UU3 &IZD Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Vol. 33, No. 2 May 2005 Pages 29-69 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 OFFICERS President: JACK HAILMAN, 143 Beacon Lane, Jupiter FL 33469. E-mail: jhailman@wisc.edu Vice President: Susan B. Whiting, 3901 SE St. Lucie Blvd. #54, Stuart, FL 34997. E- mail: SooSprey@aol.com Secretary: PAMELA J. BOWEN, 309 Moonstone Dr., East Palatka, FL 32131. E-mail: PJBowen@aol.com Treasurer: DEAN JUE, 3455 Dorchester Court, Tallahassee, FL 32312-1300. E-mail: djue@admin.fsu.edu Editor, Florida Field Naturalist: JEROME A. JACKSON, Whitaker Center, Arts & Sci- ences, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Fort Myers, FL 33965. E-mail: picus@fgcu.edu Ex Officio: Immediate Past President: FRANCES C. JAMES, Department of Biological Sci- ence, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1100. 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The Florida Ornithological Society web site can be found at www.fosbirds.org THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER JUL 07 2017 Obrar'ES Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 33, No. 2 May 2005 Pages 29-69 Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):29-40, 2005. EFFECTS OF ALTERED HYDROLOGY ON THE BREEDING ECOLOGY OF THE FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW AND BACHMAN’S SPARROW Dustin W. Perkins1 and Peter D. Vickery2 department of Natural Resources Conservation Holdsworth Natural Resources Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 Current Address: Southern Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network National Park Service, Post Office Box 329, Johnson City, Texas 78636 dustinjuv _j)erkins@nps.gov 2Center for Biological Conservation, Massachusetts Audubon Society, South Great Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 Current Address: Center for Ecological Research, Post Office Box 127, Richmond, Maine 04357, pvickery@adelphia.net Abstract. — The hydrology of central and south Florida has been greatly altered in re- cent decades for agricultural and residential purposes and these changes affect birds in a variety of ways. We sought to determine if changes in hydrology affected the breeding ecology of two rare ground-nesting sparrows, the federally endangered Florida Grasshop- per Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum floridanus ), and the regionally threatened Bachman’s Sparrow ( Aimophila aestivalis). From 1996 to 1998, we conducted standard spot-mapping surveys to determine territory densities, and made behavioral observa- tions to develop an index of reproductive success at three sites in central Florida. We also developed a Seasonal Moisture Index from recorded water scores recorded at each survey visit. One site, was wetter than the other two sites. We detected no Florida Grasshopper Sparrow reproduction at the wetter site, while the other two sites had successful repro- duction. Bachman’s Sparrow territory densities and reproductive success were not af- fected by wet conditions. Differences in patterns of micro-site nest selection might explain the differences between these species. Our results suggest that high water levels pose a substantial threat to the federally endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Passerines face a number of constraints to successful nesting, in- cluding predation, parasites, food limitations, and weather (Wiens 1969). Additive factors that decrease nesting success could have ad- verse impacts on bird populations. We sought to understand whether 29 30 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST ground-nesting birds might suffer additional reproductive failures due to flooding of available nesting sites. The hydrology of central and south Florida has been greatly al- tered for agricultural and residential purposes. In Florida artificially inundated, unusually high water levels have resulted in reduced nest- ing success for ground-nesting Sandhill Cranes ( Grus canadensis) (Dwyer and Tanner 1992). Frederick and Collopy (1989) noted ciconii- form species abandoned nests in Florida when water levels were high. They hypothesized this was due to the adults’ inability to find food un- der these conditions. Bancroft et al. (1988) also found a direct relation- ship between breeding attempts and the amount of rainfall preceding the breeding season for Wood Storks ( Mycteria americana). While studying the breeding ecology of two ground-nesting passe- rines, Florida Grasshopper Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum fiori- danus ), and Bachman’s Sparrow (Aimophila aestivalis ) (Perkins et al. 2003), we recorded unusually high water levels on one of three study sites in central Florida. These high water levels resulted from the mod- ification of an elevated road that prevented water flow, impounding previously free-flowing water onto sparrow breeding habitat. This un- usual and unexpected hydrological event gave us the opportunity to study the effects of different water regimes on the breeding ecology of two rare grassland birds. Florida Grasshopper Sparrows are restricted to highly fragmented dry prairie and are listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Register 1986). The species has declined and contracted in range (Delany et al. 1985, Delany and Cox 1986, Delany and Linda 1994, Delany et al. 1995), and there are only five known breeding populations. At the time of this study, there were three populations at Avon Park Air Force Range (located at Delta/OQ Range, Bravo Range, and Echo Range), one population each at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (Three Lakes), National Audubon’s Ord- way-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary (Audubon), and Kissim- mee Prairie State Preserve (Kissimmee Preserve). Since this study was conducted, there have been three changes to the number of populations. The Bravo population has steadily declined, and no birds were detected at this site in 2003 (R. Bowman, pers. comm.). The Audubon site was acquired by the state of Florida as an addition to Kiss- immee Preserve, and extensive burning and roller-chopping has restored a prairie corridor to Kissimmee Preserve. Audubon and Kissimmee Pre- serve, are now considered to be a single, interconnected sub-population. One additional population has been located on private land in Okeechobee County (D. Pierce, USFWS, pers. comm.) since this study occurred. Bachman’s Sparrows are also residents of the dry prairie of central Florida, and are restricted in distribution to the southeastern United Perkins and Vickery— Sparrows and Altered Hydrology 31 States. Although commonly associated with mature long-leaf pine (Pi- nus palustris ) forests with grassy open understories (Brooks 1938, Stod- dard 1978), Bachman’s Sparrows are widespread on treeless dry prairie. This species’ northern range has recently contracted (Dunning and Watts 1990), and populations in the south have declined (Jackson 1985). Abrupt, abnormal changes in hydrology may impact the reproduc- tive success of ground-nesting birds that have already adapted to the natural hydrological regime of a particular area. In central Florida, the rainy season occurs from June to August. Because the topography is flat and soil layers below the surface are impervious, rainwater does not drain readily but moves slowly downslope towards the Everglades (Abrahamson and Hartnett 1990). These two species of sparrows may be impacted by impoundment of water at their breeding locations, es- pecially in the late spring and summer. We wanted to determine if the unusual artificially high water levels at Audubon present during the period from 1996 to 1998 affected territory densities and reproductive success of these two rare locally distributed ground-nesting species. Methods Study Sites Native dry prairie is characterized as flat, unforested, fire-dependent grassland with scattered shrubs. Dominant graminoids include wiregrass (. Aristida beyrichiana), tooth- ache grass ( Ctenium aromaticum), bluestem (Andropogon spp.), and beak rush ( Rhyn - chospora spp.); dominant shrubs include saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens), dwarf oak ( Quercus minima), fetterbush (. Lyonia lucida), and gallberry (Ilex glabra)’, dominant forbs include bachelor’s button (Poly gala spp.), yellow-eyed grass (Xyris spp.), hat pin (Eriocaulon decangulare), meadow beauty (Rhexia spp.) and a variety of milkweeds, or- chids and asters (Shriver 1996). In this study we focused on three breeding populations of Florida Grasshopper Spar- rows at sites that were <50 km apart (Fig. 1). Avon Park has approximately 4,200 ha of native prairie and three populations of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. It is owned and managed by the Department of Defense and is located in Highlands and Polk counties. We studied the population at the 700 ha Delta/OQ Range area (27°37’N 81°19’S). Three Lakes has approximately 4,000 ha of dry prairie in Osceola County (27°47’N 81°06’W) and is owned and managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Audubon has approximately!, 000 ha of dry prairie in Okeechobee County (27°34’N 80°58’W) and was owned and managed by the National Audubon Society during the pe- riod of this study A primitive dirt road that abuts the southern border of Audubon crossed the entire width of the southward drainage basin. Alterations were made to the road in 1995 such that southward water flow was impeded. This substantially raised water levels throughout the dry prairie at this site. Census Methods From 1996 to 1998, we censused approximately 360 ha of dry prairie in 30 perma- nent plots (12 at Delta/OQ, 10 at Three Lakes, 8 at Kissimmee Prairie), ranging from 7 to 22 ha in size. We marked and gridded permanent plots at 50-m intervals to determine sparrow breeding densities and reproductive success. Territories of Florida Grasshopper and Bachman’s sparrows were delineated using standard spot-mapping and flushing 32 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 1. Location of dry prairie study sites (in black) in central Florida, USA, 1996-1998. Our 3 sites were located within Delta/OQ, Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR); Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (TLWMA); Ordway- Whittall Kissimmee Prairie Preserve (OWKPP); and Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve (KPSP) is also shown. techniques (International Bird Census Committee 1970, Wiens 1969). Censusing began in early March and concluded at the end of the breeding season in late August or early September. Sparrow densities were calculated as the number of territories per 10 ha. Territories with more than 50% of their area within a plot were counted. We censused each territory at least 12 times to determine habitat quality. This al- lowed us to develop an index of reproductive success for each territory. We used a slight modification of the reproductive index developed by Vickery et al. (1992). Reproductive success for each territory was ranked from 1 to 4, as follows: rank 1 = unpaired male present 4+ weeks; rank 2 = paired male and female present 4+ weeks, rank 3 = nest- building stage; sparrow carrying nesting material, adult chipping persistently in our presence, or giving distraction display; rank 4 = nestling stage; sparrow carrying food to presumed nestlings, or adults observed with nestlings. We then classified territories as successful if they were ranked 4, or unsuccessful if they were ranked 1, 2 or 3. We also determined a territory density in each year at each site. Perkins and Vickery— Sparrows and Altered Hydrology 33 Water Levels Water levels were monitored from 1996 to 1998. For each spot-mapping visit to a plot we generated a water score from 1 to 5. A plot was scored as follows: (1) if it was com- pletely dry throughout the plot, (2) if it was dry and moist (defined as damp, but no standing water) in different portions of the plot, (3) if it was completely moist through- out the plot, (4) if it was a combination of moist in some areas of the plot, and had >25%, but less than <75% standing water (defined as >2 cm) and (5) if there was standing wa- ter on >75% of the plot. We were primarily concerned with how water levels might affect sparrow reproduc- tion. Standing water on a plot causes nest failure by flooding and sparrows need to re- nest, and therefore represents a disruption in the nesting cycle for ground-nesting spar- rows. If water remained on a plot for more than 20 consecutive days, the inundation would not only destroy nests, but it would remove a whole nesting cycle based on 21- and 22-day nesting cycles for Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Vickery 1996) and Bach- man’s Sparrows (Dunning and Watts 1990), respectively. We did not think that using the mean of the water scores to measure the effects of water levels on reproductive suc- cess would be appropriate because a higher average water score over the course of the breeding season would not necessarily indicate decreased breeding habitat. For exam- ple, we think that a plot rated a 3 each time during each of ten visits throughout the summer ((10 x 3)/10 = 3.0) would provide better habitat than a plot rated a 2 for eight visits and a 5 for two visits (((2 x 8) + (5 x 2))/10 = 2.6), because the latter scenario would have resulted in two disruptions to the nesting cycle. To develop a more meaningful measure of the effects of hydrological interruptions to the entire breeding cycle, we used our water scores to develop a Seasonal Moisture Index for each plot. The Seasonal Moisture Index ranged from 1 to 4 and was determined for the peak part of the breeding season, 1 April to 31 July. An index of 1 was assigned to plots that never had a water score of 5 during this period. An index of 2 was assigned to plots that had a water score of 5 on only one visit. An index of 3 was assigned to plots that had two separate non-consecutive water scores of 5 during the breeding season, or >20, but <30 con- secutive days where the plot was scored a 5. An index of 4 was assigned to plots that had three separate non-consecutive water scores of 5, or >30 consecutive days of the plot being scored as a 5. We did not survey plots daily, so we assumed that if a plot had standing water on two subsequent visits then it was saturated during the intervening time period. Statistical Analysis This study was a result of unexpected artificial inundation of one site, therefore we could not randomly assign plots at different sites to a particular Seasonal Moisture Index with a balanced design. Some plots had the same Seasonal Moisture Index over all three years, whereas other plots had two or three different Seasonal Moisture Index ranks over the three-year period. The wettest plots all occurred at Audubon. This unbalanced design prevented us from using statistical measures to determine how reproductive success and territory density was affected by different water levels. Instead, we used an analysis of variance to determine if there