Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 42, No. 3 September 2014 Pages 91-139 FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Founded 1972 OFFICERS President: R. Todd Engstrom, 309 Carr Lane, Tallahassee, FL 32312. E-mail: engstrom® bio.fsu.edu Vice President: Marianne Korosy, 2021 Oak View Lane, Palm Harbor, FL 34683. E-mail: mkorosy@gmail.com Secretary: Cole Fredricks, 325 Ruby Lake Loop, Winter Haven, FL 33884. E-mail: cfredricks@tampabay.rr.com Treasurer: Charles H. Fisher, Jr., 4806 W. Beach Park Dr., Tampa, FL 33609. E-mail: chflshercpa@hotmail.com Editor, Florida Field Naturalist : Scott Robinson, Florida Museum of Natural History, PO. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. E-mail: srohinson@ flm nh.ufl.edu Directors, Terms Expiring Spring 2015 R. Todd Engstrom, 309 Carr Lane, Tallahassee, FL 32312. E-mail: engstrom@bio.fsu.edu Karl Miller, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 32601. 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The Florida Ornithological Society web site is at www.fosbirds.org THIS PUBLICATION IS PRINTED ON NEUTRAL PH PAPER Florida Field Naturalist ISSN 0738-999X PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Editor: Scott Robinson, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, RO. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. E-mail: srobinson@fimnh.ufi.edu Managing/Copy Editor: Tom Webber, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. E-mail: twebber@fimnh.ufi. edu Associate Editor (for bird distribution): Bruce Anderson, 2917 Scariet Road, Winter Park, FL 32792. E-maii: scizortaii@aol.com Editor of the EOS newsletter, Snail Kite: Selena Kiser, 1740 Augustine Place, Tallahassee, FL 32301. E-mail: beenebat@netscape.net Editor of Special Publications: Jerome A. Jackson, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Ft. Myers, FL 33965. E-mail: jjackson@fgcu.edu Web Page Editor: Eugene Stoccardo, 331 Roswell Ave., Orlando, FL 36803. E-mail: Garberia@hotmail . com INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS The Florida Field Naturalist is a fully refereed journal emphasizing biological field studies and observations of vertebrates, especially birds, in or near Florida and the nearby West Indies. We welcome submission of original manuscripts containing new information from these areas. We encourage electronic submission of manuscripts. Please consult recent issues of the journal and the FOS website (http://www.fosbirds.org/ FFN/FFN.aspx) for style, noting especially that manuscripts should: (1) be double-spaced throughout, including tables and figure captions; (2) include the scientific name at the first mention of each species; (3) include capitalized standard English names for all birds, but lower case for English names of other organisms; (4) use metric units for all measurements; (5) use the form “7 June 2003” for all dates; (6) use the 24-hour clock for all indications of time (e.g., 0800, 1400); (7) use the following abbreviations: s (second), min (minute), h (hour); (8) use active voice where at all possible. Submit manuscripts, and books for review, to the Editor, Scott Robinson. Monograph- length manuscripts may be submitted for consideration to Jerome A. Jackson, Editor of Special Publications. Field observations should be sent to the Chair of the Field Observations Committee, Brian Ahem (barredantshrike@gmail.com; see Field Observations, this issue). Reports of birds for which the FOS Records Committee requires dociunentation (see http:// fosbirds.org/content/records-committee) should be sent to the Secretary of the Committee, Jon S. Greenlaw, 10503 Mistfiower Lane, Tampa, FL 33647-3544; E-mail: jgreenlaw@ earthlink.net Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY CONTENTS ARTICLES Status and distribution of Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in south- eastern Florida Bill Pranty and Valeri Ponzo 91-107 A juvenile wading-bird mortality event in urban Jacksonville, Florida, associated with the parasite Eustrongylides Gretchen Caudill, Dan Wolf, Danny Caudill, Justin Brown, and Valerie Shearn-Bochsler 108-113 Florida Burrowing Owl {Athene cunicularia floridana) preys on Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) Ronald R. Bielefeld 114-118 Parasitic mites collected from perching birds (Aves: Passeriformes) on Vaca Key, Florida Lawrence J. Hribar 119-123 FIELD OBSERVATIONS Winter Report: December 2013-February 2014 Brian Ahern 124-137 ANNOUNCEMENTS Friends of FFN 138 FOS Special Publications 139 Florida Field Naturalist PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY VoL. 42, No. 3 September 2014 Pages 91-139 Florida Field Naturalist 42(3):91-107, 2014. STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF EGYPTIAN GEESE {Alopochen aegyptiaca) IN SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA Bill Pranty^ and Valeri Ponzo^ ^8515 Village Mill Row, Bayonet Point, Florida 34667-2662 E-mail: hillpranty@hotmail.com ^1353 Oak View Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34232 E-mail: vponzo@comcast.net Abstract. — The Egyptian Goose {Alopochen aegyptiaca), a native of Africa, is popular in aviculture. Egyptian Geese were first reported in Florida in the 1960s and recently have become widespread and numerous along the southern Atlantic coast. More than 1,200 geese were tallied at 181 sites from Martin County south through Miami-Dade County during 2012-2013, and the total population prohahly is several times larger. The species breeds readily outside of captivity, and we compiled 70 reports of reproduction in the state since the mid-1980s, with most of these recent. Six of seven nests described in Florida have been built on the ground, usually at the base of a tree or shrub, with one other nest being built on the roof of a house. Habitats used in Florida consist of a mix of open grassy areas and shallow freshwater wetlands; upscale residential developments, suburban parks, and golf courses are used most frequently. To date, there are few reports of geese occurring in large conservation areas. Egyptian Geese can be classified as fairly common to very common residents in the southeastern peninsula, and rare in widely scattered areas elsewhere in the state, primarily in urbanized counties. Egyptian Geese may deserve recognition by the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee as an established exotic. The Egyptian Goose {Alopochen aegyptiaca', Fig. 1) is native to sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile River drainage (del Hoyo et al. 1992). It is an attractive species that is common in aviculture, which explains its presence in Florida. Egyptian Geese form monogamous pair bonds and breed readily in and out of captivity. Nests are built on 91 92 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 1. Egyptian Goose pair with brood of four goslings. Crandon Park, Miami-Dade County, 10 February 2008. Photograph by Bill Pranty. the ground, in burrows, on cliffs, or in trees, sometimes in used nests of other birds (Todd 1979). Clutches contain 6-12 (average 7) eggs that are incubated by the female for 28-30 days (Todd 1979, Tattan 2004). Both sexes aggressively defend the nest and young. Goslings leave the nest shortly after hatching and fledge after 70 days (Tattan 2004). Sexes are indistinguishable by plumage but females are smaller than males. Juveniles resemble adults but have duller plumage that lacks the dark brown breast spot and eye patches (Mullarney et al. 1999). Egyptian Geese are primarily herbivores, grazing on grasslands at times considerable distances from water. They also feed on aquatic vegetation and animal prey such as worms, insects, and frogs (Tattan 2004). Exotic populations of Egyptian Geese are widespread in Europe, with recent estimates of 8,800-9,900 pairs (Kampe-Persson 2010) and 26,000 pairs, with 11,420 of these pairs in the Netherlands (Gyimesi and Lensink 2012). In North America, populations are found primarily in Florida, with smaller numbers in California and Texas (Pranty and Garrett 2011, eBird 2013). Several authors (e.g., Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994, Braun 2004, Pranty 2005, and Greenlaw et al. 2014) have detailed PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA 93 the basic status of Egyptian Geese in Florida, but their abundance and extensive distribution had escaped prior attention. In this paper, we present information on the status and distribution of Egyptian Geese in southeastern Florida, and offer evidence that the population is large, expanding, and seems to meet the standard definition of establishment. Methods We compiled sightings of Egyptian Geese in Florida along the Atlantic coast from Brevard County southward; this region alone contains a large population. To ensure that all locations were current, we used only observations during January 2012-De- cemher 2013. (Out of necessity, we presume that no geese traveled between sites and were double-counted). We referenced numerous data sources: eBird (2013), the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System for monitoring exotic species (EDDMapS 2013), Christmas Bird Counts (CBC; National Audubon Society 2013), the second Flor- ida Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA) project (U. S. Geological Survey 2013), sightings posted to the Miami Bird Board (Tropical Audubon Society 2013), three books on the state’s avifauna (Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Stevenson and Anderson 1994, and Green- law et al. 2014), the Florida Ornithological Society Field Observations Committee (FOG) seasonal reports, and Pranty’s personal photographic and file archive (BPA). We also used personal observations and reports that we received via a request for information posted to the Miami Bird Board in October 2013. Data for most exotic species, including Egyptian Geese, were deleted from Florida CBCs prior to December 2001 (when Pranty became Florida CBC editor), but we used all data from the 2001-2002 season onward to determine population persistence and trends. For observations of Egyptian Geese during 2012-2013, most of the data sources we referenced provided few reports, so we relied largely on the EDDMapS and especially eBird databases. Because these databases consist of often unvetted observations submit- ted by the public, and because some locations are non-precise (e.g., are placed at the geo- graphic center of a city or county rather than at the actual location), we vetted the data carefully. (Fortunately, Egyptian Geese are distinctive and have few lookalike relatives, so we were not concerned about frequent confusion with other species; many reports submitted to eBird and EDDMapS were accompanied by photographs). For sites with multiple reports during 2012-2013, we selected the report that pro- vided the largest count of geese. For a few eBird reports that did not include the number of geese observed, we entered 1, unless comments indicated multiple birds, for which we entered 2. To the extent practical, we distinguished Egyptian Geese by ages (adults or young); geese were presumed to be adults unless indicated otherwise. To character- ize habitat use, we used Google Earth to qualitatively examine the habitat at each site and then we chose one of eight general land-use categories: residential, commercial, golf course, park (typically small, recreation-based, and often containing little native vegeta- tion; we also included botanical gardens and Zoo Miami in this category), agricultural, preserve (large and composed primarily of native vegetation, with little recreational use), spoil island, and miscellaneous park-like development (university campuses, re- gional medical centers, and cemeteries). Conservation areas were mapped and identified via a coverage created for Google Earth by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (2013). After we compiled all reports from along the southern Atlantic coast, we excluded those found north of Martin County because they were few in number and likely were geographically isolated from the large and contiguous population found farther south. All observations from Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties were 94 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST entered into a spreadsheet and numbered individually. We also entered these loca- tions and site numbers into Google Earth and ArcView GIS (Environmental Systems Research Institute 1997) coverages. We drew a minimum convex polygon around the locations to measure the size of the currently occupied range. We excluded from the polygon two extralimital sites — near Indiantown (Martin County) and in Everglades National Park (Miami-Dade County) — to avoid inclusion of large areas of unoccupied habitats. For reproduction, we compiled all breeding reports regardless of year or re- gion in Florida. Since goslings leave the nest shortly after hatching, we considered observations of an adult on the nest to represent a clutch where the number of eggs was unknown. Some reports of broods refer to recently-hatched chicks, while others refer to nearly full-grown juveniles that may have been as many as 10 weeks old (Tat- tan 2004). When compiling reports of broods observed over multiple days, we selected the earliest date observed. Results Distribution . — For all years and throughout Florida, the eBird database (through August 2013) contained 1,372 records of Egyptian Geese and the EDDMapS database (through August 2013) contained 415 records, including many from eBird. When these two databases were edited by removing pre-2012 reports, reports from outside our study area, and all duplicate and lower-quality data, and then combined with reports from other sources, we mapped 181 sites that contained one or more Egyptian Geese along the southern Atlantic coast during 2012-2013 (Fig. 2). These sites were distributed in Martin (6), Palm Beach (53), Broward (65), and Miami-Dade (57) counties. Initially, we included reports from Brevard and Indian River counties, but we later redefined our study area because there were no reports from St. Lucie County, which lies between Indian River and Martin counties. A large majority of the sites (136; 75%) were from eBird, with 25 others from EDDMapS, 14 from personal observations or contacts, and six from the Miami Bird Board. Numbers of Egyptian Geese at these 181 sites totaled 1,204 birds: 1,023 adults and 181 young. Numbers of geese at each site ranged from 1 to 80 and averaged 6. A minimum convex polygon drawn around all but two of the sites totaled 4,986 km^ and encompassed most of the urban/suburban lands from the St. Lucie-Martin county line to the Goulds/Cutler Bay area of Miami-Dade County (Fig. 2). Virtually all sites were found within the extensively developed region between the Atlantic Ocean and the Water Conservation Areas/Everglades National Park. The length of the occupied range was about 180 km and the width ranged between 15-35 km. Population growth and persistence . — Table 2 shows that the number of Egyptian Geese found on CBCs in Florida has increased greatly over the past 13 seasons, from 10 geese to 197 geese, nearly a twentyfold increase. Additionally, the numbers of CBC circles that PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA 95 Figure 2. The range of Egyptian Geese in (from north to south) Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, Florida, 2012-2013. The solid circles (n = 181) represent goose locations, with a minimum convex polygon encompassing nearly 5,000 km^ drawn around them. Two “extralimital” points were excluded from the polygon. Gray areas represent significant conservation lands in the region, ca. 1992. 