolution: General Principles
and Avian Models. (D. H. Clayton and J. Moore, Eds.). Oxford University Press,
Oxford, UK.

Dobroscky, I. D. 1925. External parasites of birds and the fauna of birds’ nests. The
Biological Bulletin 48:274-281.

Dowling, D. K., D. S. Richardson, and J. Komdeur. 2001. No effects of a feather mite
on body condition, survivorship, or grooming behavior in the Seychelles warbler,
Acrocephalus sechellensis . Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 50:257-262.

Fedor, P. 2006. Back to the record of Myceterothrips alhidicornis (Thysanoptera,
Thripidae) in nests of birds. Biologia, Bratislava 61:564.

Notes

141

Fedor, P. J., J. PelikAn, D. Cyprich, and M. KrumpAl. 2001. Strapky (Thysanoptera) v
hniezdach vtakov a cicavcov NPR Jursky Sur. Folia Faunistica Slovaca 6:69-73.

Fedor, P. J., M. KrumpAl, and B. Cyprich. 2002. Strapky (Thysanoptera) v hniedzaeh
vtakov a cicavcov juhozapadneho Slovenska. Folia Faunistica Slovaca 7:31-34.

Fedor, P. J., W. Sierra, and Z. OrszAghovA. 2008. Thrips (Thysanoptera) in nests of
the tree sparrow, Passer montanus (L.). Acta Phytopathologica et Entomologica
Hungarica 43:277-282.

Fedor, P. J., M. DoricovA, M. Dubovsky, P. Prqkkqp, W. Sierra, J. Kiselfak, and M. Zvarik.

2010. Cereal pests among nest parasites— the story of barley thrips, Limnothrips
denticornis Haliday (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Entomologica Fennica 21: 221-231.

Forrester, D. J., and M. G. Spalding. 2003. Parasites and Diseases of Wild Birds in
Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

Hicks, E. A. 1953. Observations on the insect fauna of birds’ nests. Journal of the Kansas
Entomological Society 26:11-18.

Hood, J. D. 1927. New Thysanoptera from the United States. Journal of the New York
Entomological Society 35:123-145.

Kierans, J. E. 1975. A review of the phoretic relationship between Mallophaga

(Phthiraptera: Insecta) and Hippoboscidae (Diptera: Insecta). Journal of Medical
Entomology 12:71-76.

Lewis, T. 1973. Thrips. Their Biology, Ecology and Economic Importance. Academic
Press, London, UK.

McClure, H. E. 1981. Occurrence of feather mites (Proctophyllodidae) among birds of
Ventura County lowlands, California. Journal of Field Ornithology 60:431-450.

Morisqn, G. D. 1973. Observations and records for British Thysanoptera. XVI.
Apterothrips secticornis Trybom, a species new to Britain. Entomologists’ Monthly
Magazine 109:208-210.

Nolan, V., Jr. 1955. Invertebrate nest associates of the Prairie Warbler. Auk 72:55-61.

Nolan, V., Jr. 1959. Additional invertebrate nest associates of the Prairie Warbler. Auk
76:352-357.

PelikAn, J., P. Fedor, M. KrumpAl, and D. Cyprich. 2002. Thrips (Thysanoptera) in nests
of birds and mammals in Slovakia. Ekologia (Bratislava) 21:275-282.

Pinent, S. M. J., L. A. Mound, and T. J. Izzo. 2002. Ectoparasitism in thrips and its possible
significance for tospovirus evolution. Pages 273-276 In Thrips and Tospoviruses:
Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Thysanoptera (L. A. Mound and
R. Marullo, Eds.). CSIRO Entomology, Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Proctor, H., and I. Owens. 2000. Mites and birds: Diversity, parasitism and coevolution.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15:358-364.

Strong, A. M. 2000. Divergent foraging strategies of two Neotropical migrant warblers:
Implications for winter habitat use. Auk 117:381-392.

Terrill, S. B. and R. D. Ohmart. 1984. Facultative extension of fall migration by Yellow-
rumped Warblers ( Dendroica coronata ). Auk 101:427-438.

Valim, M. P., and F. A. Hernandes. 2006. Redescriptions of four species of the feather mite
genus Pterodectes Robin, 1877 (Acari: Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) described by
Herbert F. Berla. Acarina 14:41-55.

Valim, M. P., and F. A. Hernandes. 2010. A systematic review of feather mites of
the Pterodectes generic complex (Acari: Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) with
redescriptions of species described by Vladimir Cerny. Acarina 18:3-35.

Wirth, W. W., and N. Marston. 1968. A method for mounting small insects on microscope
slides in Canada balsam. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 61:783-784.

Florida Field Naturalist 39(4): 142-154, 2011.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS

Spring Report: March-May 2011.— This report consists of significant bird
observations compiled by the Field Observations Committee (FOC). Electronic
submissions to the FOC should be in the following format: species, number of individuals,
age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date,
observer(s), and significance. Seasons are winter (December-February), spring (March-
May), summer (June-July), and fall (August-November). Submit observations to regional
compilers within two weeks after the close of each season, or to the state compiler within
one month. Addresses of the compilers follow this report.

Sight-only observations are considered “reports” while only those supported by
verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio recordings, or specimens) are called
“records.” Species for which documentation is required by the FOC and by the FOS
Records Committee (FOSRC; <www.fosbirds.org/RecordsCommittee/OfficialStateList.
aspx>) are marked here with an asterisk (*). A county designation (in italics) accompanies
the first-time listing of each site in this report. Abbreviations in this report are: AFB =
Air Force Base, EOS - end of season, nm - nautical miles, NP = National Park, NS ---
National Seashore, NSRA = North Shore Restoration Area, NWR = National Wildlife
Refuge, SF = State Forest, SP - State Park, STA = Stormwater Treatment Area, WMA
- Wildlife Management Area, and N, S, E, W etc., for compass directions. Bold-faced
entries denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida, or record numbers.

Summary of the Spring Season

Owing to a scarcity of weather fronts, it was a poor season for observing migrant
landbirds. Bob and Lucy Duncan referred to it as “the dullest spring migration [we] have
experienced in over 40 years of birding.” In southeastern Florida, John Boyd observed
that “we didn’t really have spring. The weather seemed to go directly to early summer.”
FOSRC rarities reported this spring were Red-billed Tropicbird off Volusia, Thayer’s
Gull at Ponce de Leon Inlet, Long-eared Owl at Dry Tortugas NP, Say’s Phoebe again in
Lake, Tropical/Couch’s Kingbird at Fort De Soto Park, Sage Thrasher and Green-tailed
Towhee at Fort Pickens, and MacGillivray’s Warbler in Miami-Dade. Florida’s first Blue
Waxbill continued at Tallahassee.

Species Accounts

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 1,205 at Lake Apopka NSRA ( Orange ) 11 Mar (H.
Robinson); 105 at Brandon {Hillsborough) 26 Mar (E. Kwater); 2 at St. Petersburg
( Pinellas ) to 29 Mar (E. Haney et ah); 177 at Twin Lakes ( Hillsborough ) 6 Apr
(C. Cox, L. Deaner); 9 at Homestead ( Miami-Dade ) 22 Apr (R. Torres); 2 at Lake
Iamonia (. Leon ) 27 Apr (D. Bryan); 2 at Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands NS {Escambia) 7
May (B. & L. Duncan); 6 at Big Talbot Island SP {Duval) 22 May (P. Leary); 329 at
STA-5 {Hendry) 28 May (M. England et al.); 2 at Lake Lafayette {Leon) 31 May (A.
Wraithmell).

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 200 at STA-5, 16 Apr (M. England et al.); 6 at Brinson Park,
Kissimmee {Osceola) 30 Apr (J. Thornton).

White-faced Whistling-Duck: 1 at STA-5, 14 May for the third time this year (M.
England).

142

Field Observations

143

Graylag Goose: along with one active nest, 39 or more eggs were “dumped” at Crescent
Lake Park, St. Petersburg {Pinellas) 16 Apr (B. Long, photos to FOG).

Snow Goose: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 13 Mar (H. Robinson); 2 adult white morphs at
Paynes Prairie Preserve SP ( Alachua ) through 20 Mar (B. Knight, C. Littlewood et
aL, photo to FOG).

Ross’s Goose: 1 at Tallahassee {Leon) 5 Mar (R. Cassidy, J. Cavanagh).

Canada Goose: 9 over Orlando Wetlands Park {Orange) 14 Mar (C. Pierce); 1 pair at
Eagle Lake Park, Largo {Pinellas) produced 1 chick 12 Apr {fide R. Smith); 5 (pair
with 3 chicks) at Ponte Vedra Beach {St. Johns) 13 May (D. Freeland); 4 at Fort De
Soto Park {Pinellas) 19 May (J. Stefancic); 3 (1 adult with 2 subadults) at Garden
City {Duval) 28 May (D. Freeland); 7 returned to Bayonet Point {Pasco) 29 May (B.
Pranty, V. Ponzo).