were differences in Seasonal Moisture Indices between sites in each year from 1996 to 1998. When we detected a difference, we used a Duncan multiple range test to determine where these differences were. For territory density and reproductive estimates we combined the plots at each site into one estimate for each site because the water levels likely affected all plots within a site in a similar fashion. Results Seasonal moisture indices were significantly wetter at Audubon than Three Lakes and Delta/OQ in 1996 (F = 9.42, df = 2, P = 0.001), 34 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST 1997 (F - 15.03, df = 2, P < 0.001), and 1998 (F = 11.36, df = 2, P < 0.001) (Table 1). Audubon had 0% success rate in all three years, compared to 9-31% at Delta/OQ, and 32-41% at Three Lakes (Table 2). Territory density at Audubon declined from 1.10 territories/10 ha in 1996 to 0.66 in 1997 and 0.11 in 1998. Territory densities ranged from 1.57 to 1.97 territo- ries/10 ha at Delta/OQ, and 2.00 to 3.86 territories/10 ha at Three Lakes over the same time period (Table 2). Bachman’s Sparrows did not show as strong a pattern as Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Bachman’s Sparrow reproductive success was lowest at Audubon in all three years, but ranged from 13-25%. Three Lakes had the highest territory density, while Audubon and Delta/OQ had similar densities. Increased water levels at Audubon may have been responsible for Florida Grasshopper Sparrow declines at this site; densities ranged be- tween 1.09 and 1.75 territories/10 ha from 1993-1996 (Shriver 1996), but declined to 0.65 and 0.11 territories/10 ha in 1997 and 1998, re- spectively (Fig. 2). Surveys of this site in 1999-2001 failed to locate any Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (P. Gray, pers. comm.). Because the wa- ter levels were raised during the winter of 1995-96, territory density declines were not observed until 1997, the first year high water levels could have affected reproduction during the 1996 breeding season. Discussion High water levels, either natural or artificial, can have profound ef- fects on ground-nesting birds. Florida dry prairie has a flat topography and a hardpan soil layer (Abrahamson and Hartnett 1990) which makes large portions of the prairie susceptible to flooding after heavy Table 1. Seasonal Moisture Indices (SMI) and standard deviations from plots at Delta/OQ Range (n = 12), Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (n = 13), and Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary (n - 8) from 1996-1998. Results of a Duncan multiple range test show that Audubon was significantly wetter than Delta/OQ Range and Three Lakes in all three years. Year Site SMI Standard Deviation Duncan 1996 Delta/OQ 1.75 0.62 A 1996 Three Lakes 1.92 1.19 A 1996 Audubon 3.38 0.52 B 1997 Delta/OQ 1.17 0.39 A 1997 Three Lakes 1.69 0.95 A 1997 Audubon 3.00 0.76 B 1998 Delta/OQ 1.00 0.00 A 1998 Three Lakes 1.00 0.00 A 1998 Audubon 1.50 0.53 B Perkins and Vickery— Sparrows and Altered Hydrology 35 Table 2. Number of territories, hectares surveyed, density (#/10 hectares) and reproductive success of Florida Grasshopper and Bachman’s sparrows from plots at Delta/OQ Range (n - 12), Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (n = 13), and Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary (n = 8) from 1996-1998. Year Site Territories Hectares Density Success Florida Grasshopper Sparrow 1996 Delta/OQ 29 152.5 1.90 31.0 1996 Three Lakes 33 112.5 2.93 33.3 1996 Audubon 10 91.5 1.10 0.0 1997 Delta/OQ 30 152.5 1.97 20.0 1997 Three Lakes 44 114.0 3.86 40.9 1997 Audubon 6 91.5 0.66 0.0 1998 Delta/OQ 23 146.5 1.57 8.7 1998 Three Lakes 22 110.0 2.00 31.8 1998 Audubon 1 91.5 0.11 0.0 Bachman’s Sparrow 1996 Delta/OQ 14 152.5 0.92 35.7 1996 Three Lakes 23 112.5 1.77 21.7 1996 Audubon 14 91.5 1.53 14.3 1997 Delta/OQ 20 152.5 1.31 40.0 1997 Three Lakes 30 114.0 2.33 36.7 1997 Audubon 8 91.5 0.88 25.0 1998 Delta/OQ 14 146.5 0.95 35.7 1998 Three Lakes 27 110.0 2.11 37.0 1998 Audubon 8 91.5 0.88 12.5 rains. However, after inundation these prairie fragments drain quickly (D. Perkins, pers. obs.), and the flora and fauna appear to be adapted to these temporary changes in water levels. However, from 1996-1998, Audubon was artificially inundated and was wetter than either of the other two sites. We think these abnormally high water levels contrib- uted to decreased Florida Grasshopper Sparrow productivity, leading to an acute population decline (Fig. 2). Bachman’s Sparrows were not as strongly affected by variable wa- ter levels; there was still evidence of reproductive success, and densi- ties at Audubon were similar to Delta/OQ. This is probably due to different nest site selection. Shriver (1996) found that Bachman’s Sparrow territories were consistently closer to shrub cover than ran- dom points in unoccupied habitat. Shrubby patches are usually situ- ated on drier micro-sites. Bachman’s Sparrow nests are often located in saw palmetto areas and are sometimes slightly above the ground (D. Perkins, pers. obs.), while Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests are often located in shallow excavations (<3.2 cm) in the ground and by dwarf live oak ( Quercus minima ) and clumps of native grasses (Delany and Linda 1998). It seems likely that these adaptations enable Bach- 36 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST ■ KP • AP A tl Figure 2. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow densities at Delta/OQ (AP), Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (TL), and Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prai- rie (KP), Florida, from 1993 to 1998. Figure shows decline of sparrows at KP af- ter impoundment was installed in the winter 1995-96. man’s Sparrow nests to survive higher water levels than Florida Grasshopper Sparrow nests. Artificially high water levels appeared to have profound detrimen- tal effects on Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. In addition to the effects altered hydrology had on breeding ecology, high water levels may also affect the available food supply by altering invertebrate populations, and decreasing the persistence of seeds. High water levels appear to be the primary reason for the population’s sharp decline and extirpation at Audubon. We do not have hydrology data that precedes 1996, and therefore we cannot rule out other causes for the low reproductive rates and sub- sequent decline of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows at Audubon, Shriver (1996) used the same methodology and most of the same study plots at all three sites from 1993 to 1995. Shriver (1996) reported reproductive success rates of 18% and 13% from Audubon in 1993 and 1994, respec- tively, compared to 16% and 30% at Delta/OQ, and 16% and 29% at Perkins and Vickery— Sparrows and Altered Hydrology 37 Three Lakes in those same two years (Table 3). However, in 1995 when the flooding began, Shriver (1996) noted 0% success rate at Audubon compare to 63% and 31% at Delta/OQ and Three Lakes, respectively. There have been no major changes in land management at any of the three sites from 1993 to 1998, and we are unaware of other agents, be- sides high water levels, that may have contributed to the lower repro- ductive rates, and dramatic decline at Audubon. Fortunately, the hydrology at Audubon was restored in 1998. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the landowners bordering Audubon reached an agreement to restore the natural hydrology of this prairie. In addition, new dry prairie habitat, Kissimmee Preserve, was purchased immediately west of Audubon by the state of Florida in 2001. Kissim- mee Preserve has the largest known population (P. Small, pers. comm.) of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Personnel at Kissimmee Preserve im- plemented four years of intensive burning and habitat management in an effort to restore the habitat between Kissimmee Preserve and Audu- bon. In the 2002 breeding season, three singing male Florida Grasshop- per Sparrows were heard at Audubon. In addition 28 singing males Table 3. Number of territories, hectares surveyed, density (#/10 hectares) and reproductive success of Florida Grasshopper and Bachman’s sparrows from plots at Delta/OQ Range (n = 12), Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (n = 14), and Ordway-Whittell Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary (n = 8) from 1993-1995, from Shriver (1996). Year Site Territories Hectares Density Success Florida Grasshopper Sparrow 1993 Delta/OQ 31 154.25 2.01 16.2 1993 Three Lakes 32 109.75 2.92 15.6 1993 Audubon 11 63.75 1.73 18.2 1994 Delta/OQ 33 152.75 2.16 30.3 1994 Three Lakes 41 143.25 2.86 29.3 1994 Audubon 16 91.25 1.75 12.5 1995 Delta/OQ 35 152.75 2.29 62.9 1995 Three Lakes 57 135.50 4.21 30.3 1995 Audubon 10 91.25 1.10 0.0 Bachman’s Sparrow 1993 Delta/OQ 16 154.25 1.04 6.3 1993 Three Lakes 21 109.75 1.91 9.5 1993 Audubon 7 91.25 1.10 0.0 1994 Delta/OQ 22 152.75 1.44 45.5 1994 Three Lakes 39 143.25 2.72 30.8 1994 Audubon 14 91.25 1.53 35.7 1995 Delta/OQ 23 152.75 1.51 69.6 1995 Three Lakes 41 135.50 3.03 46.0 1995 Audubon 8 91.25 0.88 12.5 38 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST were detected on the restored prairie that used to separate these two populations (P. Small, pers. comm.). These two formerly disjunct popu- lations now appear to be functioning as one larger population. The extent of the dry prairie ecosystem has declined 81% in the past 30 years (Shriver and Vickery 1999). Further loss or degradation of remaining tracts of prairie could seriously damage the long-term vi- ability of species that exist in this ecosystem. Habitat fragmentation has been documented to have detrimental effects on North American passerines (Donovan et al 1995, Robinson et al. 1995), including these two grassland birds (Perkins et al. 2003). We hope results from this study will emphasize the need to prevent further hydrologic alterations that inundate remaining dry prairie in Florida and other hydrologically similar grassland sites. The extirpa- tion of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows at Audubon provides a clear ex- ample regarding this species’ limited tolerance for unnaturally prolonged flooding. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is currently underway in Florida by the Army Corps of Engineers, the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service. This plan includes restoring the currently channeled Kiss- immee River to its historic channel and flood plain. All of the known Florida Grasshopper Sparrow populations occur within a few miles of the Kissimmee River. The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow’s small frag- mented populations could be susceptible to flooding from the restora- tion process. The loss of even one of these populations could substantially reduce the viability of this taxon (Perkins and Vickery, unpubl. data). We recommend further consideration and monitoring of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows during this restoration process. This study has documented the effects of increased water levels on the reproductive ecology of two ground-nesting passerines. As habitat fragmentation continues throughout North America, it is likely that many avian species will experience increased predation and parasit- ism rates. We propose that an additional threat, such as artificially al- tered hydrology, is likely to result in decreased reproductive success of ground-nesting species with adverse consequences to long term viabil- ity of rare species with small populations. Acknowledgments This study was funded by the Department of Defense Environmental Flight at Avon Park Air Force Range and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. This manuscript was greatly improved by thoughtful revisions of C. Griffin, K. McGarigal, D. Kroodsma, G. Shriver, B. Dunning, M. Delany and two anonymous reviewers. The Natural Re- sources Conservation Department at the University of Massachusetts, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and M. Delany assisted in logistical support. M. Bakermans, A. Vitz, K. Mckay, T. Dean, C. Collins, M. Scheuerell, C. 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FREDERICK, P. C. AND M. W. Collopy. 1989. Nesting success of five Ciconiiform species in relation to water conditions in the Florida Everglades. Auk 106:625-634. International Bird Census Committee. 1970. An international standard for a map- ping method in bird census work recommended by the International Bird Census Committee. Audubon Field Notes 24:722-726. JACKSON, J. A. 1985. The nesting 1985 season. American Birds 39:926. PERKINS, D. W. 1999. Breeding ecology of Florida Grasshopper and Bachman’s sparrows of central Florida. M.S. thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 147 pp. Perkins, D. W., P. D. Vickery, and W. G. Shriver 2003. Source and sink habitats for rare grassland birds in fragmented landscapes. Journal of Wildlife Management 67:588-599. Robinson, S. K, F. R. Thompson III, T. M. Donovan, D. Whitehead, and J. Faaborg. 1995. Regional forest fragmentation and the nesting success of migratory birds. Sci- ence 267:1987-1990. SHRIVER, W. G. 1996. Habitat selection of Florida Grasshopper ( Ammodramus savan- narum floridanus ) and Bachman’s sparrows (. Aimophila aestivalis). M.S. thesis, Uni- versity of Massachusetts, Amherst. 110 pp. SHRIVER, W. G., AND P. D. Vickery. 1999. Aerial assessment of potential Florida Grass- hopper Sparrow habitat: conservation in a fragmented landscape. Florida Field Nat- uralist. 27:1-9. STODDARD, H. L. 1978. Birds of Grady County, Georgia. Bulletin of the Tall Timbers Re- search Station 21:1-175. 40 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST VICKERY, P. D, 1996 Grasshopper Sparrow ( Ammodramus savannarum ). In A. Poole and F. Gill (eds.). The Birds of North America, No. 239. The Academy of Natural Sci- ences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Vickery, P. D., M. L. Hunter, Jr., and J. V. Wells. 1992. Use of a new reproductive in- dex to evaluate relationship between habitat quality and breeding success. Auk 109:697-705. WIENS, J. A. 1969. An approach to the study of ecological relationships among grassland birds. Ornithological Monographs 8. WlENS, J. A. 1989. The ecology of bird communities, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. ZAR, J. H. 1984. Biostatistical analysis. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):41-46, 2005. RECORDS OF THE BULLOCK’S ORIOLE IN FLORIDA Bill Pranty1’3, Andrew W. Kratter2, and Reed Bowman1 1 Avian Ecology Lab, Archhold Biological Station 123 Main Drive, Venus, Florida 33960 3E-Mail: billpranty@hotmail.com 2Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Natural History Gainesville, Florida 32611 The taxonomy of the Bullock’s Oriole ( Icterus bullockii) and the Baltimore Oriole (I. galbula) has changed during the past few decades. Considered separate species by the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU 1957), the two were combined in 1973 as the Northern Oriole {I. galbula) based on hybridization in the Great Plains (AOU 1973). But their status as separate species was reinstated when it was learned that the degree and duration of hybridization varied dramatically among sites (AOU 1995). Furthermore, several “important differences” exist between the taxa, such as plumage, vocalizations, molt timing and frequency, nest-site placement, and body size (AOU 1998). Free- man and Zink (1995) provided evidence that the Bullock’s Oriole is more closely related to the Streak-backed Oriole (/. pustulatus ) than to the Baltimore Oriole. In 1996, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) adopted new rules and procedures, and adopted as its base list the list of verified species in Robertson and Woolfenden (1992). Spe- cies were or added to or subtracted from this list after evidence had been reviewed by the committee. Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) noted that both subspecies of the Northern Oriole had occurred in Flor- ida, and they cited two specimens of 7. g. bullockii. The FOSRC evalu- ated these specimens and concluded that neither was “fully consistent with plumage characteristics of winter female or immature I. bullockii (Lee and Birch 1998), but were consistent with I. galbula ” (Bowman 2000:148). The FOSRC concluded that additional research was needed before Bullock’s Oriole could be added to the state list (Bowman 2000). Several other specimens and photographs of Bullock’s Orioles from Florida were cited by Stevenson and Anderson (1994), but those records had not been reviewed by the FOSRC (Bowman 2000, 2004). Here, we clarify the record of occurrence of the Bullock’s Oriole in Florida by ex- amining all available verifiable evidence of its occurrence in the state. Published evidence.— The first report of Bullock’s Oriole in Florida was one individual (presumably a male) seen at New Port Richey, Pasco County, by F. P. Lord and others on 15 February 1950 (Sprunt 1954). 41 42 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Since that time, there probably have been over 100 published reports of Bullock's Oriole in Florida. However, because documentation is avail- able for only a small number of these sightings, we have limited our re- view to those observations supported by archived verifiable evidence (specimens or photographs). Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) listed two purported specimens of 1. bullockii from Florida: TTRS [Tall Tim- bers Research Station] 2443 and UMRC [University of Miami] 1437. Stevenson and .Anderson (1994) listed these two specimens plus four others: FSU [Florida State University] 6848c, FSU 6848d, UMRC 1403, and UMRC 1631 (details for each specimen are presented in Table 1). Additionally, Stevenson and Anderson (1994) cited three archived pho- tographs of Bullock’s Orioles from Florida: ENPr [Everglades National Park] 139, FOSA 18, and TTRS P30. To these published records are added two recent photographic records that have been accepted, by the FOSRC: FOSRC 01-443 and FOSRC 01-450 (Bowman 2000, 2004). We believe that these 11 specimens and photographs represent the com- plete archived evidence of Bullock’s Oriole in Florida. Because female and immature Baltimore and Bullock’s orioles are difficult to distin- guish, we also reviewed two female-plumaged Northern Oriole speci- mens archived in Florida (FSU 6848e and UMRC 6857; Table 1). Results Review of all available archived evidence of Bullock’s Oriole in Florida results in six verifiable records. Only two of the six specimens (UMRC 1403 and FSU 6348c) are of Bullock’s Orioles; the remaining four refer to Baltimore Orioles. Both Bullock’s Oriole specimens were accepted by the FOSRC in August 2004 (UMRC 1403 = FOSRC 04-542; FSU 6848c = FOSRC 04-544). Of the five purported Bullock’s Orioles photographed in Florida, four were correctly identified and one (ENPr 139) was not available for review. Discussion Separating adult male Baltimore and Bullock’s orioles generally is straight-forward, although hybrids are known (Lee and Birch 1993, Sibley 2000). First-year males are also rather easily distinguished, al- though some Baltimore Orioles can show a dark throat patch reminis- cent of that of a first-year male Bullock’s Oriole (e.g., the right-hand figure on page 293 of Lee and Birch 1998). Previously the identification of female orioles was also thought to be straight-forward— female Bul- lock’s Oriole were said to have a whitish belly separated by a yellowish- orange breast and undertail coverts, while the underparts of female Baltimore Oriole were stated to be entirely orangish or yellowish (e.g., Bull and Farrand 1977, Peterson 1980, Scott 1933, 1987). In recent Pranty et al. — Bullock’s Oriole in Florida 43 Figure 1. First-year male Bullock’s Oriole photographed at Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, Florida 26 November 2001 by Lyn Atherton (FOSRC 01-443). Note the sharply-defined black throat and the distinctive facial pattern of darkish lores and a darkish eye-line, along with dusky auriculars. The face, breast, un- dertail coverts, and undertail are butterscotch, contrasting with the whitish belly. Table 1. Archived specimens and photographs of female-plumaged Northern Orioles and purported Bullock’s Orioles from Flor- ida, listed chronologically. One additional photograph (ENPr 139) cited by Stevenson and Anderson (1994) was not available for 44 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST X A as So o -M o X A 5h 0 S © J '3 © a M3 X o 05 © «4H © a © © u & I s • pH > © b © © ^ a b © § a B co CO CO CO © © CO 02 CO co cd < S © be cd © m I ^ B P-* O -5 Cd op Ah 5 & £ & ? 1 o 8 pq 03 03 00 § 2 i> o S pq g § £ pq pq P P Q Q s s a CO r>. 2 co o W si © s g^ ■g CM O to B cq j 2 H3 Pq B c+h cd ° © 8 5 © 9> S Ol O © B © 1 £ 2 'C S Q 'S S •+J Id ^ d © B © © rB © sa s § cd cd m pq © CO oo rh Th ^ 00 02 © be © 1 © X cd as 13 3 © P to X H P £ cd w CD t>- !> 00 GO to to to CD CD CD CD i— i 03 03 03 03 03 03 CD CD 03 i> i— l rH rH i— ( rH t— H 03 03 T— 1 03 X © d ■H> d 4J r— 1 tH be r— 1 J» © cd © cd © -U X 3 B P *-3 tH O o *-3 to o © o © °C a cd •"3 B cd CM rH rH rH rH rH m to H3 26 Nov 2000 Gulf Breeze Santa Rosa *L. S. Atherton FOSRC 01-443 first-year male Bullock’s 21 Jan 2001 Everglades National Park, Monroe *B. Pranty FOSRC 01-450 first-year male Bullock’s Flamingo Campground Pranty et al. — Bullock’s Oriole in Florida 45 years however, it has become clear that pale female or immature Balti- more Orioles can be mistaken easily for female Bullock’s Orioles (Lee and Birch 1998, Dickinson 1999, Sibley 2000). Recently, a seemingly definitive field mark has been discovered that allows identification be- tween the species— the edge of the upper wingbar is “jagged” in Bul- lock’s Orioles but is straight in Baltimore Oriole (Lee and Birch 1998). Additionally, Baltimore Orioles tend to have blackish wings, while those of Bullock’s are more grayish (Lee and Birch 1998). The six verifiable records of Bullock Oriole from Florida span the state from Gulf Breeze to Flamingo. One record was obtained during fall, four during winter, and one during spring (Table 1). Thus, it would seem that the Bullock’s Oriole is an irregular migrant and winter resident throughout the state, but has not yet been documented on the Keys. Acknowledgments We thank C. J. Grimes and Ken Watson for sending us their videotape of the Fla- mingo oriole; Sarah Beckwith for assisting with this videotape; Lyn Atherton for provid- ing photographs; Lyn Atherton, Sonny Bass, Todd Engstrom, Jon Greenlaw, and Fran James for assisting with our review of archived specimens and photographs; and James D. Rising and an anonymous reviewer for improving the manuscript. Literature Cited AOU [American Ornithologists’ Union!. 1957. Check-list of North American birds, 5th edition. Lord Baltimore Press, Baltimore, MD. American Ornithologists’ Union. 1973. Thirty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union check-list of North American birds. Auk 90:411-419. AMERICAN Ornithologists’ Union. 1995. Fortieth supplement to the American Orni- thologists’ Union check-list of North American birds. Auk 112:819-830. American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American birds, 7th edi- tion. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. BOWMAN, R. 2000. Thirteenth report of the Florida Ornithological Society Records Com- mittee: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. Florida Field Naturalist 28:138-160. BOWMAN, R. 2004. Fourteenth report of the Florida Ornithological Society Records Com- mittee: 2001-2002. Florida Field Naturalist 32:7-33. Bull, J., AND J. FARRAND, Jr. 1977. The Audubon Society field guide to North American birds, eastern region. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. DICKINSON, M. B. (ED.). 1999. Field guide to the birds of North America, 3rd edition. Na- tional Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. FREEMAN, S., AND R. M. Zink. 1995. A phylogenetic study of the blackbirds based on vari- ation in mitochondrial DNA restriction sites. Systematic Biology 44:409-420. Lee, C. T., AND A. Birch. 1998. Field identification of female and immature Bullock’s and Baltimore orioles. Birding 30:282-295. PETERSON, R. T. 1980. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America, 4th edition. Houghton-Mifflin, Boston, MA. ROBERTSON, W. B., Jr., and G. E. WOOLFENDEN. 1992. Florida bird species: an annotated list. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 6, Gainesville. SCOTT, S. L. (ED.). 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. 46 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST SCOTT, S. L., ED. 1987. Field guide to the birds of North America, 2nd edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. SPRUNT, A., Jr. 1954. Florida bird life. Coward-McCann, New York. Stevenson, H. M., AND B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):47-49, 2005. MIGRATORY AND OVER- WINTER SITE SELECTION OF PALM WARBLERS IN THE WEKIVA RIVER BASIN IN CENTRAL FLORIDA Richard Poole1, Christine Brown1, and Robert Wheeler2 2150 Essex Drive, Longwood, Florida 32779 2706 St. Michael Lane, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714 There are two subspecies of Palm Warbler: Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea known as the Yellow Palm Warbler, and Dendroica p. pah marum known as the Western Palm Warbler. The Yellow Palm Warbler, with yellow underparts, breeds in boreal forest bogs of eastern North America and winters primarily along the Gulf Coast. The Western Palm Warbler, with a white belly, breeds in similar habitats from roughly west of Ottawa, Canada, to west-central Canada and winters along the SE coast of the United States and the West Indies (Wilson 1996). Curson et al. (1994) report the Western Palm Warbler winters in south Florida and the West Indies and the Yellow Palm Warbler win- ters on the Gulf of Mexico from west Florida to northeast Mexico. Both subspecies are winter residents in Florida and are found in a variety of habitats: open hardwood, pine forest, marsh, prairie, and roadsides (Kale and Maehr 1990, Stevenson and Anderson 1994). In December 2004 while conducting a bird census for the Saint John’s River Water Management District in the Hal Scott Preserve, southeast of Orlando, Florida, Alex Vinokur (pers. comm.) reported that only Yel- low Palm Warblers (about 40) were seen in pine flatwoods, and Western Palm Warblers (about 25) were seen in a hardwood swamp. Between 1997 and 2003 we banded Palm Warblers in two areas of the Wekiva River basin in Central Florida: Rock Springs Run State Re- serve (Rock Springs) and the Sand Lake area of Wekiwa Springs State Park (Wekiwa Springs). We opened nets approximately 30 minutes be- fore sunrise and kept nets open until approximately 1030 depending upon weather and captures. Our netting activities occurred between 1 September 1997 and 10 April 2002 in Rock Springs. During September and October 1997-2000 nets were open daily, weather permitting. At other times nets were open approximately five to seven days monthly throughout the year. Nets were open for a total of 369 days in Rock Springs. In Wekiwa Springs nets were also open approximately four to seven days monthly throughout the year from 15 September 2002 to 31 December 2003 for a total of 82 days. Vegetation around the nets at Rock Springs included longleaf pine ( Finns palustris), saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ), blackberry (. Rubus sp.), 47 48 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Table 1. Mist net captures of Palm Warbler subspecies in the Wekiva River basin at Wekiwa Springs State Park (WSSP, 82 days of banding), and Rock Springs Run State Reserve (RSRS, 369 days of banding), in central Florida, 1997-2003 New Captures Recaptures Total Captures WSSP RSRS WSSP RSRS WSSP RSRS WPWAa 23 77 1 3 24 80 YPWAb 67 26 29 0 96 26 aWPWA-Western Palm Warbler. bYPWA-Yellow Palm Warbler. and wax myrtle ( Myrica cerifera). The area is poorly drained and is frequently boggy for several days after rain. In 2001-2002, dramatic changes were made in the Sand Lake area of Wekiwa Springs. Park staff capitalized on the presence of logging crews for southern pine beetle (. Dendroctonus frontalis) control to re- move large mature sand pines ( Pinus clausa ) for the restoration of scrub habitat. Fire had been restricted in this area, as a burn could not be conducted safely within mature sand pines. Once the pines were re- moved, a prescribed fire was conducted in the winter of 2002. In less than two years, the area was transformed from a habitat dominated by sand pines as tall as 15 m to an area where most vegetation scarcely reached 2 m in height. The vegetation now consists of scrub oaks, sand pines, and palmetto. This area drains quickly. We found through our netting that the two Palm Warbler subspe- cies showed distinct habitat differences (Table 1), thus agreeing with Vinokur’s observations. Western Palm was more common in Rock Springs and its mesic habitats; Yellow Palm was more common in Wekiwa Springs and its xeric habitat. Western Palm were captured from October to March while Yellow Palm were captured October to April. When considering the site-specific intensity of our effort (num- ber of days banding), 82 for Wekiwa Springs and 389 for Rock Springs, the new capture rates of Western Palm (23 for Wekiwa Springs and 77 for Rock Springs) are similar. However there is a large difference in capture rate for Yellow Palm with 67 new captures in 82 days for Wekiwa Springs and 26 captures in 369 days for Rock Springs. A lack of recaptures of Western Palm suggests they do not remain in the area, whereas more than a third of Yellow Palms banded in Wekiwa Springs were recaptured at least once (Table 1). Acknowledgments We thank the volunteers and park personnel who helped at the Wekiva Basin Band- ing Station over the years. We appreciate the constructive comments made by P. J. Poole etal. — Palm Warbler Habitats 49 Bowen, St. John’s River Water Management District, and Gregg Walker, Seminole County Natural Lands Program, on our initial draft. Literature Cited CURSON, J., D. QUINN, and D. Beadle. 