96 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST contain Egyptian Geese has increased from two circles through the mid-2000s to between six and eight circles since 2011, representing an increase of 300-400% (Table 2). Habitats . — Nearly all sites in Florida that contain Egyptian Geese have a combination of open grassy areas, scattered trees and shrubs, and shallow freshwater wetlands. Geese occur even in some heavily commercialized areas where retention ponds, drainage canals, or nearby recreational parks provide habitats for foraging and breeding. Our qualitative assessment of habitats that contained geese yielded the following results: 57 (31%) residential; 47 (26%) parks; 40 (21%) golf courses; 20 (11%) commercial; 10 (5%) miscellaneous; 5 (3%) preserve; 2 (1%) spoil islands, and 0 (0%) agricultural. The lack of Egyptian Geese in agricultural areas such as those north and west of Homestead (Miami-Dade County) was surprising, but might be explained by the scarcity of wetlands and grassy foraging areas. Geese also appear to avoid heavily urbanized areas, such as those along the coast (Fig. 2). The rarity of geese in preserves was expected, given the scarcity of upland grazing sites and given that Egyptian Geese in Florida seem to be a human commensal. Preserves with reports of Egyptian Geese — one recent report per site in each case — were Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County; West Miramar Water Conservation Area in Broward County; and Bird Drive Recharge Area, Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, Everglades National Park, and Frog Pond/L31 N Transition Lands in Miami-Dade County. Most of these reports were along the eastern boundaries of the preserves, abutting urban/suburban lands (Fig. 2). Reproduction . — We compiled 70 reports (of at least 77 instances) of confirmed breeding throughout Florida during 1985-2013, consisting of 10 reports of 12 clutches of eggs and 60 reports of at least 65 broods (Table 1). Dates of clutches ranged from 20 April to 27 December. Broods were observed in every month, as follows: January (3), February (10), March (3), April (14), May (5), June (8), July (3), August (4), September (1), October (4), November (2), December (3), and unknown (1). We compiled 51 reports of brood size (Table 1), which ranged from 1-10 young, and averaged 4.9 young/pair. Based on her observations at Crandon Park and Virginia Key, both in Miami-Dade County, R. Diaz (in litt.) believes that Egyptian Geese pairs in southeastern Florida raise two or three broods per year. The year-round breeding chronology in the region (Table 1) seems to support Diaz’s belief. Information on nest sites in Florida is very limited; we are aware of only seven nest sites described. One nest in Sumter County in August 2010 was built on the rooftop of a house (Pranty 2011), while the other six were built on the ground. Nests at Crandon Park in November Table 1. Breeding reports of Egyptian Geese in Florida, 1985-2013 (n = 70). For observations of the same breeding pair and/or brood over multiple days or weeks, we list the date of first observation. Ages of goslings may vary from recently -hatched chicks to nearly full-grown juveniles. Abbreviations: BBA= Florida Breeding Bird Atlas, CC = Country Club, eB = eBird, ED = EDDMapS, GC = Golf Course, and RA = Restoration Area. PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA Q Q ^ H 3 H pq m pq m 3 bc m •rt CB CB QJ pq Q 3 H pq pq be Q iP H Q o ..H o g3 S I « § d pp d ffi § pq § W CO H c« fe’ pq W c/3 ^ pq m £ H >5 O S 3 3 T3 S ^ S W Q I " - Ph o r— 1 CB ‘43 a 2 ^ g ^ c/3 be be ip ip IP p 0 0+^0 CO l>^ ® tH LO 'Cm at M Cm 'Cm O 40 S O O 0 0 0.^00 be P P o CO K^oo^iococoe-ioco^t- l:Mat'C^-l'Cw'CMtM|SMI 5b i> „ „M5h5hc1---- ^ aao a3 ag aag ftp c/3;^<;<;;^<;^<1i-3<3<:hE<1^ (M,_it>cooocog2ot^ooa5Tfft>^ (M P P -D M M O 0 O O ^ O ft ° t 2 p PQ o o ft be o P 3 p ^ ft ft X 3 ft be « ?B .B ft ft X p ft ft p ft p p ft ft 13 ft ■' ft :z: o3 d ^ P xl o O > > ^ M Sj P3 P3 o o CO ^ ft o m o d cjP > o P o Q Q P ^ ^ P '-3 ffi PS ft cd . . 5 ft P o pq > ft d > > be .. p ft o ft ft .2 .2 .2 Sft p ;h 5h p o o ft p p ++ +J p p p p ft ft ft ft ft a a cS" 2 ft rE ft H p p 2 2 p be o .2 PQ 03 > > ^ > P ryf o 1-^ PQ 2 o .2 5r! ft P tB > > ft ft ""P ""P ""P ""P ""P ""P ""P . , P3 P3 P ^ P P .g ^ ft .2 -M wwwwwwwwwwwwwwO blD <7^ tr< pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqffiftftg p p p p p p ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 97 Martin Hutchinson Island: Marriott GC 16 Oct 2002 1 brood of 3 Braun (2004, Fig. 2) Martin Hutchinson Island: St. Lucie Inlet 4 5 Jun 2012 1 brood (# young?) N. Price (BBA) Martin Hutchinson Island: Sailfish Point GC 13 May 2011 1 brood of 8 B. Poppke (eB) Miami-Dade Aventura: Turnberry Isle Resort GC ? 2013 1 brood of 9 N. Freedman (in litt.) Table 1. (Continued) Breeding reports of Egyptian Geese in Florida, 1985-2013 in = 70). For observations of the same breeding pair and/or brood over multiple days or weeks, we list the date of first observation. Ages of goslings may vary from recently- hatched chicks to nearly full-grown juveniles. Abbreviations: BBA = Florida Breeding Bird Atlas, CC = Country Club, eB = eBird, ED = EDDMapS, GC = Golf Course, and RA = Restoration Area. 98 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST pq P H ^ o d CO 4^ 4^ CO bb CO P 4^ 3 P d p a P 3 p d S' at 3 a 3 3 m O) 4^ P d N P Td d S o o o m > CO iH at 'Cm 'C|_| .goooooooooooo ^ iCl-l he o § 'P be Hi o to CO (M iCm Cm 'Cm O O O w ■73 "TS TS TP O O O O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO mHmHmH(MCOCO(MCOCO(MCO(MCO(MCOCOCOCOCO — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — I (N - oooooooooooooo ^ bei>>a,D ^ X 13 O pq pq Qj Qj (Mt-THcoLooot-co ^ OLOOOOO(M(MOOOO O (M(M(M(Mco^LOcr>iot-oocr> cr> (MC0^L0Cr>t-0005OTH(MC0 ^ OOOOOOOOiHiHiHiH iH I I I I I I I I I I I I I T-l(MC0^L0iXit-00a:O,H(M CO OOOOOOOOOt-HiHtH tH OOOOOOOOOOOO o (M(M(Oq(MC^(M(M(M(M(M(M(M (M PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA 101 2004, November 2011, and April 2012 were built on the ground at the base of shrubs or trees (BP pers. obs., R. Diaz in litt.). A nest on a spoil island in Martin County in September 2002 described by Braun (2004) appears to have been built in a similar situation. A nest at Virginia Key was built on the ground between a road and a seawall and among plastic traffic pylons (R. Diaz, photographs). One nest in a park at Pinecrest was built on a tiny island covered with forbs (B. Boeringer, photograph). Discussion Survey biases I limitations . — We acknowledge the possibility that some individual Egyptian Geese may have been counted at more than one site over our 24-month survey period. But we feel that any double- counting that may have occurred would not have affected the totals to any great extent. At least some Egyptian Geese in Florida breed year-round, which would seem to limit movements of territorial adults. Furthermore, perusing the southeastern peninsula with Google Earth shows a vast expanse of habitats seemingly suitable for the species. Palm Beach and Broward counties in particular consist of hundreds of square kilometers of golf course and other upscale communities, with most containing freshwater wetlands. We suspect that a majority of the sites in the region that contained Egyptian Geese during 2012-2013 were not mapped because of access restrictions and a general dearth of observers birding urban and suburban areas. (As we finalized this paper, in April 2014, we reexamined the eBird map for southeastern Florida and noted that 10 new sites containing Egyptian Geese had been discovered during the previous 30 days, perhaps confirming that there are many geese remaining to be discovered and mapped). Distribution . — The status and history of Egyptian Geese in Florida had received only incidental attention prior to our study. Owre (1973:497) mentioned simply that Egyptian Geese were one of numerous species seen free-flying in southeastern Florida “over the past few years.” Neither Stevenson (1976) nor James (1997) mentioned the species. Robertson and Woolfenden (1992) claimed that Egyptian Geese had been in present in Florida since the 1960s, and they wondered if the species had been released by the [present-day] Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — a hypothesis that Cox et al. (1997:306) could “neither support nor contradict.” Two goose nests were found at Shell Key, Pinellas County, on 17 May 1985 (Paul 1985 ) — not in “Tampa Bay” as was claimed by Braun (2004:139) — and a small population at Lettuce Lake Park, Tampa, Hillsborough County, persisted from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s (Kale et al. 1992, Robertson and Woolfenden 1992, Hoffman 1995, Greenlaw et al. 2014, Pranty pers. obs.). Robertson 102 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST and Woolfenden (1992) knew of Egyptian Goose reports from only Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Pinellas counties. The next report was from Pranty (1997), who noted that as many as three geese persisted at Panama City, Bay County, during 1993-1996. Observations published in the FOC reports remained spotty through the mid-2000s, with sightings only during fall 1998 and fall 2002 (Pranty 1999, 2003). Egyptian Geese have been reported annually in FOC reports since 2005 (Pranty 2006 and subsequently). Greenlaw et al. (2014) reported Egyptian Geese in 22 counties in Florida: Bay, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Gulf, Holmes, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Marion, Martin, Miami- Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sumter, and Wakulla, a 450% increase over the four counties reported by Robertson and Woolfenden (1992). Our examination of the eBird and EDDMapS databases adds five new counties to the list of Greenlaw et al. (2014): Duval, Highlands (photograph). Manatee, Polk (photograph), and Seminole counties. Thus, through 2013, Egyptian Geese have been reported in 27 (40%) of Florida’s 67 counties. We update the status of Egyptian Geese in Florida from Greenlaw et al. (2014) as follows: A fairly common to very common, widespread resident of developed areas along the southeastern peninsula from Martin County southward to mid Miami-Dade County. Elsewhere, rare in widely scattered areas from the panhandle to the Keys, primarily in urban counties, but occasionally in outlying areas. Reproduction . — It is clear that Egyptian Geese along the southern Atlantic coast are breeding widely and frequently (Table 1), and multiple broods may be produced each year. We presume that most of the recent population increase and range expansion are due to reproduction of non-captive individuals. CBC data, the only long-term dataset available in Florida for monitoring exotic birds (see Pranty 2002), did not include Egyptian Geese until 2001. As a result, we cannot ascertain when and from which areas the population expansion began. The very scattered distribution of geese in Florida (eBird 2013, Greenlaw et al. 2014) suggests that ongoing releases continue, but we presume that such releases along the lower Atlantic coast are merely augmenting the already vibrant population found there. eBird (2013) data show a huge increase in reports of Egyptian Geese in Florida in recent years, but this may simply refiect the increasing popularity of the program. The number of Egyptian Goose reports in eBird from Florida by years follows: 1971 (1), 1980 (1), 1981 (2), 2002 (1), 2006 (5), 2007 (8), 2008 (47), 2009 (100), 2010 (152), 2011 (184), 2012 (364), and 2013 (505 through August). Habitats . — Southeastern Florida has undergone colossal change over the past 100+ years, with massive habitat destruction and PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA 103 alteration occurring regionwide. Human residents increased from 228,000 in 1930 (Owre 1973) to 5,564,000 in 2010 (U.S. Census Bureau 2013), an increase of nearly 2500% over 80 years. Several authors (e.g., Owre 1973, Snyder et al. 1990, Cox et al. 1994, and Simberloff et al. 1997) have detailed the massive ecological changes to the region, with replacement of natural communities by urban-suburban sprawl planted with temperate and tropical plants from around the world. Marshlands have been drained, ditched, and filled, and replaced by semi-sterile lakes, ponds, and canals. As a result, southeastern Florida has become a hotbed of exotic species (Simberloff et al. 1997), including 163 species of exotic birds (Greenlaw et al. 2014). Although not restricted to the region, Egyptian Geese are widespread in Florida only along the southern Atlantic coast. Evidence to date suggests that the geese are dependent on human-altered habitats that offer a mix of shallow, open wetlands and upland grasslands for foraging and nesting. Most geese were found in upscale residential developments, city or county parks, and around golf courses. To date, few Egyptian Geese have been observed in conservation areas that offer scarce or no expanses of upland grasslands for foraging. Population growth and persistence . — Two sources document persistence of Egyptian Geese in Florida. Braun (2004:140) states that two geese were found east of Stuart on Hutchinson Island, Martin County, in 1993 or 1994 and that geese were “routinely” observed through 2004, including at least one successful breeding attempt. Data from eBird, the Stuart CBC, and the second BBA project confirm the continued presence of Egyptian Geese in the area through 2013 (although no geese were found on the Stuart CBC in December 2013; Table 2). Thus, we have population persistence of Egyptian Geese in northeastern Martin County for 20-21 years, with reports of breeding. Secondly, the BPA (item 1665) contains a list prepared by Valerie Cassidy (undated but provided to Robin Diaz in February 2001) of exotic waterfowl, including two Egyptian Geese, that had been released at Crandon Park, Miami-Dade County. The geese proliferated at the park, with 25 visible in one of Pranty’s photographs from 5 December 2009, and with 36 counted there, 17 November 2011 (R. Diaz). eBird data confirm the continued presence of Egyptian Geese at Crandon Park through 2013. Thus, a persistence of at least 13 years can be documented there. We cannot document the persistence of Egyptian Geese elsewhere in Florida. eBird was not launched until 2002 and EDDMapS was begun in 2005. Although some Christmas Bird Counts in the state have been run for many decades, Egyptian Geese were deleted from Florida CBCs until the 2001-2002 season, as noted above. Given that Egyptian Geese have been reported — on an increasing basis — during 104 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST every CBC season since 2001-2002 (Table 2), it seems likely that geese had been present in some CBC circles before those years. CBC data (Table 2) confirm the recent, frequent presence (at least eight of the past 13 seasons) at Stuart, as well as at Emeralda-Sunnyhill in Lake and Sumter counties (the past 11 CBCs) and Fort Lauderdale in Broward County (the past eight CBCs), and show increasing numbers at Dade County in Miami-Dade County (the past six CBCs). Potential for and assessment of establishment . — The Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) maintains the official list of the birds of Florida. The FOSRC webpage identifies and explains the criteria that define when an exotic bird may be considered established in the state and thus can be added to the Florida list. Two criteria must be met: a persistence criterion and one of three other criteria. The persistence criterion requires that at least one . . stable or increasing population . . . has persisted continuously in one or more areas for at least 15 years. . . .” Another criterion, 3b, requires that successful breeding is “a characteristic of one or more local populations of several hundred individuals,” that this activity is recruiting young into the population, that the population has “exhibited resilience in the face of major perturbations such as hurricanes or habitat disruptions,” and that there is “little or no evidence that ongoing releases play a significant role in population maintenance.” Egyptian Geese have persisted for 20-21 years in the Stuart/ Hutchinson Island area of Martin County, seemingly meeting the FOSRC’s 15-year persistence criterion. Additionally, the 70 reports of breeding that we have compiled (Fig. 1, Table 1) support the view that widespread breeding is occurring in the region. The population of geese found from Martin County through Miami-Dade County numbers in excess of 1,200 individuals, and the population likely exceeds this total by several hundred percent, given the scarcity of birders in the region and the fact that many upscale communities are inaccessible to non- residents. The range of Egyptian Geese along the southern Atlantic coast (e.g.. Fig. 2) is already extensive enough to survive an occasional tropical storm, hurricane, or other disturbance. We are unaware of any effort by state or federal authorities to control the goose population, an effort that may well be futile if attempted. We believe