Mute Swan: 3 at Guana WMA {St. Johns) 8 Mar (D. Reed et aL); 9 (pair with 7 chicks) at
E Viera {Brevard) 30 Apr (B. Freeland et aL).

Tundra Swan: 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP through 13 Mar (C. Littlewood).

Gadwall: 50 at Apalachicola {Franklin) 2 Apr (J. Murphy); 2 at Four Comers Mine {Polk)
12 May (P. Timmer).

American Black Duck: 2 at Cockroach Bay Preserve {Hillsborough) to 13 Mar (B. Ahern,
R. Smith et al.).

Mottled Duck: 108 at Four Corners Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Blue-winged Teal: 6 at Four Corners Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 27 at STA-5, 14 May,
and 2 there 28 May (M. England et al.).

Blue-winged Teal x Cinnamon Teal: 1 hybrid male at Green Cay Wetlands {Palm Beach)
9-12 Mar (E. Matthews, photo to FOC).

Northern Shoveler: 4 at Four Corners Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 1 male at the Sarasota
Celery Fields 14 May (B. Ahem); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 15 May (H. Robinson); 2 at
STA-5, 28 May (M. England et al.).

Northern Pintail: 1 male at Largo {Pinellas) 3 May (R. Smith).

Canvasback: 10 at Wellington Environmental Preserve {Palm Beach) 2 Mar (C. Sanchez);
1 at St. Petersburg to 14 Apr (R. Smith); 1 at Orange Lake {Alachua) 4 May (R.
Rowan, J. Hintermister et al.).

Redhead: 6 at Tierra Verde ( Pinellas ) 5-12 May, and 1 there to 21 May (B. Ahem); 22 at
Gulf Harbors, New Port Richey {Pasco) 29 May (B. Pranty, V. Ponzo, photos to FOC).

Ring-necked Duck: 4 at Orange Lake 4 May (R. Rowan, J. Hintermister et al.); 1 female
at Cockroach Bay Preserve 5 May (C. Cox); 16 at STA-5, 14 May, and 2 there 28 May
(M. England et al.); 1 male at The Villages {Sumter) 22 May (J. Dinsmore).

Greater Scaup: 1 female at Honeymoon Island SP {Pinellas) 12 Mar (E. Kwater); 1 at
Coot Bay, Everglades NP {Monroe) 4 Apr (G. & H. LeBaron); 1 at Tierra Verde 21 Apr
(D. Gagne et al.); 3 at Holiday to 24 Apr (D. Gagne).

Lesser Scaup: 1 at Lake Davis, Orlando {Orange) 4 May (A. Boyle); 8 at Four Comers
Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 1 at Titusville {Brevard) 17 May (T. Dunkerton); 4 at Gulf
Harbors 29 May (B. Pranty, V. Ponzo).

White-winged Scoter: 1 at Lake Henrietta {Leon) 1 Mar (A. Wraithmell, photo to FOC);
7 at Fort Pickens 7 Mar (B. & L. Duncan).

Black Scoter: 2 at Port Canaveral {Brevard) 1 May (D. Freeland); 1 female at Gulf
Breeze {Santa Rosa) 29 May (L. Duncan et al.); 1 at Alligator Point {Franklin) 29
May (J. Cavanagh).

Long-tailed Duck: 1 at St. George Island SP {Franklin) 20 Mar (R. Cassidy).

Bufflehead: 1 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 10-13 Mar (C. Cox et al.); 1 at Tierra Verde 17
Mar (B. Ahem).

Hooded Merganser: 1 at Tierra Verde to 21 May (B. Ahern et al.).

Ruddy Duck: 1 at Tierra Verde 5 May (B. Ahem); 1 remained at Lake Apopka NSRA all
season (H. Robinson).

144

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Red Junglefowl: 3 at J. B. Starkey Wilderness Park (Pasco) 9 May (K. Tracey, photo to
FOG).

Common Peafowl: 15 (2 females, 9 males, and 4 juveniles) at Genius Drive Nature
Preserve, Winter Park (Orange) 8 May and 15 (4 females, 6 males, and 5 juveniles)
there 14 May (B. Anderson).

Green Peafowl: 5 (3 females and 2 males) at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 1-14 May
(B. Anderson).

Red-throated Loon: 5 at Ocean Pond, Osceola National Forest (Baker) 21 Apr (B.

Richter).

Common Loon: at least 175 ca. 20 nm off Palmetto (Manatee) 19 Mar (E. Plage); 1 at Lake
Apopka NSRA 6 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 in nearly full alternate plumage at Hudson
(Pasco) 21 Apr (B. Pranty et al., photo to FOC); 1 at Lake Iamonia 27 Apr (D. Bryan).
Horned Grebe: 1 in basic plumage at Merritt Island NWR (Brevard) 20 May (D.

Freeland); 1 in basic plumage at Spring Hill (Hernando) 22 May (A. & B. Hansen).
American Flamingo: 2 unhanded adults at Lakes Passage, Key West NWR (Monroe) 1
Mar (R. O’Neal, photo to FOC).

Black-capped Petrel: 3 off Ponce de Leon Inlet (Volusia) 14 May (M. Brothers et al.).
Cory’s Shearwater: 1 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May (M. Brothers et al.).

Audubon’s Shearwater: 1 off Miami (Miami-Dade) 4 May (R. Torres); 10 off Ponce de
Leon Inlet 14 May, and 1 off there 28 May (M. Brothers et al.).

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel: 14 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May, and 40 off there 28 May (M.
Brothers et al.).

Leach’s Storm-Petrel: 1 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May, and 2 off there 28 May (M.
Brothers et al.).

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel: 1 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May, and 2 off there 28 May (M.
Brothers et al.).

White-tailed Tropic bird: singles off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 & 28 May (M. Brothers et al).
*Red-billed Tropicbird: 1 adult off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May (M. Brothers et al.).
Masked Booby: 1 adult at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP, Key West 9 Apr (C. Goodrich).
Brown Booby: 1 or singles at Boca Chica Key (Monroe) 13-15 Mar and 7 & 14 Apr (C.

Goodrich, G. LeBaron); 1 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May (M. Brothers et al.).
Red-footed Booby: 1 immature southeast of Key Biscayne (Miami-Dade) 4 May (R.
Torres et al., photo to FOC).

Northern Gannet: 42 (37 adults) ca. 20 nm off Palmetto 19 Mar (E. Plage); 25 at
Honeymoon Island SP 5 Apr (D. Gagne, C. Cox).

American White Pelican: 600 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Mar, and as many as 30 there
to 29 May (H. Robinson); 30 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP and Virginia Key (Miami-
Dade) 1 Apr (R. Diaz); 350 at Lake Hall (Leon) 3 Apr (A. Wraithmell); 142 at Four
Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 58 at STA-5, 14 May (M. England).

Brown Pelican: as many as 4 at Spring Lake, Altamonte Springs (Seminole) 28 Mar-
6 Jun (P. Hueber); as many as 5 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 1 May-EOS (B.
Anderson et al.); 1 at Lake Kissimmee (Osceola) 30 Apr (J. Thornton); 400 at a colony
off Apalachicola 22 May (R. Cassidy).

Magnificent Frigatebird: 483 at Marco Island (Collier) 26 May (T. Below).

American Bittern: 1 at Conner Preserve (Pasco) 16 Apr (E. Plage, J. Guerard et al.).
Least Bittern: 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 13 Mar (D. Gagne).

Great Blue Heron, White Morph: 1 at Sebastian Inlet SP (Brevard/Indian River) 3-5

Mar (J. Diederich); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 29 Mar-EOS (C. Fredricks, G.
Price et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 6 Apr (H. Robinson); 3 at STA-5, 14 May (M.
England); 1 at Port Mayaca, Lake Okeechobee (Martin) 29 May (N. Price, photo to
FOC).

Great Egret: 1 at St. Petersburg 4 May caught and ate a male Purple Martin! (R. Smith);
320 at STA-5, 14 May (M. England); 800 at Lake Apopka NSRA 22 May (H. Robinson).

Field Observations

145

Snowy Egret: 240 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 650 at Lake Apopka NSRA
17 May (H. Robinson).

Cattle Egret: 5 flew north over Genius Drive Nature Preserve 16 Apr, with 6 others 17
Apr, and 1 there 23 Apr (B. Anderson et al.).

Black-crowned Night-Heron: 241 at Lake Apopka NSRA 20 Mar (H. Robinson); 30 at
Cockroach Bay Preserve 26 May (B. Ahern); 1 at Pensacola (Escambia) 30 May (C.
Brown).