1994. Warblers of the Americas. Houghton Miff- lin, Boston, MA. Kale, H. W., AND D. S. Maehr. 1990. Florida’s birds. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL. STEVENSON, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. Birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. WILSON, W. H., Jr. 1996. Palm Warbler ( Dendroica palmarum ). In The Birds of North America, No. 238 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.), The Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 50 NOTES Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):50, 2005. FIRST GEORGIA SPECIMEN OF THE BROWN BOOBY C. Ruckdeschel 1 Cumberland Island Museum, P.O. Box 796, St. Marys, Georgia 31558 E-Mail: cimuseum@yahoo.com The Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster ) is a regular, rare to uncommon year-round visi- tor at Dry Tortugas and off both Florida coasts, but scarce northward (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992). For Georgia, Beaton et al. (2003) recently moved the species from the Provisional List to the Regular Species List, and described it as an accidental, off-shore visitor on the outer shelf with observation records for 14 May 1983 and 24 August 2002. In South Carolina it is on the definitive species list. The first Georgia specimen was salvaged on Cumberland Island on 28 September 2004, in the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne (Permit No. MB 751734-0). The bird was immature and likely killed on the beach by an avian predator. It had no fat, and was stripped of all organs and flesh when found. The specimen is in the Cumberland Island Museum. Specimens of the Brown Booby are infrequent north of Florida, although there are records from South Carolina (Charleston Museum, collected 1968), North Carolina (NC State Museum, 2002, 2003), Virginia (U.S. National Museum, 1999), and a photo- graph from as far north as Nova Scotia (photographed in 1941; Godfrey 1979). The warm waters of the Gulf Stream are more distant from Georgia than from more north- ern states and most of the Georgia barrier islands are yet undeveloped, thus reducing the probability of finding stranded specimens. Along with the Georgia specimen, three Brown Boobies were documented alive on shore in South Carolina in August and September of 2004 (W. Post, pers. comm.). On 18 August 2004, a juvenile was photographed perched and flying on Deveaux Banks by Jane Lareau, suggesting that a group was in the area at that time. After Hurricane Frances three weeks later, a juvenile, in apparently good health, was picked up in down- town Charleston (8 September 2004), and an adult was captured alive on Folly Beach fishing pier (14 September 2004). Brown Boobies are pelagic birds of tropical climes which wander up and down the coasts during autumn and winter, sometimes as far north as Massachusetts, following schools of fish on which they feed (Bent 1964). Pelagic species are especially vulnerable to storms with high winds, and Bangs (1902) reported a large number of Brown and Red- footed boobies during a violent gale outside the Indian River in Florida in 1895. The birds Bangs saw were continually fishing just outside the breakers, and he suggested that they came in deliberately to take advantage of good fishing associated with the storm. Literature Cited BANGS, O. 1902. The occurrence of boobies in numbers on the east coast of Florida, dur- ing a storm. Auk 19:395-396. Beaton, G., P. W. Sykes, Jr., and J. W. Parrish, Jr. 2003. Annotated checklist of Geor- gia birds. Occasional Publication No. 14, Georgia Ornithological Society. Bent, A. C. 1922. Life histories of North American petrels and pelicans and their allies. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 121. GODFREY, W. E. 1979. The birds of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ot- tawa, Canada. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida bird species: annotated list. Special Publication No. 6, Florida Ornithological Society. 51 Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):51-52, 2005. FIRST RECORD OF THE ZONE-TAILED HAWK IN FLORIDA Thomas J. Wilmers Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges 28950 Watson Boulevard, Big Pine Key, FL 33043 E-mail : Thomas_Wilmers@fws.gov The Zone-tailed Hawk ( Buteo alhonotatus ) nests from central South America north to the southwestern United States (American Ornithologists’ Union 1998), where it is uncommon (Kennedy 1995, Johnson et al. 2000). Its manner of soaring, shape, and plumage pattern resemble the larger Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes aura): long remiges paler than the dark wing linings, wings held in a shallow V, a similar wing-beat ca- dence, and a long, narrow tail (Milsap et al. 1988, Dunn et al. 2000). These similarities, the hawk’s sometimes frequent association with Turkey Vultures — a species that poten- tial prey of Zone-tailed hawk may consider innocuous — and the hawk’s habit of stooping from vulture flocks to pursue prey, have led to the suggestion that this hawk profits by mimicry of the vulture (Willis 1963, but see Mueller 1972). The Zone-tailed Hawk seldom winters in the United States (Johnston et al. 2000). Occasionally an individual wanders widely (Dunn et al. 2000), as evidenced by a fall record of a bird in Halifax County, Nova Scotia (McLaren and Maclnnis 1977). Prior to my observation, the easternmost U.S. record of a wintering Zone-tailed Hawk was in Louisiana (American Ornithologists’ Union 1998). Shortly before sunset on 3 December 2000, I observed briefly an adult Zone-tailed Hawk on Big Pine Key, Monroe County, Florida (24°42’N, 81°22’W). The bird was at a low altitude (<100 m) amid several Turkey Vultures that were flying to a habitual night roost on Big Pine Key. The hawk’s smaller size, white subterminal tail band, and erratic rocking of the wings held in a dihedral V were readily apparent. After this brief encoun- ter, I did not see the bird again on Big Pine Key. Shortly after noon on 12 December 2000, 1 saw a Zone-tailed Hawk on Boca Grande Key (24°32’N, 82° 01’W), a 78-ha island 19 km west of Key West, FL in the Key West Na- tional Wildlife Refuge. This island is 64 km west of the first sighting on Big Pine Key. The reported wind speed was 11 kph (National Weather Service) and skies were clear. I video-taped and simultaneously recorded comments on the hawk’s movements above Boca Grande Key for 20 min. Later examination of the tape proved essential for matching the hawk’s maneuvers with the recorded audible alarm calls of potential prey species that were not seen on film. The latter consisted of a multi-species group of ca. 150 shorebirds, including 17 Piping Plovers ( Charadrius melodus ), on the island’s inte- rior mudflats. The Zone-tailed Hawk’s sex was determined by freezing single video frames and con- firming the presence of only two whitish tail bands. Thus, the bird was an adult male (Clark and Wheeler 1987, Dunn et al. 2000). The Zone-tailed Hawk remained aloft during my observations and it may have been hunting. Its movements and behavior were remarkably similar to the hunting methods described by Milsap et al. (1988). These included holding its head downward and scan- ning the terrain, soaring expansively at ca 15-60 m with wings held in a shallow dihe- dral, and making several low, non- vertical stoops at prey. None of the hawk’s stoops resulted in the capture of prey. Shorebird alarm calls were audible well before the hawk’s approach, and they flushed en masse as the bird neared. The Zone-tailed Hawk might have been at a disadvantage for two reasons. One was a lack of cover. Milsap et al. (1988) observed that once this hawk has sighted prey, it may drop behind cover to draw closer for an attack. The shorebirds at Boca Grande Key were 52 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST in flat, open terrain, and the closest trees were small. After the hawk’s first stoop, the shorebirds likely were wary of its approach and may have kept track of its whereabouts. Each time after launching an attack, the hawk flew away from the mudflats, its wing- beats deep and labored until it reached a higher altitude and began soaring. A second disadvantage may have been a pair of nesting Ospreys ( Pandion haliaee- tus) that had built their nest on the ground near the mudflats. As the Zone-tailed Hawk approached the mudflats, it elicited the Ospreys’ loud vocalizations, likely alerting the shorebirds of the hawk’s approach. After one such incident, an Osprey determinedly es- corted the Zone-tail Hawk away from the Osprey nesting area. After one unsuccessful strike on the shorebirds, the hawk gained altitude until it reached a flock of 11 soaring Magnificent Frigatebirds ( Fregata magnificens). It re- mained aloft with them for nearly a minute, whereupon it descended slowly- — twice ex- tending its legs — before entering a flat shallow stoop at the shorebirds. Lacking Turkey Vultures, perhaps the Zone-tailed Hawk used the Frigatebirds as surrogates for vulture mimicry. Acknowledgments. — -I thank the Florida. Ornithological Society’s Rare Bird Com- mittee for examining the videotape. R. Bowman, K. Meyer, and P. Hughes provided helpful comments that improved the manuscript. Literature Cited American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. The A.O.U. checklist of North American birds. 7th Edition. American Ornithologists’ Union. Washington, D.C. CLARK, W. S , AND B. K. Wheeler 1987. A field guide to hawks. North America. Hough- ton Mifflin Company, Boston. Dunne, P., D A. Sibley, and C. Sutton. 2000. Zone-tailed Hawk. Birding 32:234-241. JOHNSON, R. R., R. L. Glinski, AND S. W. Matteson. 2000. Zone-tailed Hawk. Zone- tailed Hawk ( Buteo albonotatus). No. 529. In The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Kennedy, P L.„ D. E. Crowe, and T. F. Dean. 1995. Breeding biology of the Zone-tailed Hawk at the limits of its distribution. Journal of Raptor Research 29: 110-116. McLaren, I. A., AND A. MacImnis, 1977. A Zone-tailed Hawk in Nova Scotia. Canadian. Field-Naturalist 91:310-311. Milsap, B. A., R. S. Palmer, and H. Snyder 1988. Zone-tailed Hawk. Pp, 85-95 in Handbook of North American Birds, Vol. 5 (R.S. Palmer, ed.) Yale University. Press, New Haven, Connecticut. MUELLER, H. C. 1972. Zone-tailed Hawk and Turkey Vulture: mimicry or aerodynamics? Condor 74:221-222. WILLIS, E. O 1963. Is the Zone-tailed Hawk a mimic of the Turkey Vulture? Condor 65:313-317. 53 Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):53-54, 2005. COOPER’S HAWK PREDATION ON LEAST TERN CHICKS ON A ROOFTOP IN PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA Elizabeth A. Forys1, Monique Abrams2, and S. Joyce King2 1 Natural Sciences Collegium, Eckerd College 4200 54th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33711 E-mail: forysea@eckerd.edu 2 St. Petersburg Audubon, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 On 13 July 2003, while conducting a study to estimate productivity of rooftop nesting Least Terns in Pinellas County, Florida, we observed a Cooper’s Hawk ( Accipiter coo- perii) prey on several Least Tern chicks ( Sterna antillarum). The Least Terns were nest- ing on a large, low (8-m high), flat gravel rooftop that was located 1.7 km from Tampa Bay in a semi-industrialized area in central Pinellas County. For our productivity re- search we had monitored the rooftop from the vantage point of a 10-m bucket lift every two weeks during the breeding season. The predation occurred at the end of the breed- ing season when only aboutlS pairs were left (down from an original 95 pairs). This col- ony was productive; we had previously observed a total of 47 Least Tern chicks capable of flight and beginning their juvenal molt on the rooftop. The predation was witnessed after a colony of about 15 Black Skimmers ( Rynchops niger) had abandoned the rooftop. We suspected the predation at mid-morning (1030) when we saw the tail of Cooper’s Hawk sticking out from behind an air conditioner on the roof and the hawk appeared to be feeding on something. A few Least Terns (3-4) flew down toward the hawk, but most of the adults were off the roof, flying up in loose circles. Later that afternoon (1300), we observed the rooftop from a nearby overpass. The hawk was walking around the roof, peering under air conditioning units and systematically checking around roof struc- tures. At one point, we observed the hawk jump on a chick and eat it. Two days later, the remaining Least Terns abandoned the rooftop. Cooper’s Hawks had been seen at this site and a second rooftop located 4 km away during a survey on 15 June 2003. During this previous survey, no predation was ob- served, but the adult Least Terns were highly disturbed and flew up above the roof. We believe this is the first published record of predation of Least Terns by a Cooper’s Hawk. Least Tern eggs and chicks have been prey of a variety of mammalian, avian, and invertebrate predators (Thompson et al. 1997). Most reported avian predators have been wading and shore birds, but predation by three other diurnal raptors has been re- corded: Northern Harrier ( Circus cyaneus), Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), and Amercian Kestrel (F. sparverius ). Cooper’s Hawks typically nest in undeveloped forests and woodlands (Rosenfield and Bielefeldt 1993), but they are increasingly nesting in more urban environments (Boal and Mannan 1998). In highly urbanized Pinellas County, Florida, the number of Cooper’s Hawks recorded during Audubon Christmas Bird Counts has significantly increased during the past 15 years (linear regression, R2 = 0.71, F = 32.2, P < 0.001; Dave Goodwin, unpublished data). While nesting in suburban and urban environments, Cooper’s Hawks eat a diversity of urban-adapted birds. A recent study of Cooper’s Hawks in an urban environment in Terre Haute, Indiana found that their diet consisted primarily of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), Mourning Doves ( Zenaida macroura ), and Rock Pigeons ( Columba livia ) (Roth and Lima 2003). In the Roth and Lima (2003) study, Cooper’s Hawks ap- peared to select larger birds while ignoring smaller birds. Perhaps the concentration and relative ease of capture of Least Tern chicks on rooftops attracted the hawk to this smaller prey item. 54 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. — We thank the Florida Ornithological Society for funding a portion of this research. Literature Cited Boal, C. W., AND R. W. M ANNAN. 1998. Nest site selection by Cooper’s Hawks in an ur- ban landscape: Journal of Wildlife Management 62:864-871. Rosenfield, R. N., and J. Bielefeldt. 1993. Cooper’s Hawk ( Accipiter cooperii). No. 75. In The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. ROTH, T. C., and S. L. Lima. 2003. Hunting behavior and diet of Cooper’s Hawks: an ur- ban view of the small-bird-in-winter paradigm. Condor 105:474-483. Thompson, B. C., J. A. Jackson, J. Burger, L. A. Hill, E. M. Kirsch, and J. L. At- wood. 1997. Least Tern ( Sterna antillarum). No. 290. In The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences. Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 55 Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):55-56, 2005. ATTEMPTED PREDATION AT A PILEATED WOODPECKER NEST BY A GRAY RATSNAKE Linda I. Casey1, Julia E. Earl1, and Steve A. Johnson2 C.S. Geological Survey — Florida Integrated Science Centers 7920 NW 71st Street , Gainesville, Florida 32653 Corresponding author: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida IFAS — Plant City Education Center 1200 N. Park Rd Plant City I Florida 33563 E-mail: johnsons@wec.ufl.edu Predation plays an important role in the nest success of many bird species (Martin 1993), and as a result birds have evolved numerous behaviors to avoid nest predation. Perhaps one of the most successful nesting behaviors is the excavation of nest cavities (Martin and Li 1992). Because cavities are often constructed several meters above ground, cavity nests are usually only vulnerable to flying predators and those with well- developed climbing abilities. Birds comprise 22 to 53 percent of the diet of the Eastern Ratsnake ( Elaphe obsoleta ; taxonomy follows Crother (2001) (Ernst and Ernst 2003)) and this snake’s exceptional ability to climb allows it to be an effective predator of cavity-nesting birds (e.g., Jackson 1970, Neal et al. 1993). Eastern Ratsnakes have a unique cross section with the ventral surface being the widest part of the body. Wide ventral scales and lateral keels enable these snakes to grip irregularities of the bark on trees (Gans 1974). Mullin and Cooper (2002) showed that Eastern Ratsnakes (subspecies not specified) could not climb Nuttall oaks ( Quercus nuttallii), a tree characterized by smooth bark. Another study found that Texas Ratsnakes (E. o. lindheimeri ) could not cross a shaved portion of bark 91.4 cm wide on pine trees (Saenz et al. 1999). However, Black Rat- snakes (E. o. obsoleta) and Gray Ratsnakes (EL o. spiloides ) have been known to climb barkless, limbless trees (Jackson 1970, 1977). Jackson (1978) found the Gray Ratsnake to be more arboreal than the Black Ratsnake, potentially making it the more efficient predator of cavity-nesting birds. Multiple accounts document predation by Gray Ratsnakes on cavity nesting birds, including the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker ( Picoides borealis ) (Jackson 1978). Although there has been an interaction documented between a Black Ratsnake and a Plicated Woodpecker ( Dryocopus pileatus ) (Noland 1959), to our knowledge no previous records exist of Gray Ratsnakes attempting to prey on Pileated Woodpecker nestlings. Here we report our observations of such an attempt. While conducting fieldwork for the XX 8, Geological Survey Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative program, we observed a Gray Ratsnake attempt to depredate a Pileated Woodpecker nest at approximately 1105 on 11 May 2004 at the Lower Suwan- nee National Wildlife Refuge (29°22’19.4”N, 83°02’34,3 W). Because of the sound of wing flapping and repeated Pileated Woodpecker calls, our attention was drawn to an adult Pileated Woodpecker on a snag about 25 m away from us. It was interacting with a large Gray Ratsnake that had climbed the snag to a height of about 7 m. The snake was ap- proximately 20 cm away from a Pileated Woodpecker cavity entrance in the snag, with the bird between its presumed nest and the snake. We observed the snake and the bird “duel” for several seconds before the snake fell to the ground. Dueling consisted of the woodpecker flapping its wings and bobbing its head up and down. In response to the bird’s actions, the snake withdrew the anterior portion of its body into an “S” shape, held its position for a few seconds, then lifted its head away from the trunk of the snag and 56 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST fell into a clump of saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ) at the base of the tree. We do not know if the snake deliberately dropped from the tree as a result of the aggressive bird or if it lost its grip on the smooth snag. We ran to the base of the tree and positively identi- fied the snake as Elaphe obsoleta spiloides. We estimated its length as about 1.2 m; it was apparently unharmed by the fall. Upon closer inspection of the snag, we noticed there were four large and numerous smaller cavity holes. Later the same day, we observed a pair of adult Pileated Woodpeck- ers repeatedly enter and exit the cavity where the snake/bird altercation occurred. We did not hear begging chicks nor did we observe young woodpeckers, so we assume the cavity contained eggs or very young chicks. Most of the snag (40.1 cm DBH) was smooth and bark only adhered to the lower 1.5 m of the trunk. The primary upland habitat type in the area was flatwoods with planted slash pine as the dominant canopy species. The pines were thinned approximately 12 years ago and the site was burned in May 2003. Dominant understory plants included saw palmetto, gallberry (Ilex glabra), and blue- berries ( Vaccinium spp.). Acknowledgments.— We thank C. K. Dodd, W. J. Barichivich, and J. S. Staiger for comments on an earlier version of this note. Research at Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge was conducted under permit number 41515-04-007 issued to the U.S. Geological Survey. Literature Cited CROTHER, B. I. (Chair). 2001. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetological Circulars 29:1-82. Ernst, C. H., and E. M. Ernst. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smith- sonian Books, Washington, D.C. GANS, C. 1974. Biomechanics: an approach to vertebrate biology. J.B. Lippincott Com- pany, Philadelphia, PA. JACKSON, J. A. 1970. Predation of Black Rat Snake on Yellow-Shafted Flicker nestlings. Wilson Bulletin 82:329-330. JACKSON, J. A. 1976. Relative climbing tendencies of Gray (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides) and Black Rat snakes (E. o. obsoleta). Herpetologica 32:359-361. JACKSON, J. A. 1977. Notes on the behavior of the Gray Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta spi- loides). Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Science 22:94-96. JACKSON, J. A. 1978. Predation of a Gray Rat Snake on Red-cockaded Woodpecker nest- lings. Bird-Banding 49:187-188. MARTIN, T. E. 1993. Evolutionary determinants of clutch size in cavity-nesting birds: nest predation or limited breeding opportunities? American Naturalist 142:937-946. MARTIN, T. E., and P. Li. 1992. Life history traits of open- vs. cavity-nesting birds. Ecol- ogy 73:579-592. MULLIN, S. J., AND R. J. COOPER 2002. Barking up the wrong tree: climbing perfor- mances of rat snakes and its implications for depredation of avian nests. Canadian Journal of Zoology 80:591-595. Neal, J. C., W. G. Montague, AND D. A. James. 1993. Climbing by Black Rat Snakes on cavity trees of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Wildlife Society Bulletin 21:160-165 NOLAN, V. 1959. Pileated Woodpecker attacks Pilot Black Snake at tree cavity. Wilson Bulletin 71:381-382. Saenz, D., C. S. Collins, AND R. N. Conner 1999. A bark-shaving technique to deter Rat Snakes from climbing Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity trees. Wildlife Society Bulletin 27:1069-1071. 57 Florida Field Naturalist 33(2):57-69, 2005. FIELD OBSERVATIONS Fall Report: August-November 2004. — This report consists of significant bird ob- servations compiled by the Field Observations Committee (FOC). 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 are found at the end of this report. We greatly prefer observations sent via e-mail. Sight-only observations are considered “reports” while only those supported by verifi- able evidence (photographs, video or audio tapes, or specimens) are called “records.” Species for which documentation is required by the FOS Records Committee (FOSRC; Bowman 2004, Fla. Field Nat. 32: 7-33) are marked here with an asterisk (*). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first-time listing of each site in this report. Ab- breviations in this report are: CA = conservation area, EOS = end of season, NP = na- tional park, NSRA = north shore restoration area, NWR = national wildlife refuge, SP = state park, STF = sewage treatment facility, and N, S, E, W etc., for compass directions. Bold-faced species denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida, or record counts. Summary of the Fall Season It was an unprecedented fall, with four hurricanes striking Florida. Charley , a Cate- gory 4 storm, hit Fort Myers and exited at Daytona Beach, on Friday the 13th of August, causing over $14 billion in damages; Charley was the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Next was Frances , a Category 2 storm that came ashore near Stuart, exited near Hudson, then restruck the state (as a tropical storm) at St. Marks, on 4-5 September. Third was Ivan, a Category 3 storm that struck near Gulf Shores, Alabama, and caused extensive damage to the Pensacola area. Damages were in excess of $13 billion. Finally, there was Jeanne, a Category 3 storm that struck near Stuart (within 5 km of Francesl) late on 25 September, then followed the peninsula northwest and exited into Georgia the following day. Damages totaled nearly $7 billion. Polk County, which suffered direct-hits by Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, received over 32 inches of rain, causing flooding that per- sisted in some areas for months. A large fallout, unrelated to the hurricanes, was noted 15- 16 October. Several rarities were found this season, most notably Florida’s first verifiable Broad-billed Hummingbird at Pensacola, perhaps only the second documented Thick- billed Vireo report for the United States, and the first record of a green-backed (perhaps Cuban) Western Spindalis. Yellow-collared Lovebird and Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill were newly verified exotics, and a Gouldian Finch furnished the first state report. Finally, we note the death of Howard Langridge on 14 November at the age of 81. For more than 30 years, Howard chronicled the birdlife of Palm Beach County and elsewhere in the state. Species Accounts Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 2 along Florida’s Turnpike (Palm Beach ) 12 Sep (B. Mulrooney); 2 in mid -Pinellas 21 Sep (I. Hernandez); 1 adult with 13 young at Or- lando Wetlands Park (Orange) 24 Sep (T. Rodriguez), and 21 there 19 Nov (M. Gardler); 29 at Circle B Bar Reserve (Polk) 16 Oct (fide C. Geanangel); 3 chicks at Gainesville (Alachua) 19 Oct (P. Burns); 2 adults with 5 chicks at Viera Wetlands (Brevard) 5 Nov-EOS (D. Freeland). 58 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 1 at St. Marks NWR ( Wakulla ) 12 Aug (T. Curtis, J. Ca- vanagh et al.); 315 at Lake Apopka NSRA 14 Nov (H. Robinson). Greater White-fronted Goose: 9 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP {Alachua) 16 Oct (A. Kratter); 32 in N Escambia 25-27 Oct (L. Catterton). SNOW Goose: 6 (5 blue morphs) at Walsingham Park, Largo {Pinellas) 28 Sep (K. Nel- son); 11 blue morphs at St. Marks NWR 27 Nov (T. Hince). CANADA Goose: 1 at Alligator Point {Franklin) 15 Oct was “presumed wild55 (J. Dozier et al.); 1 at Merritt Island NWR {Brevard) 27 Nov (A. Vinokur, D. Richardson). TUNDRA Swan: 1 at Fernandina Beach {Nassau) 12 Nov (P. Leary); 3 over Moses Creek {St. Johns) 14 Nov (G. Basili). MUTE SWAN: 6 on the St. Johns River, Jacksonville {Duval) 19 Sep (J. Ross). SWAN SPECIES: 7 at Merritt Island NWR 16 Nov (L. Graham et al.). EURASIAN WlGEON: 1 male at Merritt Island NWR 11 Nov (D. Simpson); 1 male at Eagle Lakes Park, Naples 29 Nov-EOS was joined by a second male later (J. Winters et al.). American Black Duck: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 24 Oct (H. Robinson). MOTTLED Duck: 4 at Fort Walton Beach STF {Okaloosa) 28 Sep (B. Monk). Blue-winged Teal: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 4 Aug (H. Robinson). Northern SHOVELER: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Sep (H. Robinson); 1 at Gulf Harbors, New Port Richey {Pasco) 19 Sep (K. Tracey). Northern Pintail: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 9 Sep (H. Robinson). GREEN-WINGED Teal: 30 at Lake Apopka NSRA 8 Sep (H. Robinson); 95 heading S off Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore {Brevard) 6 Nov (E. Kwater); 800 at Polk mines 23 Nov (P. Fellers, D. Brooke). REDHEAD: 1 at Gulf Harbors, New Port Richey 19 Sep (K. Tracey). RlNG-NECKED DUCK: 1 found dead at Smyrna Dunes Park ( Volusia ) 13 Sep (B. Mul- rooney); 1 male at Springhill Road STF {Leon) 19 Sep (A. Wraithmell). LESSER Scaup: 1 at Tarpon Springs {Pinellas) 4 Aug (K. Tracey). SURF SCOTER: 1 female at a Winter Springs {Seminole) retention pond 15 Nov (W. Biggs); 5 at Playalinda Beach, Canaveral NS {Brevard) 27 Nov (A. Vinokur, D. Richardson). BUFFLEHEAD: 6 at Merritt Island NWR 16 Nov (D. Freeland, M. Gardler et al.). COMMON GOLDENEYE: 1 at Merritt Island NWR 27 Nov (A. Vinokur, D. Richardson). COMMON Loon: 2 off Crandon Beach {Miami-Dade) 30 Nov (R. Diaz). PlED-BILLED GREBE: 1 adult and 6 chicks at Gulf Harbors 21 Sep (K. Tracey). HORNED GREBE: 2 at Ten Thousand Islands NWR {Collier) 24 Nov (D. Suitor). BLACK-CAPPED Petrel: 1 at Newnans Lake {Alachua) 27 Sep (J. Hintermister et al.). CORY’S Shearwater: 3 on a trip to DeSoto Canyon off Destin {Okaloosa) 22 Aug (B. Monk); 35 dead at Cape Canaveral {Brevard) 6 Sep, and 61 dead there 27 Sep (D. Freeland et al.); 5 dead at Smyrna Dunes Park 13 Sep (B. Mulrooney); 5 off John U. Lloyd SP {Broward) 24 Sep (B. Roberts). Greater SHEARWATER: 2 off Port Canaveral {Brevard) 17 Nov (M. Gardler, J. Bouton et al.). SOOTY SHEARWATER: singles at Jupiter Inlet Colony {Palm Beach) 12 Aug and 22 Sep (J. and L. Hailman, details to FOC); 1 inland at Lake Apopka NSRA 15 Aug (H. Robinson). *Manx SHEARWATER: 1 off Port Canaveral 17 Nov (J. Bouton, details to FOC). Audubon’s Shearwater: 2 dead at Cape Canaveral 27 Sep (D. Freeland et al.); 8 off Port Canaveral 17 Nov (M. Gardler, J. Bouton). WILSON’S Storm-Petrel: 1 found at Sanibel Island {Lee) 14 Aug died later (P.J. Dei- tschel); 4 on a trip to DeSoto Canyon 22 Aug (B. Monk); 1 at Charlotte Harbor {Char- lotte) 6 Sep (J. Bouton). Band-rumped Storm-Petrel: 10 on a trip to DeSoto Canyon 22 Aug (B. Monk). White-tailed Tropicbird: 1 juvenile on a trip to DeSoto Canyon 22 Aug (B. Monk) pro- vided the first report for the W Panhandle {fide B. Duncan). *RED-BILLED Tropicbird: 1 juvenile at Sanibel Island {Lee) 14 Aug died later (P.J. Deit- schel, photo to FOC); 1 juvenile on a trip to DeSoto Canyon 22 Aug (B. Monk). Field Observations 59 MASKED Booby: 1 adult on a sandbar E of Cape Romano ( Collier ) mid-Nov (T. Below, photo to FOC). RED-FOOTED Booby: 1 found injured near Naples ( Collier ) 26 Sep recovered and was re- leased at Dry Tortugas NP 6 Oct {fide J. Fitzgerald). NORTHERN Gannet: 1 juvenile at