that Egyptian Geese in southeastern Florida meet the FOSRC’s 15-year persistence criterion and criterion 3b for breeding, population size, and resilience to storms or other disturbance. There is always concern among land managers and conservationists when a new exotic becomes established in southeastern Florida, where ecological concerns and challenges are great. However, evidence that Egyptian Geese will become invasive in the region presently is PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA 105 lacking. Based on habitats used during our study, preserves such as the Water Conservation Areas and Everglades National Park appear to offer poor foraging habitat. Furthermore, predation of adults and young from native and exotic predators such as American alligators {Alligator mississippiensis) and Burmese pythons {Python molurus) may be considerable outside of urban/suburban areas. We suggest that populations of Egyptian Geese outside their core range in urban southeastern Florida — should any eventually form — be monitored closely. Dedication We dedicate this paper to the memory of Helen Violi, a close friend of BP, a former plant ecologist at Archbold Biological Station, and later a resident of Coral Gables. Helen died of cancer on 7 September 2013 at the age of 41. Acknowledgments We thank Brian Rapoza for bringing to our attention the status of Egyptian Geese in southeastern Florida; Daria and Richard Feinstein for providing lodging in the Miami area; and Terry Baltimore, Paul Bithorn, Bill Boeringer, Juan Estevez, Nancy Freed- man, Holly Krahe, Colin Hughes, Brian Monk, Bruce Pickholtz, Cathy Seewaldt, Ross Shearer, Roberto Torres, and especially Robin Diaz for reporting their sightings to us. Jon Greenlaw and Hakon Kampe-Persson improved drafts of the manuscript. Literature Cited Braun, D. G. 2004. First documented nesting in the wild of Eg 3 rptian Geese in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 32:138-143. Cox, J., R. Kautz, M. MacLaughlin, and T. Gilbert. 1994. Closing the Gaps in Florida’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation System. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commis- sion, Tallahassee. Cox, J. A., T. G. Quinn, and H. H. Boyter, Jr. 1997. Management by Florida’s Game and Fresh Water Fish Co mm ission. Pages 297-325 in Strangers in Paradise: Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida (D. Simberloff, D. C. Schmitz, and T. C. Brown, Eds.). Island Press, Washington, D.C. DEL Hoyo, j., a. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, Eds. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1. Lynx Edi cions, Barcelona. eBird. 2013. Basic dataset, version EBD_relAug-2013. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Itha- ca, New York. Downloaded 20 October 2013. EDDMapS [Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System]. 2013. Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca. . Down- loaded 21 October 2013. Environmental Systems Research Institute. 1997. ArcView GIS version 3.0a. Redlands, California. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2013. Florida’s conservation lands, September 2013. . Accessed 31 October 2013. Gyimesi, A., AND R. Lensink. 2012. Egyptian Goose {Alopochen aegyptiaca): an introduced species spreading in and from the Netherlands. Wildfowl 62:126-143. 106 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Greenlaw, J. S., B. Pranty, and R. Bowman. 2014. The Robertson and Woolfenden Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List. Special Publication Number 8. Florida Ornithologi- cal Society, Gainesville. Hoffman, W. 1995. Exotic birds in the avifauna. Birding 27:15-20. James, F. C. 1997. Nonindigenous Birds. Pages 139-156 in Strangers in Paradise: Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida (D. Simberloff, D. C. Schmitz, and T. C. Brown, Eds.). Island Press, Washington, D.C. Kale, H. W., II, B. Pranty, B. M. Stith, and C. W. Biggs. 1992. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Florida. Unpublished final report to the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee. Kampe-Persson, H. 2010. Occurrence of Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca in Europe. Goose Bulletin 10:34-37. Mullarney, K., L. Svensson, D. Zetterstrom, and P. J. Grant. 1999. Birds of Europe. Princeton University Press, Princeton. National Audubon Society. 2013. Christmas Bird Count database, . Accessed 30 October 2013. OwRE, O. T. 1973. A consideration of the exotic avifauna of southeastern Florida. Wilson Bulletin 85:491-500. Paul, R. T. 1985. Florida region [summer 1985 seasonal report]. American Birds 39:902- 905. Pranty, B. 1997. Field observations fall report: August-November 1996. Florida Field Naturalist 25:74-84. Pranty, B. 1999. Field observations fall report: August-November 1998. Florida Field Naturalist 27:62-76. Pranty, B. 2002. The use of Christmas Bird Count data to monitor populations of exotic birds. American Birds [54]:24-28. Pranty, B. 2003. Field observations fall report: August-November 2002. Florida Field Naturalist 31:33-45. Pranty, B. 2005. A Birder’s Guide to Florida, 5th ed. American Birding Association, Colo- rado Springs. Pranty, B. 2006. Field observations winter report: December 2005-February 2006. Flor- ida Field Naturalist 34:103-112. Pranty, B. 2010. Field observations winter report: December 2009-February 2010. Flor- ida Field Naturalist 38:119-131. Pranty, B. 2011. Field observations fall report: August-November 2010. Florida Field Naturalist 39:57-71. Pranty, B., and K. L. Garrett. 2011. Under the radar: “Non-countable” exotic birds in the ABA Area. Birding 43(5):48-60. Robertson, W. B., Jr., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1992. Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List. Special Publication Number 6. Florida Ornithological Society, Gainesville. Simberloff, D., D. C. Schmitz, and T. C. Brown. 1997. Strangers in Paradise: Impact and Management of Nonindigenous Species in Florida. Island Press, Washington, D.C. Snyder, J. R., A. Herndon, and W. B. Robertson, Jr. 1990. South Florida rockland. Pages 230-277 in Ecosystems of Florida (R. L. Myers and J. J. Ewel, Eds.). University of Central Florida Press, Orlando. Stevenson, H. M. 1976. Vertebrates of Florida: Identification and Distribution. Univer- sity Press of Florida, Gainesville. Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Tattan, a. 2004. Alopochen aegyptiaca, Egyptian Goose. Animal Diversity website . Accessed 31 Octo- ber 2013. PrANTY AND PONZO — EGYPTIAN GeESE IN SE FLORIDA 107 Todd, F. S. 1979. Waterfowl: Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. Sea World Press, San Diego. Tropical Audubon Society. 2013. TAS Miami Bird Board, . Accessed 21 October 2013. U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. State and County QuickFacts. . Accessed 11 November 2013. U.S. Geological Survey. 2013. Florida 2011-2016 [Second Florida Breeding Bird Atlas]. . Accessed 21 October 2013. Florida Field Naturalist 42(3):108-113, 2014. A JUVENILE WADING-BIRD MORTALITY EVENT IN URBAN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARASITE Eustrongylides Gretchen Caudill^ Dan Wole\ Danny Caudill^ Justin Brown^, and Valerie Shearn-Bochsler^ ^Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 1105 Southwest Williston Road, Gainesville, Florida 32601-9044 E-mail: gretchen.caudill@myfwc.com E-mail: dan.wolf@myfwc.com E-mail: charles.caudill@myfwc.com "^Southeastern Wildlife Disease Cooperative Study, University of Georgia 589 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602 E-mail: judbrow@pa.gov ^National Wildlife Health Center, U.S. Geological Survey 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711 E-mail: vhochsler@usgs.gov Eustrongylidosis is a parasitic infection of fish-eating birds associated with nematodes of the genus Eustrongylides. Three species of Eustrongylides nematodes have been reported in waterbirds worldwide, but large outbreaks in the United States have largely been associated with E. ingnotus. Eustrongylidosis has caused large die- offs of nestling wading birds in coastal rookeries in Virginia, Indiana, Delaware, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida (Wiese et al. 1977, Roffe 1988, Spalding et al. 1993, USGS 2013). Infection from E. ignotus can have devastating impacts on rookery reproductive success, in one Florida colony resulting in 80% nestling mortality (Spalding et al. 1993). Herons and egrets (Ardeidae) seem to be the primary definitive host in Florida (Spalding and Forrester 1993). The life cycle of Eustrongylides spp. consists of infected birds depositing nematode eggs through their feces into aquatic environments. The nematode eggs are eaten by oligochaetes, the first intermediate host. The eggs hatch in the oligochaetes and the larvae migrate into the blood vessels. Infected oligochaetes are then consumed by small fish, such as Gamhusia spp., which act as the second intermediate host. The 108 Caudill etal. — Wading Bird Deaths and Parasites 109 larvae further develop in this host and may be found encapsulated in the mesentery, intestines, or reproductive organs (Coyner et al. 2003a, USGS 2013). Larger fish, reptiles, and amphibians, the transport hosts, feed on infected small fish and are consumed by the bird host. The infective larvae reach sexual maturity within the bird, which completes the life cycle (USGS 2013). Gross lesions from infection seen in young infected birds include raised tunnels in the digestive tract, where nematodes reside (Figs. 1 and 2), with openings to allow parasite eggs to be excreted through the bird’s feces (USGS 2013). Parasites will eventually perforate the digestive tract, usually at the ventriculus (Spalding and Forrester 1993, USGS 2013). This can occur within several hours after the bird has consumed infected fish (Spalding and Forrester 1993). Peritonitis, septicemia, emaciation, hemorrhage, and organ dysfunction have been documented to cause death in infected birds. In nestlings, mortality can occur within 2 days of parasite infection (Spalding et al. 1994). Die-offs usually occur during the nesting season, and young are affected disproportionately more than adults (Spalding and Forrester 1993, Spalding et al. 1994, USGS 2013). As birds age and infections become more chronic, eustrongylidosis can contribute to, rather than cause, death. Resolved lesions have been found in adult birds. Figure 1. Digestive tract of a Great Egret (Ardea alba) with raised tunnels caused by an infection of Eustrongylides sp. from the Jacksonville die-off in 2013. 110 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 2. Cross-section of the ventriculus of a Great Egret (Ardea alba) infected with Eustrongylides sp. from the Jacksonville die-off in 2013. suggesting a greater number of parasites might be necessary to cause mortality in adults (Spalding and Forrester 1993) and that infection is not necessarily associated with mortality, particularly in older birds (USGS 2013). A bird die-off in the Jacksonville area (30° 23' 28.49" N, 81° 40' 54.52" W) was reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission(FWC)on24 July 2013. To our knowledge, anF'i^s^roTigyZic^cs outbreak in this location had never been documented. A majority of the rookery was comprised of Great Egrets {Ardea alba) with a small number of Black-crowned Night-Herons {Nycticorax nycticorax). The surrounding habitat was urban-suburban with a dense overstory of mature laurel oaks {Quercus laurifolia). The rookery is entirely on private property. Active nesting was still in progress during our visit. Seventy-one Great Egret carcasses and 5 Black-crowned Night- Heron carcasses were counted on 24 July 2013. All carcasses in which an age was able to be determined were juveniles or younger, except one adult Great Egret. Residents estimated the initiation of the die- off at about four weeks prior to our visit. They also indicated that die-offs had been common in the past. Spalding and Forrester (1993) and USGS (2013) noted that nestlings infected with nematodes may wander from the nest in a weakened state. This behavior was observed at the Jacksonville site with several young individuals roaming the Caudill etal. — Wading Bird Deaths and Parasites 111 ground and low vegetation. However, high winds prior to our visit may have played a role hy forcing young out of nests. Five Great Egret and one Black-Crowned Night-Heron carcasses were collected and sent to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (Madison, Wisconsin) and Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) (Athens, Georgia) for necropsy. Both lahs confirmed the evidence of a disseminated helminth parasite infection and presence of eustrongylidosis in the carcasses. Severe and chronic lesions were noted throughout the caudal coelomic cavity in the vast majority of submitted birds, which consisted of multifocal to coalescing parasitic granulomas throughout the liver, proventriculus, and ventriculus with intralesional nematodes; fibrous adhesions between proventriculus and ventriculus, liver, and body wall; and multiple nematodes perforating the wall of the proventriculus and ventriculus. Bacteria cultures of 3 birds’ livers and virus isolation from 1 birds’ liver evaluated at USGS showed no significant findings. Eustrongylides sp. infection was found in multiple areas of all carcasses submitted. Cause of death was identified as verminous peritonitis attributed to Eustrongylides sp. Prevention of die-offs caused from eustrongylidosis remains difficult. The life cycle of Estrongylides sp. is robust, with eggs remaining viable for years and oligochaete hosts remaining infected for long periods. Water quality can play a significant role in the proliferation of the parasite. Eutrophication and warm water are favorable conditions for the persistence and growth of parasites and oligochaetes (Spalding et al. 1993, USGS 2013). Because of the unusually high mortality seen in these epizootic events, Spalding et al. (1993) hypothesized that the very high frequency of parasites associated with die-offs may not refiect the parasites’ natural life cycle, but unnaturally high population densities of the parasite in polluted aquatic systems. Coyner et al. (2003b) reported densities of infected fish may decrease as water quality increases. Because many waterways in and around Jacksonville are anthropogenically eutrophic, Estrongylides ignotus-infected fish may be common there. Further investigation would be necessary. In addition, eutrophic waterways may attract wading birds due to an increase in biomass and abundant prey (Hoyer and Canfield 1990, Kelly et al. 1993, Frederick and McGehee 1994). It may be difficult to study foraging behavior of wading birds in this region as they are likely using a variety of water sources in the area including streams, rivers, retention ponds, and ditches. The nearest substantial waterway to this rookery site is the Ribault River (about 440 m straight-line), located in the St. Johns River Basin. Readings at various sites along the Ribault River nearest the rookery show low dissolved oxygen concentrations, all reporting below the standard for fresh-water (5.0ng/L), which can indicate eutrophic conditions (Betsy Deuerling, City of Jacksonville, Environmental Quality Division, personal communication). 112 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Biologists and resource managers should be aware of the potential for large die-offs in juvenile wading birds associated with a severe Eustrongylides infection and resulting peritonitis. These events should be documented as they happen so the parasites and their impacts to host population dynamics can be better understood. The FWC has an online reporting system (www.myfwc.com/bird) whereby anyone can report bird die-offs in Florida, which are then investigated and permanently logged in a comprehensive database. Note added July 2014; Approximately two dozen individuals were observed dead at the same site over two visits in July 2014. Gross infection from the Eustrongylides sp. infection was confirmed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, Florida, and the National Wildlife Health Center, Madison Wisconsin, in 1 out of 5 individuals collected and necropsied. Acknowledgments M. Cunningham, J. Rodgers, and an anonymous referee provided valuable edits to drafts of this manuscript. B. Deuerling provided important water quality data. Funding was provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Literature Cited Conner, D. F, M. G. Spalding, and D. J. Forrester. 