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: as many as 4 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 4 Apr-EOS
(L. Davis, C. Fredricks et al.); 28 at Lake Apopka NSRA 24 Apr (H. Robinson); 1
immature flew south 30 nm off Ponce de Leon Inlet 28 May (M. Brothers et al.).
White Ibis: 4,600 at Lake Apopka NSRA 29 May (H. Robinson).

Glossy Ibis: 850 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Apr (H. Robinson).

White-faced Ibis: 2 at Tallahassee 3 Mar (R. Cassidy, A. Wraithmell, photos to
FOC); 1 second-year at Pensacola 27 Mar-3 Apr (A. Harper et al.); 1 adult at
Cockroach Bay Preserve 31 Mar-1 Apr (C. Cox et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 6
Apr-29 May (H. Robinson); 1 second-year remained at Trinity (Pasco) to 10 Apr
(D. Gagne et al.), and 1 adult there 21-30 Apr (C. Fisher, B. Pranty et al., photo
to FOC).

Roseate Spoonbill: as many as 2 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 8 Apr-EOS (F. Goodwin
et al.); 45 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 24 at Lake Apopka NSRA 29
May (H. Robinson).

Osprey: 60 at Lake Apopka NSRA 15 Apr (H. Robinson).

Swallow-tailed Kite: 1 at S Jacksonville (Duval) 10 Mar (J. Cocke); 100 at Southeast

Farm, Tallahassee 24 Apr (D. Bryan).

White-tailed Kite: 1 at Three Lakes WMA (Osceola) 14 Mar (C. Cimino et al.).
Mississippi Kite: 80 at Southeast Farm, Tallahassee 24 Apr (D. Bryan); 2 at Jacksonville
7 May (B. Tinsman); 14 at Chiefland (Levy) 11 May had been present ca. two weeks
(T. Jones); 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve (Pinellas) 12 May (fide R. Smith, photo to
FOC); 7 at Gulf Hammock (Levy) 14 May (B. Pranty, K. Coberly); as many as 6
northwest of Wildwood (Sumter) 26 May-4 Jun (A. Horst et al.); 1 south of Dade City
(Pasco) 30 May (K. Tracey).

Northern Harrier: 2 at Honeymoon Island SP 25 Apr (E. Kwater); 1 at Green Key, New
Port Richey 1 May (K. Tracey); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 17 May (H. Robinson); 1 at

Lochloosa Wildlife Conservation Area (Alachua) 21 May (R. Rowan, M. Manetz); 1 at

Pensacola 24 May (C. Bunch).

Great Black-Hawk: 1 again at Virginia Key 4-26 Apr (R. Diaz).

Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Trail, St. Petersburg 27 Mar (J. Guerard); 1
at Fort De Soto Park 1 Apr (B. Ahern, R. Smith); 1 immature wintered at Bill Baggs
Cape Florida SP to 15 Apr (R. Diaz).

Short-tailed Hawk: 15 reports of 17 individuals (9 dark, 6 light, and 2 unspecified)
in the peninsula this season, including 2 at Three Lakes WMA (Osceola) 3-4 Mar
(B. Sanders), 1 at Lettuce Lake Park, Tampa (Hillsborough) 29 Apr that fed on a
Mourning Dove (W. Mangold), and 2 at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve SP (Okeechobee)
5 May (M. McMillian).

Red-tailed Hawk: 1 pair and 2 nestlings in an Osprey nest in N Pinellas 19 Apr (W.

Yusek, photo to FOC).

Crested Caracara: 1 at Little-Big Econ SF (Seminole) 4 Mar (J. Dinsmore).

American Kestrel: 3 at Apollo Beach (Hillsborough) 30 May (C. Fisher).

Merlin: 1 at Lighthouse Point Park, Ponce Inlet (Volusia) 9 May (M. Brothers).
Peregrine Falcon: 40 at North Peninsula SP (Flagler) 27 Mar (M. Wilson).

Yellow Rail: 1 at Alligator Point 24 Apr (J. Murphy).

Black Rail: 1 in a yard at New Port Richey -4 May died 9 May (fide L. Barhorst,
specimen).

146

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Sora: 1 at Dry Tortugas NP ( Monroe ) 7 May (M. Bemey); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 24
May (H. Robinson).

Purple Swamphem: 1 adult at Lake Apopka NSRA (Lake) 14 Mar (H. Robinson); 1 at
Orlando Wetlands Park 7 Apr ( fide M. Sees); 109 at STA-5, 14 May (M. England et al.).
Purple Gallinule: 20 at Taminco Sanctuary ( Santa Rosa) 10 May (L. Kelly et al.); 37 at
Lake Apopka NSRA 21 May (H. Robinson).

Common Moorhen: 5,900 at STA-5, 14 May (M. England); 1,530 at Lake Apopka NSRA
22 May (H. Robinson).

American Coot: 104 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 94 at Lake Apopka
NSRA 29 May (H. Robinson).

Sandhill Crane: 70 at Milton (Santa Rosa) 4 Mar (L. Kelly) furnished the highest count
for the W Panhandle (fide B. Duncan).

Gray Crowned Crane: 1 again at Orange Lake 9 Apr (B. Hensley, photo to FOC).
Black-bellied Plover: 124 at Shell Key Preserve (Pinellas) 10 Apr (R. Smith); as many as

2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 24 Apr-6 May, and 1 there 22 May (H. Robinson); 1 in basic
plumage at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

American Golden-Plover: 1 at Cutler Wetlands (Miami-Dade) 3-6 Apr (P. Bithorn, R.
Featherly et al.); 1 at Carrabelle (Franklin) 16 Apr (R. Cassidy); 1 at Fort De Soto
Park 17 Apr (D. Margeson).

Wilson’s Plover: 8 at St. Marks NWR (Wakulla) 25 Apr (A. Wraithmell).

Semipalmated Plover: 320 at Shell Key Preserve 10 Apr (R. Smith); as many as 12 (1
May) at Lake Apopka NSRA 1-22 May (H. Robinson); 800 at Ponce de Leon Inlet 9
May (M. Brothers); 13 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Piping Plover: 16 at Little Talbot Island SP (Duval) 3 Mar (P. Leary).

Black-necked Stilt: 4 at Trinity 27 Mar (K. Tracey); 392, with 100 nests, at Four Comers
Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 258 at STA-5, 14 May (M. England); 15 nesting pairs at
Cockroach Bay Preserve 26 May-EOS (B. Ahem).

American Avocet: 24 at Fort De Soto Park 9 Apr (B. Ahem et al.); 18 at Four Comers
Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Spotted Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 8-13 Apr, and as many as 3 there 27 Apr-29
May (H. Robinson); 1 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 1 at Shired Island
Park (Dixie) 28 May (V. Ponzo, B. Pranty); 1 at Spring Hill 31 May (A. & B. Hansen).
Solitary Sandpiper: 1 at Gulf Harbors, New Port Richey 29 Mar (K. Tracey); 1 at Lake
Apopka NSRA 30 Mar, and as many as 19 (4 May) there 13 Apr-24 May (H. Robinson);

3 flocks totaled 32 at New Port Richey 6 May (K. Tracey); 1 at Summerland Key
(Monroe) 14 May (J. Boyd); 1 at Merritt Island NWR 18 May (D. Freeland).

Greater Yellowlegs: 15 at Rockland Key (Monroe) 3 Apr (C. Goodrich).

Willet: 198 at Shell Key Preserve 10 Apr (R. Smith).

Lesser Yellowlegs: 4 at Rockland Key 3 Apr (C. Goodrich); 55 at Progress Village
(Hillsborough) 10 Apr (E. Kwater).

Upland Sandpiper: 1 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 1-6 Apr (C. Cox, E. Kwater et al.).
Whimbrel: 9 at St. Marks NWR 25 Apr (A. Wraithmell); 7 at Ponce de Leon Inlet 25 Apr
circled the inlet then headed out to sea (M. Brothers).

Long-billed Curlew: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 6 Mar-21 Apr (D. Margeson, R. Smith et al.).
Red Knot: 3 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Apr (H. Robinson); 58 at Fort George Inlet (Duval)
12 May (P. Leary); 75 at Bald Point SP (Franklin) 18 May (A. Wraithmell); 1 at Cutler
Wetlands 29 May (C. Sanchez).

Sanderling: 400 at Shell Key Preserve 10 Apr (R. Smith).

Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1 in alternate plumage at Boca Chica Key 27 Mar (C. Goodrich);
3 at Gulf Harbors 1 Apr (D. Gagne); 300 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 17 May (C. Cox);
700 at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 May (H. Robinson).

Western Sandpiper: 650 at Shell Key Preserve 10 Apr (R. Smith).