Alligator Point {Franklin) 7 Sep (S. McCool); 1 juvenile 15 km inland flying over Port of the Islands ( Collier ) 5 Nov (T. Doyle). AMERICAN White PELICAN: 74 immatures N of Clewiston {Hendry) 2 Aug (B. and L. Coo- per); 8 at Turkey Point 3 Aug (B. Mulrooney); 60 at the Everglades Agricultural Area {Palm Beach) 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et ah); 17 over Alligator Point {Frank- lin) 8 Sep (J. Dozier); 125 at Fernandina Beach 19 Sep (P. Leary); 400 over Wakulla 15 Oct (A. Wraithmell); 200 flying S over Marco Island {Collier) 16 Oct (T. Doyle et ah); 1050 at Polk phosphate mines 23 Nov (P. Fellers, D. Brooke). Brown Pelican: 2 at Newnans Lake 9 Sep-3 Oct (S. Collins et al.). AnhingA: 1 male high over Key Largo 4 Aug (B. Mulrooney); 35 over Fort Walton Beach {Oka- loosa) 26 Aug (B. Monk); 143 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Sep (H. Robinson); 32 over Lake- land {Polk) 6 Sep (T. Palmer); 110 over Saddle Creek Park {Polk) 30 Oct (B. Snow et al.). Magnificent Frigatebird: 26 over Belle Glade Marina {Palm Beach) 14 Aug (M. Berney); 2 over Altamonte Springs {Seminole) 4 Sep (P. Hueber); 2 at Huguenot Memorial Park {Duval) 6 Sep (B. Richter); 1 at Paynes Prairie 6 Sep (H. Adams); up to 2 at Gainesville 7 Sep (M. Jones, B. Enneis); 1 at Guana River SP {Si. Johns) 11 Sep (D. Reed); 3 over Lake Ellen {Wakulla) 16 Sep (S. McCool); 18 over Alligator Point 16 Sep (J. Murphy). American Bittern: 3 (a pair and one juvenile) at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Aug (H. Robin- son); 1 flying S over Land O’ Lakes {Pasco) 10 Sep (D. Bowman); 1 at Orlando Wet- lands Park 18 Sep (T. Rodriguez). “GREAT White Heron:” 1 at Gulf Breeze {Santa Rosa) 14 Aug (B. Duncan); 1 at E.G. Simmons Park, Ruskin {Hillsborough) 24 Sep (B. Ackerman). SNOWY Egret: 625 at Merritt Island NWR 11 Aug (D. Freeland); 2585 at Lake Apopka NSRA 7 Nov (H. Robinson). TRICOLORED Heron: 840 at Merritt Island NWR 19 Oct (D. Freeland). REDDISH EGRET: 5 (3 white morphs) at Huguenot Park 25 Sep (B. Richter). Cattle Egret: 6400 at Lake Apopka NSRA16 Sep (H. Robinson). GREEN Heron: 236 at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Aug (H. Robinson); 80 at the Everglades Agricultural Area 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et al.). Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: 35 at the Everglades Agricultural Area 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et al.). SCARLET x White IBIS: 1 pink ibis at Port Canaveral 15-16 Oct (D. Freeland et al.). GLOSSY IBIS: 2 over Tavernier 6 Aug (B. Mulrooney); 580 at Merritt Island NWR 19 Oct (D. Freeland); 2910 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Nov (H. Robinson). *WHITE-FACED IBIS: 1 in N Escambia 22 Sep (L. Catterton); 1 at Fort Walton Beach STF 28 Sep-8 Oct (L. Catterton, B. Duncan). Roseate SPOONBILL: 67 at New Port Richey 14 Aug (R. Smart); 250 at the Everglades Agricultural Area 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et al.); 5 at St. Marks NWR 30 Aug (J. Murphy), and 1 remained there to 12 Oct (J. Dozier); 300 at Fernandina Beach 19 Sep (P. Leary); 3 near Wauchula {Hardee) 5 Oct (T. Palmer); 1 over Orlando Wetlands Park 18 Sep (T. Rodriguez). Abdim’S STORK: 1 with a numbered plastic leg-band at Orlando {Orange) 3 Oct (C. Paine). TURKEY VULTURE: 500 in a kettle over N Duval 15 Oct (P. Leary). GREATER Flamingo: 1 juvenile at Matanzas Inlet 18-23 Sep (A. and S. Steinmetz, G. Ba- sili [photos to FOC] et al.); 2 at Boca Chica {Monroe) 1 Oct (M. Hedden); 30-40 E of Snake Bight, Everglades NP {Monroe) 26 Nov (M. Berney). SWALLOW-TAILED KITE: 6 at Live Oak Island ( Wakulla ) 7 Sep (K. Brandt); 10 at Lake Apopka NSRA 9 Sep (H. Robinson); 1 at Chiefland {Levy) 10 Sep (D. Henderson); 1 at Tavernier {Monroe) 2 Oct (R. Cunningham). 60 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST White-tailed Kite: 1 in the Everglades Agricultural Area 7 Oct (J. Hintermister, B. Wallace). SNAIL Kite: 1 at Ridge Manor (Hernando) 19 Aug-16 Sep (J. Hayes, M. Liberton et al., photos to FOG by A. and B. Hansen). MISSISSIPPI Kite: 2 adults at Brooksville 13 Aug (A. and B. Hansen); 15 at Gainesville 18 Sep (G. Parks, M. Drummond). BALD Eagle: 12 (including 2 adults) in N Escambia 27 Oct (L. Catterton) established the highest-ever count for the W Panhandle (fide B. Duncan). Northern Harrier: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 9 Aug (H. Robinson). COOPER’S Hawk: 25 at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Aug (H. Robinson). Red-shouldered Hawk: 76 at Lake Apopka NSRA 19 Aug (H. Robinson). Broad-winged Hawk: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 19 Aug (H. Robinson); 150 in 3 kettles moving back N over Boot Key (Monroe) 23 Oct (C. Ewell). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 light morph at Newnans Lake 13 Aug (E. and I. Scales, R. Rowan); singles at Wekiva Springs SP (Orange) 28 Aug and 19 Sep (C. Pierce); 1 light morph and 1 dark morph at Saddle Creek Park 28 Aug-1 Nov (B. Snow et al.); 3 at Lake Jessup (Seminole) 18 Sep (C. Pierce); 1 light morph at Newnans Lake 19 Sep (A. Kratter); 1 dark morph at Key Largo 19 Sep (B. Mulrooney); 1 light morph at Paynes Prairie 29 Sep-2 Oct (H. Adams); 1 light morph near Cedar Key 6 Oct (D. Henderson); 8 light morphs at Marco Island (Collier) 16 Oct (T. Doyle et al.); 1 adult light morph at Gainesville 11 Nov (P. Fellers). SWAINSON’S HAWK: 1 juvenile at Bald Point (Franklin) 16 Oct (J. Dozier); 1 juvenile light morph at Lake Apopka NSRA 31 Oct (H. Robinson); 1 juvenile light morph juvenile at Fort Walton Beach STF 9 Nov (B. Duncan). CRESTED CaracarA: 1 at Seminole Ranch CA (Brevard) 8 Sep (L. Malo); 1 along SR-50 at the St. Johns River (Brevard) 15 Sep (L. Malo); 2 S of Fort Meade (Polk) 23 Nov (T. Palmer). MERLIN: 24 at Fernandina Beach in one hour 20 Sep (P. Leary); 28 total on daily watches at Guana River SP 27 Sep-12 Oct (B. Stoll et al.); 5 at Lake Apopka NSRA 6 Oct (H. Robinson). PEREGRINE Falcon: 258 total on daily watches at Guana River SP 27 Sep-12 Oct (B. Stoll et al.); 7 at Jupiter Inlet Colony 7 Oct (J. Hailman). King Rail: 134 at Lake Apopka NSRA 19 Aug (H. Robinson). SORA: 186 at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 Nov (H. Robinson). Purple Swamphen: 1 gray-headed adult at Emeralda Marsh CA (Lake) 10 Sep (P. May, photo to FOC). PURPLE GALLINULE: 2 juveniles at Piney Z Lake (Leon) 2 Nov (G. Menk); 7 at St. Marks NWR 27 Nov (T. Hince). LlMPKlN: up to 3 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP (Miami-Dade) 15 Aug-EOS (R. Diaz); 1 at Fort De Soto Park (Pinellas) 15 Oct was the first for the park (L. Atherton et al.). SANDHILL CRANE: 3 in Santa Rosa 31 Jul (H. Moore, B. Francisco); 1 over Tallahassee 11 Nov (D. Houle); 3 at Fort Walton Beach STF 12 Nov (L. Fenimore). Whooping Crane: 14 in S Lake 11 Nov (P. Fellers et ah); 2 in a southbound flock of Sand- hill Cranes at Alachua (Alachua) 26 Nov (B. Enneis, B. Carroll). Black-bellied Plover: 80 at Viera Wetlands 14 Sep (D. Freeland); 1 at Paynes Prairie 5 Oct (R. Rowan); 175 at Fort De Soto 16 Oct (P. Sykes); 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 3 Nov (H. Robinson). American Golden-Plover: singles at Crandon Beach 9-22 Sep and 12 Nov (R. Diaz); singles at Talbot Islands SP (Duval) 29 Sep (P. Leary) and 11 Nov (L. Johanssen); 1 in the Everglades Agricultural Area 7 Oct (J. Hintermister, B. Wallace); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 Oct (H. Robinson); 1 at Fort De Soto 11 Oct (B. Roberts, L. Atherton et al.); 3 at Long Key SP (Monroe) 27 Nov (J. Cavanagh). SNOWY Plover: 1 at Talbot Islands SP 16 Oct (P Leary); 15 at Little Estero Lagoon (Lee) 4 Nov (C. Ewell). Field Observations 61 WILSON’S Plover: 131 at Big Bird Island in Nassau Sound {Duval) 5 Aug (P. Leary); 40+ at Little Estero Lagoon 7 Aug, and 52 there 24 Nov (C. Ewell); 1 at Jupiter Inlet Col- ony 1 Oct (J. Hailman). SEMIPALMATED PLOVER: 2 at Gainesville 11 Aug (B. Enneis); 1 at Tram Road STF {Leon) 12 Aug (G. Menk); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Sep (H. Robinson); 400 at Little Estero Lagoon 4 Nov (C. Ewell). PIPING Plover: 1 at New Port Richey 11 Aug (K. Tracey); 20 or more at Crandon Beach 11 Sep (R. Torres); 34 at Phipps Preserve, Alligator Point 26 Nov (J. Dozier et al.). AMERICAN Oystercatcher: 140 in the Amelia River {Nassau) 11 Nov (P. Leary). BLACK-NECKED Stilt: 1 at New Port Richey 14 Aug (R. Smart); 2400 at the Everglades Ag- ricultural Area 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et al.); 3 at Paynes Prairie 25 Oct-EOS (H. Adams, J. Hintermister); 1 at St. Marks NWR 25-27 Nov (T. Rodriguez, T. Hince). American Avocet: 19 at Bonner Park {Pinellas) 2 Sep (K. Nelson); 6 at Key Largo 18 Sep (J. Boyd); 23 at Fred Howard Park {Pinellas) 4 Oct (K. Tracey); 2 at Springhill Road STF 1 Nov (G. Menk). SOLITARY Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Aug, and 17 there 12 Sep (H. Robinson); 32 at Huguenot Memorial Park 6 Sep (B. Richter); up to 5 at Lake Region Village {Polk) 13-21 Sep (B. and L. Cooper); 1 at Tallahassee 9 Nov (G. Menk). WlLLET: 1 at Gainesville 5 Nov-EOS (A. Kent et al.). Spotted Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Talquin {Leon) 16 Nov (G. Menk). Upland Sandpiper: 13 at King Ranch {Palm Beach) 28 Aug (B. Pranty et al.). WHIMBREL: 7 at Little Estero Lagoon 7 Aug (C. Ewell); 1 at Dump Marsh (Miami-Dade) 14 Aug (J. Boyd); 1 at Lloyd SP 15 Sep (M. Berney). HUDSONIAN GODWIT: up to 2 at King Ranch 8-11 Sep (K. Sarsfield, J. Villamil et al.); 1 at St. Marks NWR 10 Oct (T. Curtis). Marbled Godwit: 1 at Crandon Beach 10 Aug (R. Diaz). Ruddy Turnstone: 1 at Newnans Lake 14 Aug (J. Hintermister). Red Knot: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 24 Oct (H. Robinson). SANDERLING: 1 at Springhill Road STF 19 Sep (A. Wraithmell); 300 at Little Estero La- goon 24 Nov (C. Ewell). LEAST SANDPIPER: 4600 at Polk mines 23 Nov (P. Fellers, D. Brooke). WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER: 1 at Merritt Island NWR 4 Aug (D. Freeland); 1 at Springhill Road STF 13 Aug (G. Menk); singles at Lake Apopka NSRA 22 Aug and 22 Sep (H. Robinson); 3 at the Everglades Agricultural Area 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et al.). BAIRD’S SANDPIPER: 1 in N Escambia 22 Aug (L. Catterton); up to 2 juveniles at Spring- hill Road STF 8-10 Sep (G. Menk, J. Cavanagh et al.); 1 at Fort Walton Beach STF 25- 26 Oct (B. Duncan et al.); 1 at Everglades NP {Miami-Dade) 7 Nov (R. Diaz). Pectoral Sandpiper: 1 at New Port Richey 18 Sep, and 4 there 19 Sep (K. Tracey et al.). DUNLIN: up to 11 at Gainesville 11 Nov-EOS (S. Collins et al.); 6 at Lake Apopka NSRA 14 Nov (H. Robinson). CURLEW Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 17-24 Oct (H. Robinson). Stilt SANDPIPER: 10 at Viera Wetlands 3 Aug (D. Freeland); 7 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 Aug (H. Robinson); 24 at Gainesville 19 Oct, and 1 there 11-22 Nov (P. Burns et al.); 32 at Lake Region Village 9 Nov (B. and L. Cooper); 415 at Polk mines 23 Nov (P Fellers, D. Brooke). Buff-BREASTED Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 Aug (H. Robinson); 1 at St. Marks NWR 28 Aug (T. Curtis); 1 at Springhill Road STF 7 Sep (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Fernandina Beach 8 Sep (P. Leary); 2 at sod fields along CR-306 {Flagler) 12 Sep (J. Hintermister); 1 at New Port Richey 19-22 Sep provided the first for Pasco (K. Tracey et al.). WILSON’S Phalarope: singles at Springhill Road STF 6 Aug (G. Menk) and 7 Sep (D. and S. Jue, J. Cavanagh); 1 at Merritt Island NWR 18 Aug (D. Freeland); 1 at St. August- ine 27 Sep (J. Holstein); 50 at Newnans Lake 27 Sep (R. Rowan). 62 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Red-necked PHALAROPE: 1 at Springhill Road STF 7 Sep (D. and S. Jue, J. Cavanagh); 2 at Hollywood Beach ( Broward ) 15 Sep (B. Roberts); 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 28 Sep (H. Robinson); 1 at W Kendall (. Miami-Dade ) 5 Oct (J. Boyd); 1 at Parkshore Beach 0 Collier ) 11 Oct died later (M. Toro). Red Phalarope: 1 at Fernandina Beach 29 Oct (P. Leary); 1 off Port Canaveral 17 Nov (M. Gardler J. Bouton et al.). POMARINE JAEGER: 38 from Boynton Beach Inlet ( Palm Beach ) 14 Nov (M. Berney); 48 from Lloyd SP 15 Nov (M. Berney). PARASITIC JAEGER: 1 at Newnans Lake 7-8 Sep (J. Hintermister et al.); 2 from Lloyd SP 2 Oct (M. Berney); 8 at Canaveral N.S. 16 Nov (D. Freeland, M. Gardler et al.). JAEGER SPECIES: 200+ at Playalinda Beach 27 Nov (A. Vinokur, D. Richardson). FRANKLIN’S Gull: 1 juvenile at Fort De Soto 20 Oct (L. Atherton et al.). *HEERMANN’S GULL: 1 at Fort De Soto 11 Aug-5 Oct (L. Atherton, photos to FOC). LESSER Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at Marco Island 22 Sep (S. Carbol); up to 4 at Hon- eymoon Island SP 7-9 Oct (M. Gardler et al.); 40 at Huguenot Park 8 Oct (R. Clark); 34 at Nassau Sound 11 Nov (P. Leary); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Nov (H. Robinson). SABINE’S Gull: 1 adult at Sarasota ( Sarasota ) 8 Sep (B. Hull, photo to FOC); 2 at Port Canaveral 17 Nov (M. Gardler, J. Bouton et al.). GULL-BILLED TERN: 1 at Lake Eustis, Eustis {Lake) 5 Sep (J. Puschock); 1 at Newnans Lake 7 Sep (J. Hintermister); 1 at St. Marks NWR 12 Oct (J. Dozier). CASPIAN TERN: 1 at Newnans Lake 6 Sep (S. Collins); 60 at Merritt Island NWR 6 Nov (E. Kwater); 190 at Polk mines 23 Nov (P. Fellers, D. Brooke). Royal Tern: 5 at Lake Eustis 5 Sep, and 6 there 13 Sep (J. Puschock); up to 4 at Newn- ans Lake 7-18 Sep (J. Hintermister, R. Rowan et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 28 Nov (H. Robinson). *ELEGANT-TYPE TERN: 1 yellowish-billed juvenile begged to a second-year tern with a pink-blushed breast at Fort De Soto 15 Sep; both terns were thought to be Elegant x Sandwich tern hybrids. The potential second-year tern was seen again 10 Nov (L. Atherton, photos to FOC). Sandwich Tern: singles at Newnans Lake 14 Aug (J. Hintermister et al.) and 6-18 Sep (S. Collins, R. Rowan); 3 juveniles (1 with an all-yellow bill) at Lake Eustis 5 Sep, and 5 there 6 Sep (J. Puschock); 136 at Howard Park 11 Oct (K. Tracey); 470 at Fort De Soto 16 Oct (P. Sykes); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 28 Nov (H. Robinson). COMMON Tern: 1 at Newnans Lake 14 Aug (J. Hintermister et al.), and 2+ there 6-10 Sep (R. Rowan et al.); 2 at Lake Eustis 5 Sep, and 11 there 6 Sep (J. Puschock); 2000 at the mouth of the St. Johns River 25 Sep (B. Richter); 10,000+ at Honeymoon Island SP 9 Oct (M. Gardler, J. Bouton et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Nov (H. Robinson). LEAST Tern: 300 adults and juveniles at Little Estero Lagoon 7 Aug (C. Ewell); 134 (about 90% adults) “loafing” at Lake Edna, Grassy Key ( Monroe ) 7 Aug (B. Mul rooney); 1 at Fernandina Beach 12 Oct (P. Leary). BRIDLED Tern: 1 at Port Charlotte ( Charlotte ) 6 Sep (J. Bouton); 1 at Jupiter Inlet Col- ony 14 Sep (J. Hailman); 4 at Tierra Verde ( Pinellas ) 27 Sep (E. Haney). SOOTY Tern: 1 at Newnans Lake 14 Aug, and 4 there 6-7 Sep (R. Rowan et al.); 1 at Kiss- immee