2003a. Epizootiology of Eustron- gylides ignotus in Florida; transmission and development of larvae in intermediate hosts. Journal of Parasitology 89:290-298. Conner, D. F, M. G. Spalding, and D. J. Forrester. 2003b. Influence of treated sewage on infections of Eustrongylides ignotus (Nematoda: Dioctophymatoidea) in eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in an urban watershed. Comparative Parasitol- ogy 70:205-210. Frederick, P. C., and S. M. McGehee. 1994. Wading bird use of wastewater treatment wetlands in central Florida, USA. Colonial Waterbirds 17:50-59. Honer, M. V., AND J. D. E. Canfield. 1990. Limnological factors influencing bird abun- dance and species richness on Florida lakes. Lake and Reservoir Management 6:133- 141. Kelln, j. P, H. M. Pratt, and P. L. Greene. 1993. The distribution, reproductive success, and habitat characteristics of heron and egret breeding colonies in the San Francisco Bay area. Colonial Waterbirds 16:18-27. Roffe, T. j. 1988. Eustrongylides sp. epizootic in young Common Egrets (Casmerodius albus). Avian Diseases 32:143-147. Spalding, M. G., G. T. Bancroft, and D.J. Forrester. 1993. The epizootiology of eutron- gylidosis in wading birds (Ciconiiformes) in Florida. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 29:237-249. Spalding, M. G., and D. J. Forrester. 1993. Pathogenesis oi Eustrongylides ignotus (Nea- motoda: Dioctophymatoidea) in Ciconiiformes. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 29:250- 260. Spalding, M. G., J. P. Smith, and D. J. Forrester. 1994. Natural and experimental in- fections of Eustrongylides ignotus: effect on growth and survival of nestling wading birds. Auk 111:328-336. Caudill etal. — Wading Bird Deaths and Parasites 113 USGS [U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center], 2013. Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases: General Field Practices and Diseases of Birds. Accessed 4 September 2013. Wiese, J. H., W. R. Davidson, and V .F. Nettles. 1977. Large scale mortality of nestling ardeids caused by nematode infection. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 13:376-382. Florida Field Naturalist 42(3):114-118, 2014. FLORIDA BURROWING OWL (Athene cunicularia floridana) PREYS ON EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE (Streptopelia decaocto) Ronald R. Bielefeld Avian Research Subsection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 544 Jay St., Sebastian, Florida 32958 E-mail: ron.bielefeld@myfwc.com Data are sparse on the diet of Florida Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia floridana). What information does exist indicates that insects and other relatively small prey items predominate in the diet of this subspecies (Ridgway 1874, Gaboon 1885, Hoxie 1889, Rhoads 1892, Palmer 1896, Bent 1938, Lewis 1973, Hennemann 1980, Wesemann 1986, Yosef and Deyrup 1994, Mrykalo et al. 2009). Lewis (1973) tabulated records of pellet content analyses and determined that invertebrates and vertebrates constituted 82 and 17 percent of the owls’ diets, respectively. Of these, items such as beetles, small lizards, and small rodents appear to have dominated. Mrykalo et al. (2009) found a similar preponderance of small prey items in pellets they examined. Insects were the most abundant prey item identified for both an urban site (86%) and a rural site (89.1%). Avian prey made up a larger part of owl diets on the urban study site but on both sites accounted for a very small proportion of the diets (2.9% = urban, 0.7% = rural). No data were reported to indicate the size of the birds identified as prey. Burrowing Owls are perceived as generalist feeders, consuming any terrestrial vertebrate or invertebrate that they can physically handle (Poulin et al. 2011). It seems, however, that most prey items weigh from a few grams to 60 grams. As reported by Mrykalo et al. (2009), prey of Florida Burrowing Owls other than insects have included Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis), Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and unknown species of rodents, lizards, frogs, fish (Rhoads 1892), crabs (Bent 1938), crayfish (Rhoads 1892, Palmer 1896), and snakes (Rhoads 1892, Bent 1938). The general lack of data showing large prey being taken by the Florida Burrowing Owl may indicate that the species is unable to catch or subdue anything beyond what would be considered small to moderate-size prey. This makes some biological sense given that the Florida subspecies is one of the smallest of the 15 recognized subspecies (Poulin et al. 2011). But the lack of such data may simply refiect the general paucity of data on the food habits of the Florida subspecies and 114 Bielefeld — Burrowing Owl and Collared-Dove 115 reliance primarily on examination of pellets for identification of prey items. The following observations especially suggest that the latter may be the case. Between 26 April and 5 May 2012, 1 spent about 40 hours observing and photographing a mated pair of Florida Burrowing Owls that had established a nest site on a large vacant lot in Cape Coral, Florida. The city of Cape Coral is located in southwest Florida and consists of filled upland subdivided into lots suitable for homes, dissected by access roads and saltwater canals. Undeveloped lots are interspersed with single- family homes throughout the area. The pair was actively foraging and feeding 6 owlets. The age of the owlets was unknown, but they were almost capable of flight, so I estimate that they were three to four weeks old. At that age an owlet can consume a large volume of food in a short period of time. I observed both the male and female foraging and taking food to the owlets at the burrow from morning through evening each day. All prey items except one were small or medium-size, and these consisted of insects, worms, and frogs (Figures 1 and 2) that were quickly devoured by the young birds. The single large prey item was a Eurasian Collared-Dove {Streptopelia decaocto), killed by the male and delivered to the burrow in less than pristine condition (Figure 3). Figure 1. Florida Burrowing Owl with typical medium-size prey item (frog). 116 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Figure 2. Adult female Florida Burrowing Owl returning to burrow site with an earthworm for its owlets. The Eurasian Collared-Dove is longer (mean = 32cm) and heavier (mean = 185g; range = 125-240g; Romagosa 2012) than the Florida Burrowing Owl (length = 19-25cm; weight = 150-170g; Poulin et al. Figure 3. Adult male Florida Burrowing Owl returning to burrow with Eurasian Collared-Dove for its owlets. Bielefeld — Burrowing Owl and Collared-Dove 117 2011), qualifying it as a very large prey item for this owl. I saw the owl kill the dove by flying over and then diving onto it while the dove was foraging on the ground in the middle of the vacant lot. A Florida Burrowing Owl, therefore, is capable of killing a bird larger than itself. But the way it manipulated the dove and transported it to the burrow suggests that it could not easily transport such a large prey item. The owl plucked feathers and removed and discarded large quantities of flesh from the carcass in what may have been an effort to reduce the carcass’s weight. The male then flew to the burrow (approximately 75 meters from the kill site) holding the dove in one foot. It flew low to the ground and stopped about 6 feet short of the burrow. The owlets ventured out to the carcass to feed, pulling away shreds of flesh and consuming them. I did not see the owlets consume any bones, and the carcass remained on the ground near the burrow for a couple of days. Based on a single observation, it is impossible to know how often Florida Burrowing Owls attack and kill large prey items such as Eurasian Collared-Doves. But this event shows that this small raptor is capable of killing relatively large prey. Given that the adult and owlets ate primarily flesh from the carcass, little evidence of this prey item would likely And its way into a pellet. Diet studies of Florida Burrowing Owls based