Least Sandpiper: 24,000 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Field Observations

147

White-rumped Sandpiper: as many as 118 (21 May) at Lake Apopka MSRA 1-26 May (H.
Robinson); 1 east of Dade City 11 May (K. Tracey); as many as 27 at Cutler Wetlands

17 May-11 Jun (R. Torres); 5 at Merritt Island NWR 18 May (D. Freeland); 41 at
Cockroach Bay Preserve 20 May (C. Cox).

Baird’s Sandpiper: 1 at Merritt Island NWR 18 May (D. Freeland, details to FOC).
Pectoral Sandpiper: as many as 6 (1 Apr) at Lake Apopka NSRA 1-19 Apr (H. Robinson);
1 at Gulf Harbors 1 Apr (D. Gagne); 1 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 15 May (C. Cox, L.
Deaner).

Purple Sandpiper: 2 at Ponce de Leon Inlet to 19 May (M. Brothers).

Dunlin: singles at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 & 22 Apr (H. Robinson); 1,200 at Shell Key
Preserve 10 Apr (R. Smith); 2 in alternate plumage at Four Corners Mine 12 May
(P. Timmer).

Stilt Sandpiper: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Mar, and 4 there 17 May (H. Robinson); 1
at Rockland Key 10 Apr (C. Goodrich); 1,000 at Harold A. Campbell Public Use Area
{Palm Beach ) 8 May (C. Weber); 176 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).
Long-billed Dowitcher: 48 at Progress Village 10 Apr (E. Kwater); 319 at Cockroach Bay
Preserve 14 Apr (C. Cox); 103 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Wilson’s Snipe: 43 at Tallahassee 3 Mar (A. Wraithmell); 1 at Trinity 10 Apr (D. Gagne);

1 at Four Corners Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

American Woodcock: 1 at Ormond Beach ( Volusia ) 17 May (M. Brothers, specimen to
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida).

Wilson’s Phalarope: 2 at St. Marks NWR 8 May (J. Simpson).

Red-necked Phalarope: 5 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May (M. Brothers et al.); 2 at Harold
A. Campbell Public Use Area 14 May (C. Weber et al.).

Red Phalarope: 2 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May (M. Brothers et al.).

Laughing Gull: 10 at Brinson Park, Kissimmee 30 Apr (J. Thornton); 215 at Four Comers
Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Franklin’s Gull: 1 at Cutler Wetlands 22 Apr (C. Sanchez).

*Thayer’s Gull: 1 first-cycle at Daytona Beach Shores ( Volusia ) to 15 Mar (M. Brothers).
Iceland Gull: 1 first-cycle Kumlien’s at Little Talbot Island SP 6 Mar (K. Dailey); 1 at
Fernandina Beach ( Nassau ) 30 Mar (J. Rink); 1 first-cycle at Daytona Beach Shores
to 1 Apr (M. Brothers).

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at Apalachicola 6 Mar ( J. Murphy); 1 second-cycle at
Key West 6 Apr (G. LeBaron); 1 adult at Longboat Key ( Sarasota ) 3 Apr (V. Ponzo); 41
(16 adults) at Crandon Park ( Miami-Dade ) 4 Apr (R. Diaz); 33 at Huguenot Memorial
Park C Duval ) 10 May (B. Richter).

Glaucous Gull: 1 at Matanzas Inlet {St. Johns ) 3 Mar (G. Davis); 2 first-cycles at
Daytona Beach Shores to 10 Mar, and 1 to 16 Apr (M. Brothers); 1 at Lanark Village
( Franklin ) 28 Apr (J. Cavanagh, photos to FOC).

Great Black-backed Gull: 6 first-cycles at Crandon Park 11 Apr (R. Diaz); 1 second-cycle
at Alligator Point 8 May (J. Murphy).

Sooty Tern: 8 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 May, and 2 off there 28 May (M. Brothers et al.).
Bridled Tern: 4 each off Ponce de Leon Inlet 14 & 28 May (M. Brothers et al.).

Least Tern: 8 at Ponce de Leon Inlet 29 Mar (M. Brothers).

Gull-billed Tern: 2 at Riverview ( Hillsborough ) 1 Apr (C. Cox); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA
1 May (H. Robinson); 95, with 33 nests, at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 2
at Weedon Island Preserve, St. Petersburg 14 May (D. Kandz); 8 at St. Marks NWR

18 May (A. Wraithmell); 4 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 26-30 May (B. Ahern); 2 at Wolf
Branch Creek Preserve ( Hillsborough ) 28 May (C. Fisher).

Caspian Tern: 4 over Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale ( Broward ) 16 Apr (M. Bemey
et al.); 154 at Four Corners Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Black Tern: 138 at Four Comers Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 1 at Newnans Lake (. Alachua )
29 May (C. Fredricks).

148

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Roseate Tern: 8 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP 30 Mar (C. Goodrich).

Common Tern: 13 at Fort De Soto Park 31 Mar (R. Smith).

Arctic Tern: 1 off Ponce de Leon Inlet 28 May (M. Brothers et al.).

Forster’s Tern: 208 at Four Corners Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Royal Tern: 1 adult at Lake Woodruff NWR ( Volusia ) 7 May (M. Brothers).

Sandwich Tern: 331 at Marco Island 12 May (T. Below).

Black Skimmer: 500 roosted east of Alimacani ( Nassau ) 10 Mar (P. Leary); 83 at Four Comers
Mine 12 May (P. Timmer); 1,145, with 103 nests, at Marco Island 26 May (T. Below).

Parasitic Jaeger: 2-6 harassed gulls at sunset almost daily at Daytona Beach Shores
1-21 Mar (M. Brothers).

Jaeger species: 9 ca. 20 nm off Palmetto 19 Mar (E. Plage).

African Collared-Dove: 1 at Gainesville 22-24 Apr (G. Parks).

White-winged Dove: 24 at The Villages ( Marion ) 14 Mar (J. Dinsmore); 1 at Honeymoon
Island SP 17 Apr (E. Haney); 1 at Fort Clinch SP (Nassau) 24 Apr (P. Leary); 10 at
Wolf Branch Creek Preserve 26 May (B. Ahern).

Cockatiel: 1 at Oakland Park ( Broward ) 18 May (R. Titus).

N and ay (Black-hooded) Parakeet: 1 in a cavity in a palm snag at Abercrombie Park, St.
Petersburg 14 Mar (J. Hooks); 2 flew east over Lettuce Lake Park 16 Mar (B. Ahern).

Blue-crowned Parakeet: 14 at SE St. Petersburg 7 Apr (A. Horst et al.); 2 at Bill Baggs
Cape Florida SP 4 May (R. Diaz).

Red-masked Parakeet: 6 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park ( Miami-Dade ) 3 Apr (J. Boyd).

Chestnut-fronted Macaw: 8 entered cavities at Matheson Hammock Park (Miami-Dade)
10 Mar (R. Diaz).

Blue-and-yellow Macaw: 2 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 23 Apr (J. Boyd).

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet: 3 at Matheson Hammock Park 1 May (J. Boyd).

Scaly-headed Parrot: 2 at the University of Miami campus, Coral Gables ( Miami-Dade )
3 Apr (G. & H. LeBaron).

Red-crowned Parrot: 1 at Matheson Hammock Park 10 Mar (R. Diaz).

Lilac-crowned Parrot: duos at Matheson Hammock Park 10 Mar (R. Diaz) and 2 Apr
(R. Featherly).

Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 65 at St. George Island SP 20 Apr (R. Cassidy).

Mangrove Cuckoo: 4 at Wolf Branch Creek Preserve 21 May (R. Milburn et al.); 1 at
Weedon Island Preserve 22 May (R. Smith).

Smooth-billed Ani: 1 near Lake Worth Lagoon (Palm Beach ) 26 May (C. Weber).

Groove-billed Ani: 1 exceedingly tame bird (it took mealworms from an open hand, and
typically foraged underfoot) at Boyd Hill Nature Trail, St. Petersburg 25 Mar-23 Apr
(T. Funari, R. Smith et al., photos to FOC).

Barn Owl: 1 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 13 Mar (B. Anderson et al.); 19 at Lake
Apopka NSRA 13 May (H. Robinson).

Burrowing Owl: 12 at Site 70, Eglin AFB (Okaloosa) 29 May (L. Fenimore, D. Ware).

*Long-eared Owl: 1 at Dry Tortugas NP 13 Apr (C. Lachance et al., photo to FOC).

Lesser Nighthawk: 1 at St. George Island SP 1 May (R. Rowan, G. McDermott, photo to
FOC).

Common Nighthawk: 1 at Fort Pickens 13 Mar (B. & J. Callaway).

Chuck- will’s-widow: 1 in song at Groom Tract, Withlacoochee SF (Hernando) 19 Mar
(B. Ahern); 1 in song at Lutz (Pasco) 19 Mar (D. Bowman); 1 at Fort Zachary Taylor
Historic SP 20 Mar (C. Goodrich); 23 at Conner Preserve 16 Apr (B. Ahern, E.
Plage et al.); 134 heard from 0300-0630 hrs along a 25-km route at the Restoration
development site, Edgewater (Volusia) 25 Apr (H. Robinson).