Prairie Preserve SP ( Osceola ) 14 Aug (P. Miller); 1 at Sanibel Island 14 Aug (P. J. Deitschel); 2 at Lake Eustis 6 Sep (J. Puschock); 5 at Alligator Point 16 Sep (J. Murphy); 1 at Lake Lochloosa 27 Sep (R. Rowan). BLACK Tern: 200 at S Merritt Island 18 Aug (D. Freeland); 2 at Lake Eustis 6 Sep (J. Puschock); 20+ at Lake Gem {Lake) 6 Sep (J. Puschock); 57 at Newnans Lake 7 Sep (R. Rowan), and 129 there 18 Sep (S. Hofstetter). BROWN Noddy: singles at Jupiter Inlet Colony 15 Aug and 13 Sep (J. Hailman); 1 juve- nile at Blowing Rocks Preserve {Martin) 11 Sep (J. Hailman); 1 at Smyrna Dunes Park 13 Sep (B. Mulrooney); 1 adult at Big Lagoon SP {Escambia) 16 Sep (J. Burrill); 4 at Alligator Point 16 Sep ( J. Murphy), and 1 there the next day ( J. Dozier). Field Observations 63 BLACK SKIMMER: 1 juvenile at Springhill Road STF 16 Sep (G. Menk); 2 at Newnans Lake 27 Sep (J. Bryan); 450 at Howard Park 11 Oct (K. Tracey). WHITE-WINGED Dove: 12 at Bayonet Point (Pasco) 12 Sep (K. Tracey); 21 at Bald Point 19 Oct (J. Dozier); 54 at Sorrento (Lake) 27 Nov (C. Pierce). ZENAIBA DOVE: 1 at Cape Florida 14 Oct-6 Nov (M. Davis, R. Diaz et a.L). DIAMOND Dove: 1 at Miami Springs ( Miami-Dade ) 14 Nov (J. Tucker, B. Pranty). Budgerigar: 30 at Bayonet Point 11 Aug (K. Tracey); 2 at Gainesville 17 Nov (B. Carroll, B. Enneis). Black-HOODEB PARAKEET: 150 at St. Petersburg 26 Aug (L. Snyder); 30 at New Port Richey 18 Nov (R. Smart). Mitred PARAKEET: 14, including juveniles, at Miami Springs 14 Nov (B. Pranty, J. Tucker). Dusky-HEABED Parakeet: 15 at Miami Springs 14 Nov (B. Pranty, J. Tucker). Peach-fronted Parakeet: 1 at Miami Springs 14 Nov (J. Tucker, B Pranty, videograbs to FOC). Peach-faced Lovebird: 1 at Naples in mid-Sep (S. Carbol). YELLOW-COLLARED Lovebird: 2 adults at Bradfordville (Leon) for most of Aug (D. Be- thancourt, photos to FOC) and 1 at Kendall 8 Aug (K. Mabb, photo to FOC) provided the first verifiable records for Florida. Black-billed Cuckoo: 1 at Fort De Soto 13 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 Oct (H. Robinson). YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO: 1 at Tram Road STF 5 Nov (G. Menk); 1 at Frog Pond WMA (Miami-Dade) 14 Nov (J. Tucker, B. Pranty). GROOVE-BILLED Ani: 1 at Fort De Soto 29 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Bald Point 3 Oct (J. Murphy, J. Dozier). SMOOTH-BILLED ANI: singles at Cape Florida 10 Aug and 7-9 Sep (R. Diaz, M. Davis). BARN OWL: 1 dead at West Summerland Key (Monroe) 15 Nov (J. Hobbs). LESSER Nighthawk: 1 at Gulf Breeze 31 Aug (L. Duncan); 1 at Bald Point 6 Oct, and 3 there 26 Nov-EOS (J. Dozier, J. Murphy); 1 at St. Marks NWR 4 Nov (D. Simpson); 5 at Eco Pond, Everglades NP (Monroe) 26 Nov (M. Berney). COMMON Nighthawk: “hundreds” at Brooksville (Hernando) 7 Sep (M. Gardler); 125 at Land O’ Lakes 10 Sep (D. Bowman). Ghuck-WILL’S-WIDOW: 1 at Gainesville 4 Nov (A. Kratter). WHIP-POOR-WILL: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Sep (H. Robinson); 5 at Bald Point SP (Franklin) 17 Oct (J. Dozier). CHIMNEY Swift: 6800 at Lake Apopka NSRA11 Oct (H. Robinson); 250 roosted in a Ce- dar Key chimney 13 Oct (D. Johnston); 3 at Orlando 4 Nov (T. Rodriguez). *Broad-billeb HUMMINGBIRD ( Cynanthus latirostris ): 1 adult male at Pensacola 16-22 Sep (J. Lloyd, photos to FOSRC) provided the first Florida record (fide J. Greenlaw). Buff-bellied Hummingbird: 1 juvenile male at Golden Gate Estates (Collier) 25-26 Sep (T. Doyle, K. G’Reilly-Doyle et al, photos to FOC); 1 at Gainesville 1 Nov-EOS (H. Bello t et al., banded by F. Bassett); 1 at Palm City (Martin) in early Nov (T. Tomlinson et al.). Black-chinned Hummingbird: 1 at Gainesville 28 Sep (I. Magnusson), RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD: 1 male at Bald Point 8 Aug (J. Dozier); 1 female banded at Tal- lahassee 7 Nov (F, Dietrich, F. Bassett). SRLASPHORUS SPECIES: 1 at Gainesville 24 Aug (H. Bellot); 1 female at Evergreen Ceme- tery, Fort Lauderdale ( Broward ) 11 Sep-EOS (M. Berney, M. Stickel et al.); 1 female at St. Petersburg 27 Sep (E. Haney). Eastern Yellow-billed Hgrnbill (Tockus flavimstris ): 1 at Sanibel Island in Sep (G. Vogel, photos to FOC) provided the first Florida record and report of this African species. SlLVERY-CHEEKED Hoknbill: 1 at Deering Estate (Miami-Dade) 13 Oct (A. Balladares, photo to FOC) provided the first verifiable record. HAIRY WOODPECKER: 3 at Railhead Preserve, Bonita Springs (Lee) 7 Oct (D. Suitor). OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER: 1 at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 13 Aug (L. Fenimore). 64 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST EASTERN Wood-Pewee: 25 at Fort De Soto Park 28 Sep (L. Atherton et al.). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: 1 called at Saddle Creek Park 9 Sep (P. Fellers); 1 called at Tallahassee 6 Oct (A. Wraithmell); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11-24 Oct (H. Robin- son); 1 at St. George Island SP ( Franklin ) 15 Oct (J. Cavanagh). Alder Flycatcher: 1 called at Cape Florida 14 Oct-5 Nov (M. Davis, R. Diaz). Willow Flycatcher: 1 called at Lake Apopka NSRA 22 Aug (H. Robinson). Eastern Phoebe: 264 at Lake Apopka NSRA 27 Oct (H. Robinson). VERMILION Flycatcher: 1 at Bald Point 14 Oct (R. White); singles at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 Oct and 17 Nov (H. Robinson); 1 male returned to Frog Pond by 23 Oct-EOS (B. Boeringer et al.); 1 at Paynes Prairie 3 Nov-EOS+ (R. Palenik et al.); 1 female at Everglades NP ( Miami-Dade ) 12 Nov-EOS (P. Bithorn, B. Roberts et al.). Ash-throated Flycatcher: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 14 Nov (H. Robinson); 1 at Paynes Prairie 21 Nov (E. Scales et al.); 1 at Niceville ( Okaloosa ) 18 Nov (B. Duncan); 1 at Gulf Breeze 26 Nov (B. Duncan et al.). Brown-crested Flycatcher: 1 at Frog Pond 6 Nov (B. Mulrooney). La Sacra’s Flycatcher: 1 at Cape Florida 8 Sep (R. Diaz). * SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER: 1 at Frog Pond 6-13 Nov (M. Waltman, B. Mulrooney et al., photos to FOC by L. Manfredi). Western Kingbird: 10 at Lake Apopka North Shore 28 Nov (H. Robinson); 3 in E Polk 29 Nov (J. DuBois). Gray Kingbird: 15 at Green Key (Pasco) 2 Aug (K. Tracey); 1 at Lake Apopka RA 2 Oct (P. Hueber); 1 at Cedar Key 10 Oct (D. Henderson); 1 at Stock Island 1 Nov (B. Mulrooney). Scissor-TAILED FLYCATCHER: 1 near DuPont Center (St. Johns ) 15 Oct (G. Basili); 2 at Fort De Soto 16 Oct (L. Atherton, P. Sykes et al.); 1 at Fernandina Beach 18-20 Oct (P. Leary); 1 at Fort Pierce (St. Lucie ) 22 Oct (D. Freeland); up to 2 at Sebastian Inlet SP (Brevard) 31 Oct-2 Nov (T. Harber, T. Donovan); 10 at Stock Island 1 Nov (B. Mul- rooney); 1 near Ross Prairie (Marion) 8 Nov (K. Spilios); 4 at Lake Apopka NSRA 10 Nov (H. Robinson); 4 in E Polk 26 Nov-EOS (J. DuBois). Loggerhead Shrike: 1 at Key Largo 22 Sep (B. Mulrooney). * THICK-BILLED VlREO: 1 at Boot Key (Monroe) 2-23 Oct (J. Bouton et al., photos to FOC). BELL’S VlREO: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 12 Sep (H. Robinson). YELLOW-THROATED VlREO: 1 sang at Saddle Creek Park 22 Aug (J. Tucker, B. Pranty). Blue-headed Vireo: 1 at Gainesville 18 Sep (T. Webber). PHILADELPHIA VlREO: 1 at Dunedin Hammock Park (Pinellas) 29 Sep (M. Gardler); 1 at Fort De Soto 29 Sep, and 3 there 16 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 9 other reports in the pen- insula 5-18 Oct (various observers). RED-EYED VlREO: 25+ at St. Petersburg 28 Sep (E. Haney, D. Goodwin); 1 at Indigenous Park, Key West 1 Nov (B. Mulrooney); 1 in mid -Pinellas 3 Nov (J. Fisher); 1 at Ever- glades NP (Miami-Dade) 5 Nov (D. Simpson). BLACK-WHISKERED Vireo: 1 banded at Cape Florida 1 Sep (M. Davis); 1 at Gainesville 26 Sep (D. Steadman). HOUSE Crow: 1 at Nokomis Beach (Sarasota) 17 Aug (N. and R. Dean). American Crow: 1 at Saddle Creek Park 1 Nov (P. Fellers). Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 2 at Alligator Point 26 Nov (J. Murphy et al.). Bank SWALLOW: 45 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Aug (H. Robinson); 20+ at Cross Bar Ranch Wellfield (Pasco) 9 Oct (K. Tracey et al.). CLIFF Swallow: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Aug (H. Robinson); 40+ at Hugh Taylor Birch SP (Broward) 7 Aug (M. Berney, B. Roberts); 50+ at Cross Bar Ranch Wellfield 9 Oct (K. Tracey et al.); 3 at St. Marks NWR 27 Nov (T. Hince). CAVE SWALLOW: 2 at Fort Walton Beach STF 7 Sep (B. Monk); several of the Mexican race at Frog Pond 6-7 Nov (B. Mulrooney); 1 of the Mexican race at Springhill Road STF 18 Nov (J. Cavanagh, G. Menk); 5 of the Mexican race at Calusa Keys 18 Nov (B. Mulrooney). Field Observations 65 BARN SWALLOW: 500+ at Hugh Taylor Birch SP 7 Aug (M. Berney, B. Roberts); 1230 at Lake Apopka NSRA19 Aug (H. Robinson); 3300 at the Everglades Agricultural Area 22 Aug (D. Freeland, G. Hunter et ah). TUFTED Titmouse: 2 at A.D. Barnes Park ( Miami-Dade ) 14 Sep-18 Oct (L. Manfredi et al.). Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1 at Peck Lake Park ( Martin ) 22-26 Oct (D. Freeland, B. Wag- ner et ah); 1 at Eastpoint {Franklin) 7 Nov (S. Klink); 1 at Weeki Wachee ( Hernando ) 13 Nov (M. Gardler); 1 S of Bristol {Liberty) 27 Nov (T. Hince). HOUSE Wren: 1 at St. Teresa {Franklin) 15 Sep (J. Dozier); 408 at Lake Apopka NSRA 27 Oct (H. Robinson). WINTER Wren: 1 at Gainesville 20 Nov (M. Manetz). Marsh Wren: 174 at Lake Apopka NSRA 27 Oct (H. Robinson). GOLDEN-CROWNED Kinglet: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 31 Oct (H. Robinson); 1 at Spring Hill 14 Nov (A. and B. Hansen). Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1 in N Leon 18 Sep (M. Jenkins). Blue-GRAY Gnatcatcher: 167 at Lake Apopka NSRA 3 Oct (H. Robinson). VEERY: 1 at Tallahassee 26 Aug (D. and S. Jue); many heard N of Hudson {Pasco) pre- dawn 5 Nov (D. Simpson). Gray-cheeked Thrush: 1 at Alachua 31 Aug (M. Walsh-McGehee); 13 banded at Cape Florida 12 Oct (M. Davis). SWAINSON’S THRUSH: 20+ at Evergreen Cemetery 15 Oct (M. Berney); 17 at Mead Gar- dens, Orlando 16 Oct (A. Vinokur); 1 at Starkey Wilderness Park {Pasco) 5 Nov (D. Simpson); 2 at Saddle Creek Park 7 Nov (P. Fellers, D. Brooke); 1 adult mist-netted at Tallahassee 20 Nov had an incomplete wing molt and weighed only 25.9 g (P. Homann). WOOD Thrush: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 Oct (H. Robinson); 4 at Fort De Soto 15 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 4 at Evergreen Cemetery 15 Oct (M. Berney); 1 at Birch SP 15-16 Oct (J. Pesold et al.); singles banded at Cape Florida 15 and 19 Oct (M. Davis); 1 at Eustis 16 Oct (J. Puschock); 1 at Mead Gardens 16 Oct (A. Vinokur); 1 at Werner-Boyce Salt Springs SP {Pasco) 16 Oct (B. Pranty); 1 at Key Largo 16 Oct (B. Mulrooney) American Robin: 10 over Sebring {Highlands) 5 Sep (B. Pranty, J. Tucker). Gray Catbird: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Aug (H. Robinson). Brown Thrasher: 2 at Tavernier 23 Sep (B. Mulrooney). COMMON Myna: 20 at Marathon 2 Oct (L. Manfredi). CEDAR Waxwing: 3 at Fernandina Beach 22 Sep (P. Leary); ca. 12 (perhaps all juveniles) at Washington Oaks Gardens SP {Flagler) 22 Sep (J. Tucker, B. Pranty, video to FOC); 1 juvenile at Fort De Soto 5 Oct (L. Atherton et al.). BLUE-WINGED WARBLER: 7 reports (2 of duos) statewide 4 Sep-21 Oct (various observers). “Brewster’s Warbler:” 1 at Fort De Soto 28 Sep (L. Atherton et al.). “LAWRENCE’S Warbler:” 1 female at Fort De Soto 13 Oct (L. Atherton et al.). Golden-winged WARBLER: trios at Fort De Soto 28 Sep (L. Atherton et al.) and Dunedin Hammock 2 Oct (K. Nelson); 11 other reports 29 Sep-16 Oct (various observers); 1 at Paynes Prairie 3 Nov (B. Muschlitz et al.). TENNESSEE Warbler: 24 at Fort De Soto 28 Sep, and 21 there 16 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 15 at Sawgrass Lake Park, St. Petersburg 9 Oct (R. Smith); 14 at Mead Gardens 16 Oct (A. Vinokur); 12 at Evergreen Cemetery 16 Oct (M. Berney et al.); “hundreds” at Jacksonville 17-19 Oct (J. Cocke); 29 at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 Oct (H. Robinson); 10 at Saddle Creek Park 21 Oct (P. Fellers, D. Brooke); 2 at Frog Pond WMA 13 Nov (D. Simpson). Nashville Warbler: 1 at Miami 12 Sep (B. Rapoza); 1 at Captiva Island {Lee) 19 Sep (V. McGrath); singles in mid -Pinellas 20 Sep and 12-14 Oct (J. Fisher); 1 at Cape Florida 23 Sep (R. Diaz); singles at Birch SP 13-16 Oct (J. Pesold et al.) and 6 Nov (M. Ber- ney); 1 at Tallahassee 15 Oct (A. Wraithmell); 1 at Altamonte Springs 16-22 Oct (A. Vinokur); singles at Gainesville 27 Oct (P. Burns, R. Palenik) and 27 Nov-EOS (J. 66 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Hintermister et al.); 1 at Frog Pond 7-13 Nov (B. Mulrooney, M. Berney et al.); 1 at Ce- dar Key 8 Nov (D. Henderson). Yellow Wakbler: 65 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Aug, with 1 remaining to 21 Nov (H. Robinson); 1 at Starkey Wilderness Park 5 Nov (D. Simpson); 1 at Bald Point 11 Nov (J. Murphy). CHESNUT-SXDED Warbler: 1 banded at Cape Florida 29 Aug (M. Davis); 25+ at St. Pe- tersburg 28 Sep (E. Haney, D. Goodwin); 15+ at St. George Island SP 15 Oct (J. Ca- vanagh); 15+ at John Chesnut Sr. Park ( Pinellas ) 16 Oct (Joyce King). MAGNOLIA Warbler: 25+ at St. George Island SP 15 Oct (J. Cavanagh); 20 at Chesnut Park 16 Oct (Joyce King); 16 at Fort De Soto 16 Oct (P. Sykes et al.); 11 at Saddle Creek Park 16 Oct ( fide B. Snow et al.); 18 at Paynes Prairie 21 Oct (A. Kratter); 1 at Tallahassee 14 Nov (F. Rutkovsky). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Aug (H. Robinson); 1 banded at Cape Florida 26 Aug (M. Davis); 1 at Gainesville 20 Nov (M. Manetz). Black-throated Green Warbler: 5 at Chesnut Park 16 Oct (Joyce King); 5 at Fort De Soto 16 Oct (L. Atherton et al.). Blackburnian Warbler: 12 at Fort De Soto 9 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Everglades NP ( Miami-Dade ) 13 Nov (D. Simpson, R. Torres). PRAIRIE WARBLER: 16 at Green Key 15 Aug (K. Tracey); 17 at Fort De Soto 9 Sep (L. Atherton et al.). PALM Warbler: 2000 at Bald Point SP 15 Oct (A. Wraithmell); 700+ headed ESE from Play- alinda Beach, presumably for the Bahamas, in 20 min (1630-1650) 6 Nov (E. Kwater). CERULEAN Warbler: 1 at Miami Shores 6 Aug (A. Harper); 3 at Largo 7 Aug (K. Nelson); 4 at Manatee Springs SP {Levy) 16 Aug (J. Hintermister); 1 at Cape Florida 17 Aug (R. Diaz); 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 19 Aug, and 1 there 1 Sep (H. Robinson); 1 at Tav- ernier 23 Aug (B. Mulrooney); 1 at Evergreen Cemetery 30 Aug (B. Roberts, M. Ber- ney); 1 male at Barnes Park 8 Sep (R. Urgelles); 4 at Fort De Soto 9 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at St. Petersburg 28 Sep (E. Haney, D. Goodwin). American Redstart: 40 at Fort De Soto 13 Oct (L. Atherton et al.). WORM-EATING WARBLER: 97 banded at Cape Florida 17 Aug-14 Oct (M. Davis); 9 at Fort De Soto 9 Sep (L. Atherton et al.). SWAINSON’S Warbler: singles at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Aug and 1 Sep (H. Robinson); 22 banded at Cape Florida 22 Aug-1 Nov (M. Davis); 2 at Gainesville 12 Sep (J. Stahl, B. Christensen), and 1 there 29 Sep (B. Carroll); singles at Evergreen Cemetery 12 Sep, 19 Sep, and 14 Oct (M. Stickel, M. Berney); 2 at Matheson Hammock 12 Sep (J. Boyd); singles at Arch Creek 16 Sep and 14 Oct (Jim King); 1 in mid -Pinellas 17 Sep (J. Fisher); 1 at Alachua 18 Sep (M. Manetz); 1 at Barnes Park 12-13 Oct (S. Schneider, R. Urgelles); 1 at Birch SP 14-16 Oct (M. Berney et al.); 1 at Tavernier 18-21 Oct (B. Mulrooney); 1 at Paynes Prairie 21 Oct (A. Kratter). OVENBIRD: 23 banded at Cape Florida 7 Sep (M. Davis); 47 at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 Oct (H. Robinson). Northern WATERTHRUSH: 188 at Lake Apopka NSRA 28 Sep (H. Robinson). LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH: 68 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Aug (H. Robinson). MOURNING Warbler: 2 at Cape Florida 8 Sep (R. Diaz, M. Davis); 1 at Fort De Soto 29 Sep-1 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 1 at Alligator Point 3 Nov (S. McCool). Common Yellowthroat: 856 at Lake Apopka NSRA 22 Sep (H. Robinson). HOODED WARBLER: 18 at Fort De Soto 9 Sep (L. Atherton et al.); 20 at Chesnut Park 16 Oct (Joyce King). Wilson’s Warbler: singles at Lake Apopka NSRA 22 Sep, 17 Oct, and 17-21 Nov (H. Robinson); 1 at Tavernier 23 Sep (B. Mulrooney); singles at Fort De Soto 30 Sep (T. Rodriguez) and 5 Oct (L. Atherton et al.); 2 at Largo 10-17 Oct (K. Nelson); 1 at Cape Florida 14 Oct (L. Manfredi); 1 at Spring Hill 19 Oct (A. and B. Hansen); 1 at Paynes Prairie 24 Oct (B. Enneis, B. Carroll et al.); 1 at Bahia Honda SP ( Monroe ) 24 Oct (C. Field Observations 67 Ewell); singles at Gainesville 7 Nov (D. Beatty) and 20 Nov (M. Manetz, B. Carroll, B. Enneis); 1 at Hague 20 Nov (R. Rowan et aL). CANADA WARBLER: 2 at Fort De Soto 9 Sep (L. Atherton et aL); 1 at Tallahassee 12 Sep (D, and S. Jue); singles at Gainesville 12 Sep (M. Drummond) and 15-18 Sep (G. Parks); 1 at Saddle Creek Park 18 Sep (B. Snow et aL); 1 at Paynes Prairie 22-23 Sep (A. Kratter); singles in mid -Pinellas 30 Sep and 4 Oct (J. Fisher). YELLOW-BREASTED Chat: 10 S of Oak Hill ( Volusia ) 3 Nov (D. Simpson); 8 at Frog Pond 13 Nov (D. Simpson). SUMMER Tanager: 20+ at St. Petersburg 28 Sep (E. Haney, D Goodwin). SCARLET TANAGER: 10 at Fort De Soto 28 Sep (L. Atherton et aL); 1 at St. Augustine 23 Nov (J. Holstein). WESTERN Tanager: 1 at Enchanted Forest Park ( Miami-Dade ) 16 Oct (Jim King); 1 at Royal Palm (. Miami-Dade ) 16 Oct (R. Torres); 1 at Barnes Park 16-17 Oct (P. Bithorn, J. Boyd); 1 at W Kendall 17 Oct (J. Boyd); 1 at Tallahassee 7-8 Nov (G. Farr, F. Rutk- ovsky); 1 at Gulf Breeze 26-29 Nov (W. Duncan et aL). WESTERN Spindalis: 1 black-backed male at Frenchman’s Forest ( Palm Beach ) 2-3 Oct (L. McCandless et aL); 1 female at Cape Florida 14-22 Oct (R. Diaz); 1 green-backed male at Indigenous Park 1 Nov-EOS (B. Mulrooney et aL, photos to FOC); 1 female at Long Key 26 Nov (M. Waltman). CHIPPING SPARROW: singles at Cape Florida 19 Oct and 21 Nov (M. Davis, R. Diaz); 1 near Mahogany Hammock 26 Nov (M. Berney). CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: singles at Fort De Soto 28 Sep and 5 Oct (L. Atherton et aL); 2 at Honeymoon Island SP 29 Sep (K Nelson); 2 at Fernandina Beach 8-9 Oct (R Leary); 1 at Emeralda Marsh CA (Lake) 17 Oct (J. Puschock); 2 at Alligator Point 21 Oct (S. McCool); 1 at Bald Point 30 Oct (J. Murphy); 2 at Frog Pond 30 Oct, and 3 there 13 Nov (M. Berney et aL); 1 at Eco Pond 30 Oct (M. Berney); 1 at West Lake, Ev- erglades NP 30 Oct (M. Berney); 1 in S Leon 7 Nov (G. Menk); 1 at Paynes Prairie 14 Nov (A. Kratter et aL); up to 3 at Lake Apopka NSRA 14 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson); 1 at Merritt Island NWR 19 Nov (G. Parsons et aL); 2 at Paurotis Pond, Everglades NP 26 Nov (M. Berney); 1 at Bald Point 28 Nov (K. Nelson). LARK SPARROW: 1 at Bald Point 29 Aug (J. Dozier); 1 at Tavernier 23 Sep (B. Mulrooney); 1 at Boot Key 24 Oct (B. Roberts, C. Ewell et aL). HENSLOW’S SPARROW: 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve 22 Oct (A. and B. Hansen); 6 at St. Marks NWR 4 Nov (D. Simpson); 2 at Paynes Prairie 14 Nov (A. Kratter et aL); 2 at Goethe SF (Levy) 21 Nov (J. Hintermister). Lb Conte’s Sparrow: 1 at the end of CR-361 (Dixie) 28 Nov (R. Rowan et aL). SONG SPARROW: 1 at Everglades NP (Miami-Dade) 28 Nov (R. Torres). LINCOLN’S SPARROW: 1 at Fernandina Beach 8 Oct (P. Leary); 1 at Hague 7 Nov (M. Manetz); 1 or more at Lake Apopka NSRA 7 Nov-EOS (H. Robinson); 2 at Frog Pond 13 Nov (M. Berney). Swamp Sparrow: 1126 at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 Nov (H. Robinson). White-throated Sparrow: 1 at Cape Florida 14 Nov (R. Diaz). WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 10 at Frog Pond 6 Nov (D. Simpson); 15 at Lake Apopka NSRA 21 Nov (H. Robinson). Dark-eyed JuncG: 1 at Bald Point 25 Oct (J. Dozier); 1 at Fort De Soto 8-9 Nov (L. Ather- ton, photos to FOC); 1 near Mahogany Hammock 26 Nov (M. Berney). LAPLAND Longspur: 1 at Everglades NP ( Miami-Dade ) 17-18 Oct (R. Hammer); 1 at Em- eralda Marsh 13 Nov (P. May, photos to FOC). Blue GROSBEAK: 69 at Lake Apopka NSRA 12 Sep (H. Robinson). INDIGO BUNTING: 72 at Lake Apopka NSRA 17 Oct (H. Robinson); 26 at Saddle Creek Park 21 Oct (P. Fellers, D. Brooke). PAINTED Bunting: 3 at Winter Park 11 Nov-EOS (B. Anderson). Bobolink: 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 19 Aug (H. Robinson). 68 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Red-winged Blackbird: 208,000 at Lake Apopka NSRA 9 Aug (H. Robinson). Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 female at Fort Walton Beach STF 3 Sep (L. Catterton); 1 at Cutler Ridge ( Miami-Dade ) 23 Oct (R. Torres); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Nov (H. Robinson). COMMON Grackle; 23,000 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Aug (H. Robinson). BRONZED Cowbird: 1 male at St. Marks NWR 14 Aug (T. Curtis et al.); 1 male at Tami- ami Park ( Miami-Dade ) 25 Aug (S. Schneider). ORCHARD ORIOLE: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Aug (H. Robinson); 1 at Tavernier 23 Aug (B. Mulrooney). PURPLE Finch: 1 female at Alligator Point 25 Nov (J. Murphy); birds at 4 locations in Apalachicola NF 26 Nov (T. Hince); 4 (2 female and 2 males) 26-27 Nov (J. Dozier et al.); 1 at Gainesville 29 Nov-EOS (R. Rowan, S. Rowan). HOUSE Finch: 1 male in mid -Pinellas 16 Oct (J. Fisher); 1 immature male at Winter Park 17 Oct (B. Anderson); 1 female at Everglades City ( Collier ) 30 Oct (R. Arwood); 1 over Archbold Biological Station ( Highlands ) 5 Nov (D. Simpson); 3 at Orlando 7 Nov (T. Rodriguez); 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 17 Nov (H. Robinson). PINE Siskin: 1 at Bald Point 18 Oct, and 4 there 26-27 Nov (J. Dozier et al.); 1 at Cape Florida 30 Oct (M. Davis, R. Diaz); 1 at Winter Park 7 Nov (B. Anderson); 1 at Medart 16 Nov, and 3 there 27 Nov (S. McCool); 3 at St. Marks NWR 25 Nov (T. Curtis); 2 at Plantation Key ( Monroe ) 26 Nov (M. Waltman). AMERICAN Goldfinch: singles at Gainesville 17 Aug (R. Palenik) and 10 Sep (N. and S. Rowan). Java Sparrow: 1 in Pasco Sep-Nov (R. Jennings, photo to FOC). BISHOP SPECIES: 1 orange male at St. Petersburg ( Pinellas ) 3 Aug (R. Hawkins); 1 in fe- male-plumage at Fort De Soto 28 Sep (L. Atherton et al.). NUTMEG MANNIKIN: individuals continue to be reported widely throughout Pensacola ( fide B. Duncan). GOULDIAN Finch ( Chloebia gouldiae ): 1 at Gainesville (P. Slattery) furnished the first Florida report of this Australian finch. Contributors: Bruce Ackerman, Howard Adams, Bruce Anderson, Ralph Arwood, Lyn Atherton, Antonio Balladares, Gian Basili, Fred Bassett, Dave Beatty, Hilda Bellot, Ted Below, Mark Berney, Don Bethancourt, Wes Biggs, Paul Bithorn, Bill Boeringer, Jeff Bouton, Dave Bowman, John Boyd, Karla Brandt, Judy Bryan, David Brooke, Pat Burns, Jonathan Burrill, Steve Carbol, Bob Carroll, Laura Catterton, Jim Cavanagh, Bruce Christensen, Roger Clark, Julie Cocke, Steve Collins, Buck and Linda Cooper, Tom Curtis, Michelle Davis, Nancy and Robert Dean, P. J. Deitschel, Robin Diaz, Fred Dietrich, T. Donovan, Terry Doyle, Jack Dozier, Michael Drummond, Jim DuBois, Bob Duncan, Lucy Duncan, Will Duncan, Becky Enneis, Charlie Ewell, Grayal Farr, Paul Fellers, Lenny Fenimore, Judy Fisher, Joanna Fitzgerald, Brenda Francisco, Dave Freeland, Murray Gardler, Chuck Geanangel, Dave Goodwin, L. Graham, Jon Greenlaw, Jack and Liz Hailman, Roger Hammer, Erik Haney, Al and Bev Hansen, T. Harber, Alex Harper, Robert Hawkins, Jeffrey Hayes, Mark Hedden, Dale Henderson, Irene Hernan- dez, Tom Hince, John Hintermister, Jeanette Hobbs, Steve Hofstetter, Jackie Holstein, Peter Homann, David Houle, Paul Hueber, Bill Hull, Gloria Hunter, Michael Jenkins, Richard Jennings, Laura Johanssen, David Johnston, Marcy Jones, Dean and Sally Jue, Adam Kent, Jim King, Joyce King, Sheila Klink, Andy Kratter, Ed Kwater, Patrick Leary, Mike Liberton, Jan Lloyd, Karen Mabb, Ingvar Magnusson, Lome Malo, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, Peter May, Linda McCandless, Sean McCool, Vince McGrath, Gail Menk, Paul Miller, Heidi Moore, Brian Monk, Brennan Mulrooney, John Murphy, Barbara Muschlitz, Kris Nelson, Kathy O’Reilly-Doyle, Carol Paine, Ruth Palenik, Tom Palmer, Geoff Parks, Gail Parsons, Judd Pesold, Cheri Pierce, Bill Pranty, John Pus- chock, Brian Rapoza, Diane Reed, Dexter Richardson, Bob Richter, Bryant Roberts, Field Observations 69 Harry Robinson, Tom Rodriguez, Jamie Ross, Nina Rowan, Rex Rowan, Sarah Rowan, Fran Rutkovsky, Kevin Sarsfield, Earl Scales, Ingrid Scales, Susan Schneider, David Simpson, Pat Slattery, Ray Smart, Ron Smith, Rob Snow, Lee Snyder, Ken Spilios, Justyn Stahl, David Steadman, Alicia and Stephen Steinmetz, Monte Stickel, Bob Stoll, Doug Suitor, Paul Sykes, Tom Tomlinson, Mary Toro, Roberto Torres, Ken Tracey, James Tucker, Raul Urgelles, Juan Villamil, Alex Vinokur, Greg Vogel, Billi Wagner, Bob Wal- lace, Martha Walsh -McGehee, Major Waltman, Tom Webber, Richard White, John Win- ters, Andy Wraithmell. Correction to Fall 2003 report: the Black-hooded Parakeet observed at Jupiter Inlet Colony 24 Nov 2003 was located in Palm Beach, not Martin. We thank Jack Hailman for bringing this error to our attention. Correction to Winter 2003-2004: the six Long-billed Dowitchers listed for Fort De Soto Park 11 Feb 2004 were really observed at the Sarasota celery fields. We thank Mur- ray Gardler for pointing out this error. Summer 2004 report not published previously: Red-and-yellow Barbet ( Trachy - phonus darnaudii ): 1 in southeastern Florida ca. mid-Jun (Jim Wolynetz, description posted to the Miami Bird Board) provided the first Florida report of this African species. Report prepared by Bill Pranty, state compiler (Avian Ecology Lab, Archbold Bio- logical Station, 123 Main Drive, Venus, Florida 33960; ). Re- gional compilers are Bruce H. Anderson (2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792; ) , John H. Boyd III (15291 SW 108th Terrace, Miami, Florida 33196, ), Linda Cooper (558 Sunshine Boulevard, Haines City, Florida 33844-9540; ), Bob and Lucy Duncan (614 Fairpoint Drive, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, ) , Charlie Ewell (115 SW 51st Terrace, Cape Coral, Florida 33991, ), Bev Hansen (6573 Pine Meadows Drive, Spring Hill, Florida 34606; ), Gail Menk (2725 Peachtree Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32304; no e-mail), David Pow- ell (1407 Storington Avenue, Brandon, Florida 33511; ), and Peggy Powell (2965 Forest Circle, Jacksonville, Florida 32257; ). ! fl Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999x PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor: JEROME A. JACKSON, Whitaker Center, Arts & Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast Uni- versity, 10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Fort Myers, FL 33965. E-mail: picus @fgcu.edu Associate Editor (for Reviews): REED BOWMAN, Archbold Biological Station, RO. Box 2057, Lake Placid, FL 33852. E-mail: RBowman@archbold-station.org Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, FL 32792. E-mail: scizortail@aol.com Editor of the Ornithological Newsletter: TOM PALMER, 1805 26th Street, N.W., Win- ter Haven, FL 33881. Email: tomp47@yahoo.com Editor of Special Publications: REED F. NOSS, Davis-Shine Professor of Conservation Biology, University of Central Florida, Department of Biology, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816-2368. E-mail: rnoss@mail.ucf.edu Web Page Editor: KURT R AD AM AKER, 16313 E. Crystal Point Drive, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268. E-mail: webmaster@fosbirds.org INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in and near Florida and the nearby West Indies. We welcome submission of original manuscripts containing new information from these areas. We encourage electronic submission of manu- scripts. Please consult recent issues of the journal for style, especially noting 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 standardized English names for all birds, but lower case for English names of other organisms; (3) include metric units for all measurements; (4) use the form “7 June 2003” for all dates; (5) use the 24-hour clock for all indications of time (e.g., 0800, 1400); (6) use the following abbreviations: s (second), min (minute), h (hour); (7) preferentially use active voice. Submit manuscripts for Florida Field Naturalist to the Editor, Jerome A. Jackson. Monograph-length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to Reed F. Noss, Editor of Special Publications. Books and other materials for review should be submit- ted to: Reed Bowman, Associate Editor for Reviews. Field Observations should be sub- mitted to the Chair of the Field Observations Committee, Bill Pranty. Reports of rare birds in Florida should be submitted to the Managing Secretary of the FOS Records Committee, Reed Bowman. SMITHSONIAN LIBRARIES 3 9088 01931 5191 ill Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOL. 33, NO. 2 MAY 2005 Pages 29-69 CONTENTS ARTICLES Effects of Altered Hydrology on the Breeding Ecology of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow and Bachman’s Sparrow Dustin W. Perkins and Peter D. Vickery 29-40 Records of the Bullock’s Oriole in Florida Bill Pranty, Andrew W. Kratter, and Reed Bowman 41-46 Migratory and Over- winter Site Selection of Palm Warblers in the Wekiva River Basin in Central Florida Gulf Coast University Richard Poole, Christine Brown, and Robert Wheeler ...................................... 47-49 NOTES First Georgia Specimen of the Brown Booby C. Ruckdeschel 50 First Record of the Zone-tailed Hawk in Florida Thomas J. Wilmers 51-52 Cooper’s Hawk predation on Least Tern chicks on a rooftop in Pinellas County, Florida . Elizabeth A. Forys, Monique Abrams, and S. Joyce King 53-54 Attempted Predation at a Pileated Woodpecker Nest by a Gray Ratsnake Linda I. Casey, Julia E. Earl, and Steve A. Johnson 55-56 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Fall report: August-No vember 2004 Bill Pranty 57-69