Chimney Swift: 240 exited a chimney at dawn at New Port Richey 16 Apr (K. Tracey).

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 16 at the mulberry trees, Fort De Soto Park 5 Apr (S. Pratt).

Rufous Hummingbird: 1 second-year male wintered at Lakeland to 28 Mar (J. Misiaszek);
1 female wintered at Altamonte Springs to 4 Apr (P. Hueber et al.).

Field Observations

149

Red-headed Woodpecker; 1 at Royal Palm Cemetery (Pinellas) 22 Apr (E. Tess); 1 at
Seville ( Volusia ) 20 May (D. Freeland).

Hairy Woodpecker: 4 at Groom Tract, WitMacooch.ee SF 19 Mar (B. Ahem); 1 at Eglin
AFB 31 May (D. Ware).

Pileated Woodpecker: 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 9 Apr (E. Kwater).

Acadian Flycatcher: 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 6 Apr (E. Haney).

Least Flycatcher: 1 at S Merritt Island ( Brevard ) 7 May (D. Freeland).

Eastern Phoebe: 1 at Big Pine Key 19 Mar (C. Goodrich).

*Say?s Phoebe: 1 again wintered at Astatula (Lake) to 8 Mar (P. Hueber).

Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 female at Fisheating Creek WMA (Glades) 5-7 Mar (G. & L.
Cornett et al, photo to FOC by V. McGrath).

Ash-throated Flycatcher: 1 wintered at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park ( Miami-Dade )
to 8 Mar (S. Paez); 1 wintered at Lake Apopka MSKA to 27 Apr (H. Robinson).

Great Crested Flycatcher: singles at Bayonet Point (Pasco) 15 & 22 Mar (B. Pranty); 1
at Groom Tract, WitMacoocfa.ee SF 19 Mar (B. Ahem).

Brown-crested Flycatcher: 1 at Frog Pond WMA ( Miami-Dade ) 12 Mar (J. Boyd); 1 at
Research Road, Everglades NP ( Miami-Dade ) 12 Mar (J. Boyd). 1 at C-111E Canal
(. Miami-Dade ) 19-23 Mar (M. Bemey, C. Sanchez).

La Sacra's Flycatcher: 1 wintered at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP to 19 Mar (R. Diaz);
1 at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center ( Palm Beach) 26-29 Apr (R. Titus, J. Hutchison,
details to FOC).

*Tsopicai/Couch?s Kingbird: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 17 Apr (J. Daly, photos to FOC).

Western Kingbird: 3 variously in SE Hendry 16 Mar (D. Sosensky et al.); as many as
14 at Lake Apopka NSRA 18 Mar-8 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 wintered at San Antonio
(Pasco) to 29 Mar (K. Tracey).

Eastern Kingbird: 3 at Honeymoon Island SP (Pinellas) 24 Mar (W. Yusek), and 20 there
8 Apr (E. Haney); 10 active nests, many built in snags over water, at Four Comers
Mine 12 May (P. Timmer).

Gray Kingbird: 2 at Stock Island (Monroe) 19 Mar (C. Goodrich); 1 inland at Lettuce
Lake Park 16 Apr (C. Cox); 14 along Osprey Trail, Honeymoon Island SP 27 Apr (E.
Haney); a flock of 13 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 4 May (R. Diaz).

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; 9 variously in SE Hendry 16 Mar (D. Sosensky et al.); 1
wintered at Cockroach Bay Preserve to 27 Mar (C. Cox); 2 at S Merritt Island 15 Apr
(D. Freeland); 1 near Century (Escambia) 28 May (J. Yoder).

Fork-tailed Flycatcher: 1 at Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale 15 Apr (S. Walter
et al., photo to FOC); 1 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP, Key West 4-5 May (C.
Goodrich et al.).

Bell's Vireg: 1 at 0111 • E Hammock 19 Mar (M. Bemey); 1 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida
SP 2-4 Apr (R. Diaz); 1 at Stock Island 5 Apr (C. Goodrich, G. LeBaron); 1 at Genius
Drive Nature Preserve 9 Apr (B. Anderson, P. Hueber).

Yellow-throated Vireo: 1 in song at Temple Terrace (Hillsborough) 8 Mar (B. Ahem); 2
in song at James Grey Preserve, New Port Richey 12 Mar (D. Gagne); 12 at Groom
Tract, Withlacoochee SF 19 Mar (B. Ahem).

Blue-headed Vireo: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 26 Apr (L. Felker).

Philadelphia Vireo: 1 at St. George Island SP 17 Apr (R. Cassidy); 1 in song at WeeM
Wachee (Hernando) 10 May (M. Gardler); 1 at Fort De Soto Park 18-19 May (E. Plage
et al., photo to FOC by S. Tavaglione).

Red-eyed Vireo: 15 at Morris Bridge Park ( Hillsborough ) 10 Mar (B. Ahern); 5 at St.
Petersburg 10 Mar (E. Haney); 2 in song at Riverbend Park, Jupiter (Palm Beach ) 29
May (C. Weber).

Black-whiskered Vireo: 1 at St. Marks MWR 9 Apr (J. Erickson, photo to FOC); 1 at
Leffis Key ( Manatee ) 29 Apr (E. Haney); 1 at Fort Pickens 1 May (L. Felker).

Blue Jay: 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 9 Apr (E. Kwater).

150

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Florida Scrub-Jay: 43 adults in 16 groups at Duette Preserve ( Manatee ) 6 Mar-20 May
(L. Deaner).

American Crow: 3 at Winter Park all season (B. Anderson).

Tree Swallow: 2,000 flew north over Jupiter Inlet Colony {Palm Beach) 10 Mar (J.
Hailman); as many as 3 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 May-EOS (H. Robinson).

Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 1 at South wood C Leon ) 1 Mar (R. Cassidy); 2 nest-
building at New Port Richey 2 Mar (K. Tracey); 1 at Dunedin Causeway ( Pinellas ) 24
Mar (W. Yusek); 15 at Honeymoon Island SP 17 Apr (E. Haney); 6 juveniles fed by an
adult at Wolf Branch Creek Preserve 21 May (R. Milbum et ah).

Bank Swallow: 1 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 10 Apr (B. Anderson et al.); 2 at
Lake Apopka NSRA 19 Apr, as many as 4 there 1-15 May, and 2 there 29 May (H.
Robinson); 10 at Green Key 29 Apr (K. Tracey); 2 at Fort De Soto Park 1 May (C.
Fisher).

Cliff Swallow: 1 at Green Key 13 Apr (K. Tracey); 2 returned to the nesting colony at
Okeelanta ( Palm Beach ; see spring report, below) 17 Apr, with 7 adults and two
active nests there by 27 May (M. Berney, B. Roberts et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA
1 May (H. Robinson); 7 or more were nesting adjacent to Lake Seminole, Sneads
( Jackson ) 29 May (J. Murphy, photos to FOC).

Cave Swallow: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 5 Apr {fide R. Smith).

Barn Swallow: 10 nest-building at Ormond Beach 4 Apr (M. Brothers); 50 at Fort De
Soto Park 13 Apr {fide R. Smith); 50 at Honeymoon Island SP 17 Apr (E. Haney);
10 nests, at least 4 with young, under the SR-70 bridge over the Harney Pond
Canal {Highlands /Okeechobee) 10 May (B. Pranty, K. Coberly); 7 nesting pairs at
Port Mayaca {Martin) 15 May (M. Berney); 3 nesting pairs along US-27 just north of
Broward line {Palm Beach) 29 May (M. Berney).

Tufted Titmouse: 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 18 Mar (W. Yusek).

Red-breasted Nuthatch: 2 wintered at Cedar Key to 1 Apr, with another there to 18 Apr
(D. Henderson et al.); 1 at Green Key 3 Apr (K. Tracey).

Golden-crowned Kinglet: 2 at Walsingham Park, Largo 17 Mar (J. Fisher); 2 at Bald
Point SP 27 Mar (J. Murphy); as many as 2 at Honeymoon Island SP 23-24 Apr (J.
Guerard, D. Gagne et al.).

Eastern Bluebird: 78 eggs in nest boxes at Gulf Breeze 27 Mar (P. Berry).

Gray-cheeked Thrush: 4 at St. George Island SP 30 Apr (J. Cavanagh, F. Rutkovsky).

Swainson’s Thrush: 37 at Fort De Soto Park 17 May (T. Mast et al.); 1 at Gainesville 18
May (L. Hensley); 2 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 18 May (R. Featherly).

Hermit Thrush: 1 at Lettuce Lake Park 11 Apr (B. Ahern).

American Robin: 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve 15 May {fide R. Smith); 1 at Bald Point SP
21 May (J. Simpson); 2 at Fort De Soto Park 22 May (J. Mangold).

Gray Catbird: 70 at Honeymoon Island SP 12 Mar (E. Kwater).

Bahama Mockingbird: 1 banded at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 21 Apr (R. Diaz et al.,
photo to FOC); 1 at Hugh Taylor Birch SP {Broward) 2-9 May (J. Pesold, C. Sanchez
et al.); 1 at John Pennekamp Coral Reef SP {Monroe) 7 May (J. Boyd, photo to FOC).

*Sage Thrasher: 1 wintered at Fort Pickens to 6 Mar (B. & J. Callaway).

European Starling: 1 partial albino at New Port Richey 6 May, 0.4 km from where (the
same?) 1 was photographed in Dec 2007 (K. Tracey, photos to FOC).

American Pipit: 2 at Oviedo {Seminole) 3 Apr (E. Kwater).

Sprague’s Pipit: 2 at Apalachicola Airport {Franklin) 2 Apr (J. Murphy).

Cedar Waxwing: 300 at Tallahassee 31 Mar (R. Cassidy); 50 at Clermont {Lake) 5 May
(J. Stefancic).

Blue-winged Warbler: 1 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 2-7 Apr (R. Diaz); 2 at Fort
Zachary Taylor Historic SP 6 Apr (G. LeBaron, C. Goodrich).

Golden- winged Warbler: 2 males at Fort De Soto Park 29 Apr (R. Smith et al.).

Tennessee Warbler: 1 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP 5 Apr (G. LeBaron et al.).

Field Observations

151

Orange-crowned Warbler: 1 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP 5 Apr (G. LeBaron et
al); 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 6 Apr (E. Haney); 1 at Melbourne Beach 9-10 May (A.
Bankert, photo to FOC).

Nashville Warbler: 1 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 9-10 Apr (B. Anderson et al.).
Northern Parula: 34 at Lettuce Lake Park 7 Mar (B. Ahem).

Yellow Warbler: 1 gundlachi in song at Matheson Hammock Park 14 May-EOS (C.
Sanchez).

Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1 at St. George Island SP 15 May (J. Cavanagh); 1 at A. D.
“Doug” Barnes Park 22 May (C. Sanchez).

Magnolia Warbler: 1 at Mead Botanical Garden, Winter Park 20 Apr (P. Hueber); 5 at
Green Key 1 May (K. Tracey).

Cape May Warbler: 3 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 9 Apr (B. Anderson et al.).
Black-throated Blue Warbler: 1 female at Lakeland 13 Mar (J. Misiaszek); 2 at Genius
Drive Nature Preserve 10 Apr (B. Anderson et al.); 16 at Green Key 30 Apr (K.
Tracey); 22 at Fort De Soto Park 5 May (B. Ahern); hundreds at Kingsley Plantation
(Duval) 8 May (E. Haney et al.).

Yellow-rumped Warbler: 150 at Honeymoon Island SP 12 Mar (E. Kwater).
Black-throated Gray Warbler: 1 at Palatka (Putnam) 20 May (G. Kiltie).
Black-throated Green Warbler: 1 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP 6 Apr (G. LeBaron
et al.); singles at Fort De Soto Park 15 Apr (D. O’Neil) and 29 Apr (R. Smith et al.); 1
at St. Petersburg 25 Apr (E. Haney).

Blackburnian Warbler: 1 at S Merritt Island 12 May (D. Freeland); 2 at Fort De Soto
Park 17 May (T. Mast et al.).

Yellow-throated Warbler: 200, including many fledglings, at Fort George Island 10 May
(B. Richter).

Bay-breasted Warbler: 1 at Sanibel Lighthouse Park, Sanibel Island (Lee) 16 May (V.

McGrath); 5 at Fort De Soto Park 17 May (T. Mast et al.).

Blackpoll Warbler: 1 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 9 Apr (B. Anderson et al.); 54 at
Green Key 1 May, and 37 there 5 May (K. Tracey); 42 at Fort De Soto Park 5 May (B.
Ahern); hundreds at Kingsley Plantation 8 May (E. Haney et al.), and 350 (70% adult
males) elsewhere on Fort George Island 8 May (K. Dailey); 60 at Fort George Island
10 May (B. Richter).

Black-and-white Warbler: 8 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 3 Apr (C. Cox); 10 at Fort De
Soto Park 3 May (E. Plage).

American Redstart: 2 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 17 Apr, and 1 there 14 May (B.
Anderson et al.); 37 at Green Key 1 May (K. Tracey); hundreds at Kingsley Plantation
8 May (E. Haney et al.), and 400 (90% adult males) elsewhere on Fort George Island 8
May (K. Dailey); 1 male at The Villages (Sumter) 14 May (J. Dinsmore).
Prothonotary Warbler: 1 in song at Lettuce Lake Park 28 Mar, and 5 there (3 in song) 18
Apr (B, Ahern); 3 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP 6 Apr (C. Goodrich).
Worm-eating Warbler: 6 at Turkey Creek Sanctuary, Palm Bay (Brevard) 13 Apr (B.
Haddad).

Swainson’s Warbler: 1 at Charles “Sonny” McCoy Indigenous Park, Key West 21 Mar (C.

Goodrich); 1 at Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale 2 Apr (M. Bemey et al.).
Northern Waterthrush: as many as 11 (17 Apr) at Lake Apopka NSRA 2 Mar-17 May
(H. Robinson); 2 at Morris Bridge Park 10 Mar (B. Ahem).

Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at John Chesnut Sr. Park, Palm Harbor (Pinellas) 7 Mar (S.

Tess); 3 at Morris Bridge Park 10 Mar (B. Ahem).

Kentucky Warbler: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 at Lutz (Pasco) 7 Apr
(D. Bowman); 1 at Hugh Taylor Birch SP 15-16 May (M. Bemey, B. Roberts).
Connecticut Warbler: 1 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 11-13 May (R. Torres, C. Sanchez);
1 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 11-18 May (R. Torres, R. Featherly); 2 at Lori Wilson
Park, Cocoa Beach (Brevard) 15 May (R. Geisler, C. Edwards et al.); as many as 4 at

152

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Hugh Taylor Birch SP 15-16 May (B, Roberts, M. Bemey et al.); 1 at Ponce Preserve,
Ponce Inlet 16 May (M. Brothers); 1 at Guana River WMA 17 May (G. Davis); 4 at
Mangonia Park ( Palm Beach) 18 May (C. Weber); 3 at Richardson Park ( Broward ) 18
May (R. Titus); 1 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 22 May (C. Cox).

*MacGillivray’s Warbler: 1 male at C-111E Hammock 12-23 Mar (D. Smith, M Bemey
et aL, photo to FOC by R. Torres).

Hooded Warbler: 3 at Fort De Soto Park 31 Mar (S. Tavaglione); 25 at Fort Zachary
Taylor Historic SP 6 Apr (C. Goodrich); 10 at Stock Island 6 Apr (C. Goodrich); 5 in
song at Lower Suwannee MWR (Levy) 21 Apr (M. Gardler).

Wilson’s Warbler: 1 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 7 May (C. Sanchez).

Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Orlando Wetlands Park 15 Mar (P. Hueber); 2 at Clll-E
Hammock 19 Mar (M. Bemey et aL); 1 at Lake Henderson, Inverness ( Citrus ) 21 Mar
(E. Riccio, J. Meyer); 1 at Gainesville 22 Mar-2 Apr (R. Bowden, A. Moore et aL); 2 at
Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 2-13 Apr (K, Diaz); 1 banded at Cockroach Bay Preserve
3 Apr (C. Cox, L. Deaner); 1 at Mead Botanical Garden, Winter Park 16-29 Apr (P.
Hueber et aL); 1 at Dry Tortugas NP 7 May (M. Bemey); 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve
14 May (D. & L. Margeson).

Western Spimdalis: 1 female at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic SP 16 Mar (C. Goodrich).

*Greem-tailed Towr.ee, 1 wintered at Fort Pickens to 14 Apr (B. & L. Duncan).

Bachman’s Sparrow: 4 at Conner Preserve 16 Apr (B. Ahem, E, Plage et aL).

Chipping Sparrow: 1 at Hilliard (Nassau) 28 May (D. Freeland).

Clay-colored Sparrow: 2 at “Viera Wetlands” 5 Mar (J. Armstrong, photo to FOC); 1 at
Markham County Park (Broward) 2 Apr (J. Boyd); 1 at St. George Island SP 23 Apr
(J. Murphy).

Lark Sparrow: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Apr (H. Robinson); 1 at Cedar Key 14 Apr (D.
Henderson); 1 wintered at St. Petersburg to 17 Apr (D. & L. Margeson et aL).

Savannah Sparrow: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA to 17 May (H. Robinson).

Grasshopper Sparrow: 6 at Brooker Creek Preserve 13 Mar (D. Margeson); 2 at Bill
Baggs Cape Florida SP 2 Apr (R. Diaz).

Saltmarsh Sparrow: 2 at Honeymoon Island SP 13 Mar (D. Gagne).

Fox Sparrow: 1 wintered at Gainesville to 5 Mar (R. Rowan, A. Kratter).

Lincoln’s Sparrow: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Mar-10 Apr (H. Robinson).

Swamp Sparrow: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA to 6 May (H. Robinson).

White-throated Sparrow: 1 white-striped adult in partial song at Temple Terrace 11-18
Apr (B. Ahem).

White-crowned Sparrow: 1 at Sarasota (Sarasota) 14 Apr (T. Mossbarger).

Dark-eyed Juncg: 1 at Gulf Breeze 12 Mar (B. & L. Duncan).

Summer Tanager: 14 at Conner Preserve 16 Apr (B. Ahem, E. Plage et aL).

Scarlet Tanager: 1 at Gainesville 3 Apr (C. Gordon); 48 at St. George Island SP 20 Apr
(R. Cassidy); 2 at Fort De Soto Park 17 May (T. Mast et aL).

Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 6 at Fort De Soto Park 17 May (T. Mast et aL).

Blue Grosbeak: 1 at Alachua (Alachua) 31 Mar (G. Hart); 4 at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic
SP 6 Apr (C. Goodrich); 3 at Conner Preserve 16 Apr (B. Ahem, E. Plage et al.).

Indigo Bunting: 11 at Felts Preserve (Manatee) 2 Apr (F. Jackalone); 20 at Honeymoon
Island SP 17 Apr (E. Haney).

Painted Bunting: 3 at Felts Preserve 2 Apr (F. Jackalone); 6 at St. George Island SP 17
Apr (R. Cassidy); 1 male at Port Richey (Pasco) 17 Apr (K. Tracey); 1 at Honeymoon
Island SP 24 Apr (C. Fisher et al.); 1 female at A. D. “Bou§f’ Barnes Park 13 May (R.
Featherly).

Dickcissel: 5 at Rocky Glades Small Game Hunting Area ( Miami-Bade ) 5 Mar (C.
Sanchez); 1 at Pensacola 10 Mar (L. Goodman).

Bobolink: 5 at Genius Drive Nature Preserve 9 Apr (B. Anderson et al.); 193 at Lake
Apopka NSRA 29 Apr (H. Robinson); 800 over Green Key between 0800-0900 hrs 29

Field Observations

153

Apr (K Tracey); 50 at Honeymoon Island SP 30 Apr (E. Kwater); 110 at the Sarasota
Celery Fields 14 May (B. Ahem); 34 females at Eagle Point Park, Holiday 25 May
(K. Tracey).

Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 adult male at Oakland Park 20 Mar (R. Titus); 2 females at
the Sarasota Celery Fields 16 Apr (S. Pratt).

Rusty Blackbird: 100 at Gainesville to 5 Mar (L. Davis).

Common Grackle: 1 at Lake Worth {Palm Beach) captured and ate brown anoles (Anolis
sagrae ) on three days in early Apr (A. Weinrich).

Boat-tailed Grackle: 1 at Charles “Sonny” McCoy Indigenous Park, Key West 30 Apr
(C. Goodrich).

Shiny Cowbird: 1 male in song at Green Key 9 Mar and 19 Apr (B. Pranty, D. Gagne et
al, photo to FOC by J. Greenlaw); 2 males at Flamingo, Everglades NP ( Monroe ) 4
Apr (G. & H. LeBaron), and 2 males and 1 female there 30 Apr (M. Berney); 1 male
at Port La Belle ( Hendry ) 7-8 May (A. Murray).

Bronzed Cowbird: 1 male at Flamingo, Everglades NP 4 Apr (G. & H. LeBaron); as many
as 6 (4 females, 2 males; courtship flights observed) at Progress Village 17 Apr-13
May (E. Kwater, B. Pranty et al., photo to FOC); 1 male at Pensacola 28 Apr (A. &
D. Forster).

Brown-headed Cowbird: 1 partial albino at Flamingo, Everglades NP 4 Apr (G. & H.
LeBaron).

Orchard Oriole: 5 at Fort De Soto Park 2 Apr {fide R. Smith); 5 at Fort Zachary Taylor
Historic SP 6 Apr (C. Goodrich); singles at two locations at Winter Park 8-9 Apr (B.
Anderson); 2 at Windermere ( Orange ) 9 Apr (L. Erickson); 1 male in song at Belle
Glade Marina, Lake Okeechobee {Palm Beach) 21 May (B. Roberts).

House Finch: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 13 Mar (H. Robinson); 1 male in song at Vero
Beach {Indian River) 10 May (B. Wagner).

Pine Siskin: 20 wintered at Gainesville to 6 Mar (L. Davis); duos at Jacksonville 13-18
Mar and 4 Apr (L. Johannsen); 1 over Key Vista Nature Park, Holiday 3 Apr (D.
Gagne); as many as 30 at Weeki Wachee 5 Apr, with 3 there to 26 Apr (M. Gardler); 2
at Fort De Soto Park 6 Apr (E. Plage); 1 at Immokalee {Collier) 12 Apr (D. McNicholas,
photos to FOC).

American Goldfinch: 1 female at Merritt Island NWR 9 May (J. Stefancic).

Pin-tailed Whydah: 1 male in alternate plumage at Pensacola 31 May (M. Louy).

Blue Waxbill (Uraeginthus angolensis ): 1 remained at Tallahassee all season (G.

Simmons).

Contributors: Brian Ahem, Brace Anderson, Jim Armstrong, Andy Bankert,
Lynda Barhorst, Ted Below, Mark Berney, Phil Berry, Paul Bithorn, Rob Bowden,
David Bowman, John Boyd, Andy Boyle, Michael Brothers, Cecil Brown, Dana Bryan,
Cheryl Bunch, Brenda & Jerry Callaway, Rodney Cassidy, Jim Cavanagh, Carolyn
Cimino, Kate Coberly, Julie Cocke, Greg & Leslie Corbett, Cameron Cox, Kevin Dailey,
Jason Daly, Gary Davis, Lloyd Davis, Lauren Deaner, Robin Diaz, Jerry Diederich, Jim
Dinsmore, Bob & Lucy Duncan, Tom Dunkerton, Carl Edwards, Margaret England,
John Erickson, Lynne Erickson, Roxanne Featherly, Linda Felker, Lenny Fenimore,
Charlie Fisher, Judy Fisher, Ann & Dan Forster, Cole Fredricks, David Freeland,
Tom Funari, David Gagne, Murray Gardler, Reinhard Geisler, Larry Goodman, Carl
Goodrich, Frank Goodwin, Caleb Gordon, Jon Greenlaw, Jason Guerard, Bill Haddad,
Jack Hailman, Erik Haney, Al & Bev Hansen, Alex Harper, Greg Hart, Dale Henderson,
Bobby Hensley, Linda Hensley, John Hintermister, Jeff Hooks, Alice Horst, Paul
Hueber, John Hutchison, Frank Jackalone, Laura Johannsen, Tom Jones, Dave Kandz,
Les Kelly, Grace Kiltie, Billie Knight, Andy Kratter, Ed Kwater, Cheryl Lachance,
Patrick Leary, Geoff & Heidi LeBaron, Chuck Littlewood, Bill Long, Mike Louy, Mike

154

FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST

Manetz, Larry Manfredi, John Mangold, Walter Mangold, Don & Lorraine Margeson,
Tom Mast, Eva Matthews, Greg McDermott, Vince McGrath, Mike McMillian,
David McNicholas, Jim Meyer, Rocky Milburn, Joe Misiaszek, Amanda Moore, Tina
Mossbarger, John Murphy, Alan Murray, Rob O’Neal, Dennis O’Neil, Stephen Paez,
Geoff Parks, Judd Pesold, Cheri Pierce, Eric Plage, Valeri Ponzo, Bill Pranty, Sharon
Pratt, Glenn Price, Nancy Price, Diane Reed, Eileen Riccio, Bob Richter, Justin Rink,
Bryant Roberts, Harry Robinson, Rex Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Carlos Sanchez, Bob
Sanders, Mark Sees, Glenda Simmons, Jean Simpson, Dan Smith, Ron Smith, Dori
Sosensky, Joyce Stefancic, Monte Stickel, Sue Tavaglione, Ed Tess, Sue Tess, John
Thornton, Pete Timmer, Bill Tinsman, Russ Titus, Roberto Torres, Ken Tracey, Billi
Wagner, Steve Walter, Don Ware, Chuck Weber, Ann Weinrich, Meret Wilson, Andy
Wraithmell, Jon Yoder, and Wilf Yusek.

Spring 2010 report not published previously: Cliff Swallow: a colony of 3
pairs (first brood) and 4 pairs (second brood) near Okeelanta ( Palm Beach) 24 Apr and
monitored to 9 Aug (Bryant Roberts, Mark Berney, photos to FOC) furnished the fourth
nesting report in Florida. A total of 14 adults produced a minimum of 13 fledglings. The
site, which was occupied primarily by dark-fronted birds, was again active in spring
2011 (see above).

Winter 2010-2011 reports not published previously: Lesser Scaup: 77 at ABC
Islands ( Collier ) 8 Feb, and 16 there 14 Feb (Ted Below et aL); American Oystercatcher:
28 at Caxambas Pass ( Collier ) 18 Jan, and 26 there 20 Feb (T. Below); Mangrove
Cuckoo: 1 at J. N. “Ding” Darling NWR {Lee) 17 Feb (James Smith, photos to FOC);
Red-headed Woodpecker: 1 adult and 1 immature at Naples {Collier) 15 Jan (Randy
McCormick); 1 adult along Shell Island Road {Collier) 21 Jan (Renee Wilson); Cassin’s
Kingbird: 1 wintered at STA-5 {Hendry), with 2 there 19 Feb (Margaret England et al.);
Mark Berney visited the Cliff Swallow colony in Jackson that was active in 2010 {FFN
39:32) and counted 28-30 old Cliff Swallow nests and 17 old Bam Swallow nests 31 Jan
(photos to FOC); Northern Waterthrush: 1 at Naples 27 Feb (T. Below); Orange-crowned
Warbler: 1 in song at Captiva Island {Lee) 29 Jan (Vince McGrath); Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1
at Eagle Lakes Park, Naples 18 Feb (J. Smith); Indigo Bunting: as many as 60 along 3.2
km of Deer Fence Canal Road {Hendry) 18 Dec (Charlie Ewell); Dickcissel: 2 along Deer
Fence Canal Road 18 Dec (C. Ewell); Bronzed Cowbird: 31 at Eagle Lakes Park, Naples
18 Feb (J. Smith).

Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet
Point, Florida 34667-2662, <billpranty@hotmail.com>). Regional compilers are
Brian Ahern (629 Gail Avenue, Temple Terrace, Florida 33617, <brianahern@
aol.com>), Bruce H. Anderson (2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792,
<scizortail@aol.com>), Andy Bankert (365 Spoonbill Lane, Melbourne Beach,
Florida 32951, <ravenboy@cfl.rr.com>), John H. Boyd III (15291 SW 108th Terrace,
Miami, Florida 33196, <boy dj@fm.edu>), Bob and Lucy Duncan (614 Fairpoint
Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, <Town_Point@bellsouth.net>), Charlie Ewell
(115 SW 51st Terrace, Cape Coral, Florida 33991, <anhinga42@comcast.net>), Bev
Hansen (6573 Pine Meadows Drive, Spring Hill, Florida 34606, <bevalhansen@
earthlink.net>), Paul Miller (Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, 33104
NW 192nd Avenue, Okeechobee, Florida 34972, <bikerbirder@gmail.com>), John
Murphy (766 Alligator Drive, Alligator Point, Florida 23246, <southmoonunder@
mchsi.com>), and Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257,
<pegpowell@comcast.net>).

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2008

Jack P. Hallman
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155

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE FLORIDA
ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Bowman, M. C. 1978. Species Index to Florida Bird Records in
Audubon Field Notes and American Birds9 volumes 1-30, 1947-
1967. Fla. OrnithoL Soc. Special PiibL no. 1: xii + 43 pp. $4.

Cox, J. A. 1937. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay.

Fla. OrnithoL Soc. Special Publ. no. 3: vii + 110 pp. $3.

Loftin, R. W., G. E. Woolfenden, and J. A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida
Bird Records in American Birds and Audubon Field Notes
(1947-1989)^ Species Index and County Gazetteer. Fla. OrnithoL
Soc. Special Publ. no. 4: xiv + 99 pp. $8.

Loftin, R. W. 1991. West Indian Bird Records in American Birds
and Audubon Field Notes (1947-1990)2 Species Index by Islands.

Fla. OrnithoL Soc. Special Publ. no. 5: ix + 90 pp. $8.

Robertson, W. B., Jr. and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Bird Species:
an Annotated List. Fla. OrnithoL Soc. Special Publ. no. 6: ix + 260 pp.
FGS members: $15 soft cover, $20 hard cover; Non-members: $18 soft
cover, $23 hard cover.

Woolfenden, G. E., W. B. Robertson, Jr., and J. Cox. 2006. The
Breeding Birds of Florida. Fla. OrnithoL Soc. Special Publ. no. 7:

li + 142 pp. $12.

To order Special Publications: Please send a check made out to the
Florida Ornithological Society to the Treasurer:

Peter G. Merritt, Treasurer
8558 SE Sharon Street
Hobe Sound, FL 33455

The amount of the check should include the price of the publication(s)
plus shipping and sales tax.

Shipping: Add $2 shipping for 1-5 copies; $4 for 6-10 copies.

Sales Tax: Florida residents add the sales tax for the county in
which the special publications are delivered. Calculate the sales tax
based on the total cost of the special publications plus shipping.

150

~~

Florida Field Naturalist

ISSN 0738-999X

PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Editors Scott Robinson, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P.O.

Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. E-mail: srobinson@flmnh.ufl.edu
Managing/Copy Editors Tom Webber, Florida Museum of Natural History, University
of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. E-mail: twebber@flmnh.
ufl.edu

Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter
Park, FL 32792. E-mail: scizortail@aol.com

Editor of the FOB newsletter, Snail Kite: Tom Palmer, 1805 26th Street, N.W.,
Winter Haven, FL 33881. E-mail: tomp47@yahoo.com
Editor of Special Publications* Jerome A. Jackson, Florida Gulf Coast University,
10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Ft. Myers, FL 33965. E-mail: jjackson@fgcu.edu
Web Page Editor; Stephen Bamkert, 365 Spoonbill Lane, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951.
E-mail: sbankert@cfl.rr.com

INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS

The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field
studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in or near Florida and the
nearby West Indies. We welcome submission of original manuscripts containing new
information from these areas. We encourage electronic submission of manuscripts.
Please consult recent issues of the journal and the FOS website (http://www.fosbirds.org/
FFM/FFN.aspx) for style, noting especially that manuscripts should:

(1) be double-spaced throughout, including tables and figure captions;

(2) include the scientific name at the first mention of each species;

(3) include capitalized standard English names for all birds, but lower
case for English names of other organisms;

(4) use metric units for all measurements;

(5) use the form “7 June 2003” for all dates;

(6) use the 24-hour clock for all indications of time (e.g., 0800, 1400);

(7) use the following abbreviations: s (second), min (minute), h (hour);

(8) use active voice where at all possible.

Submit manuscripts, and books for review, to the Editor, Scott Robinson. Monograph-
length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to Jerome A. Jackson, Editor
of Special Publications. Field observations should be sent to the Chair of the Field
Observations Committee, Bill Pranty (see Field Observations, this issue). Reports of
birds for which the FOS Records Committee requires documentation (see http://www.
fosbirds.org/RecordsCommiftee/ RecordsCommittee.aspx) should be sent to the Secretary
of the Committee, Andrew W. Kj after. Florida Museum of Natural History, University
of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800; E-mail: krattei@flmnh.ufl.edu

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES

3

9088 01642 4814

Florida Field Naturalist

PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Vol. 39, No. 4 November 2011 Pages 111-156

CONTENTS

ARTICLES

Year-round resident White-eyed Vireos ( Vireo griseus ) in the Florida Panhandle

Peter H. Homann. 111-115

Kelp Gull ( Larus dominicanus) in Pasco County: First record for Florida

Bill Pranty, Ed Kwater, and David Gagne . 116-125

An addition to Florida’s exotic avifauna: Sun Parakeets ( Aratinga solstitialis) in
Pasco County

Bill Pranty and Helen W. Lovell-Way ne. 126-133

NOTES

Observations of coyotes ( Canis latrans) in Everglades National Park, Florida
Mark A. Peyton, Jennifer L. Eells, Emily K. Pifer, JeffS. Beauchamp,

Shona E. Wilson, Frank J. Mazzotti, and Ray W. Snow. 134-137

Ectoparasites collected from Common Yellowthroats ( Geothlypis trichas ) on Vaca
Key, Florida

Lawrence J. Hrihar and Gary L. Miller. ........................... 138-141

FIELD OBSERVATIONS

Spring report: March-May 2011

Bill Pranty 142-154

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Friends of FFN 155

FOS Special Publications 156