on pellets alone may underestimate the prevalence of large prey items such as Eurasian Collared-Doves. Just as prey species with bones too large to be ingested by these small owls may be underestimated by pellet analysis, so too would soft-bodied prey species with no bones, such as earthworms. Mrykalo et al. (2009) suggested that future studies should compare the effectiveness of pellet analysis with other methods such as the analysis of prey remains, direct observation of predation and prey delivery to the nest, and camera or video documentation. Based on my observation of a Burrowing Owl successfully killing a large prey item and delivering it to nestlings, I believe that diet studies of Florida Burrowing Owls would be enhanced if pellet analysis was supplemented with other methods. There is value in knowing whether foraging for large prey like the Eurasian Collared-Dove by Burrowing Owls is common, because hunting for and consuming fewer large prey items rather than many small ones may provide adaptive advantages to adults and young. For example, doing so would be an advantage if it allowed the adults to make fewer foraging trips to feed a large brood of owlets and young fledglings. Fewer foraging trips could translate into increased adult survival by reducing exposure to dangers and decreasing energy demands. Larger prey items also could reduce competition for food among siblings of larger broods, increasing fledging rates. Overall, a better understanding of the foraging and food habits of Florida Burrowing Owls is needed for birds in both urban and rural habitats 118 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST to elucidate these types of predator-prey relationships and help in managing conservation efforts directed toward this subspecies. Acknowledgments I thank an anonymous referee for helpful comments on the manuscript. Literature Cited Bent, A. C. 1938. Life histories of North American birds of prey. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 170. Washington, D.C. Cahoon, J. C. 1885. The Florida Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia floridana). Orni- thologist and Oologist 10:21. Hennemann, W. W., hi. 1980. Notes on the food hahits of the Burrowing Owl in Duval County, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 8:25-26. Hoxie, W. J. 1889. Nesting of the Florida Burrowing Owl. Ornithologist and Oologist 14:33-34. Lewis, J. C. 1973. Food hahits of Florida Burrowing Owls. Florida Field Naturalist 1(2):12-14. Mrykalo, R. j., M. M. Grigione, and R. J. Sarno. 2009. A comparison of available prey and diet of Florida Burrowing Owls in urban and rural environments: A first study. Condor 111:556-559. Palmer, W. 1896. On the Florida ground owl (Speotyto floridana). Auk 13:98-108. Poulin, R., L. D. Todd, E. A. Haug, B. A. Millsap, and M. S. Martell. 2011. Burrowing Owl {Athene cunicularia) In The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cor- nell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: Ridgway, R. 1874. Discovery of a Burrowing Owl in Florida. American Sportsman 4:216- 217. Rhoads, S. N. 1892. The breeding habits of the Florida Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicu- laria floridana). Auk 9:1-8. Romagosa, C. M. 2012. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/630 Wesemann, T. 1986. Factors influencing the distribution and abundance of Burrowing Owls {Athene cunicularia) in Cape Coral, Florida. Thesis. Appalachian State Univer- sity, Boone, North Carolina. Yosef, R., and M. Deyrup. 1994. Pellet analysis of Burrowing Owls in south central Flor- ida. Florida Field Naturalist 22:78-80. Florida Field Naturalist 42(3):119-123, 2014. PARASITIC MITES COLLECTED FROM PERCHING BIRDS (AVES: PASSERIFORMES) ON VACA KEY, FLORIDA Lawrence J. Hribar Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, 503 107th Street, Marathon, Florida 33050 Birds are among the better-known and more commonly studied groups of animals (Somveille et al. 2013). The arthropod fauna inhabiting their feathers, however, is less well known. Ticks, mites, lice, and flies can be found in the feathers of many birds. Among the mites that can infest birds are feather mites, which infest the barbs of the vane of the feather, and quill mites, which infest the interior of the quill. Feather mites feed on bacteria, fungi, skin secretions, and feather fragments. Strictly speaking, feather mites are not parasites, but commensals (Philips 2000). Quill mites feed by piercing the inner surface of the quill with their mouthparts. This can result in feather loss when infested birds peck at the quills (Castro 1974). Forrester and Spaulding (2003) reported that 37 species of ectoparasitic mites have been collected from Passeriformes in Florida. Hribar and Miller (2011) and Hribar (2013) reported collection of flve additional mite taxa from birds found dead on Vaca Key, Florida. This note presents records of parasitic mites taken from three birds, an Indigo Bunting {Passerina cyanea), a Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), and a Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), on Vaca Key during April and May 2013. Birds were found dead outside a building in the City of Marathon, Florida (24.729984, -81.039438). Bird and mites were handled and prepared for study in a manner identical to previous reports (Hribar and Miller 2011, Hribar 2013). As in previous reports, slide-mounted specimens were sent to a specialist for identiflcation. All specimens have been deposited into the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Gainesville (accession numbers E2013-8182-1 through E2013-8191-1). Results are presented in Table 1. Amerodectes mites (Proctophyllodidae) were collected from all three birds examined. Amerodectes mites are found on a variety of New World bird species in nine families (Valim and Hernandes 2010). Proctophyllodes mites, also in the family Proctophyllodidae, were found on the Black-and-white Warbler. The genitalia of the male specimens are very similar to that of P. hreviquadratus Atyeo and Braasch; this mite has been collected from Black-and-white Warblers in Massachusetts and Michigan (Atyeo and Braasch 1966). An unidentifled Proctophyllodes species was found on a Black-and- 119 Table 1. Number, sex, and stage of mites collected from birds on Vaca Key. 120 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST a a CO CO a > a OJ a d m 05 03 d 03 •S 03 03 d 03 (C 03 03 03 03 03 o3 d 03 CO 03 CO "e 0 3 0 Ph O o t! e a a 0 1 03 d 03 a 3 CD 03 03 03 . Accessed 21 November 2013. Castro, S. D. 1974. Entry and exit of syringophilid mites (Acarina: Syringophilidae) from the lumen of the quill. Wilson Bulletin 86:272-278. Doster, G. L., N. Wilson, and F. E. Kellogg. 1980. Ectoparasites collected from Bobwhite quail in the southeastern United States. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 16:515-520. Everett, R. E., M. A. Price, and S. E. Kunz. 1972. New host records of the chigger Neos- choengastia americana from Texas (Acari: Trombiculidae). Journal of Medical Ento- mology 9:109-110. Forrester, D. J., and M. G. Spalding. 2003. Parasites and Diseases of Wild Birds in Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Gaud, J., and W. T. Atyeo. 1982. The subfamilies of the Analgidae and Psoroptoididae (Acari: Analgoidea). Journal of Medical Entomology 19:299-305. Hribar-Mites from Vaca Key Passerines 123 Gaud, J., and W. T. Atyeo. 1996. Feather mites of the world (Acarina: Astigmata): the supraspecific taxa. Part 1. Musee Royal de FAfrique Centrale, Annales, Sciences Zo- ologiques 277:1-193. Hasegawa, H. 1999. Phylogeny, host-parasite relationship and zoogeography. Korean Journal of Parasitology 37:197-213. Hribar, L. J. 2013. Ectoparasites collected from the Ovenhird {Seiurus aurocapilla) on Vaca Key, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 41:123-125. Hribar, L. J., and G. L. Miller. 2011. Ectoparasites collected from Common Yellowthroats {Geothlypis trichas) on Vaca Key, Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 39:138-141. Kethley, j. B. 1970. A revision of the family Syringophilidae. Contributions of the Ameri- can Entomological Institute 5:1-76. Knee, W., H. Proctor, and T. Galloway. 2008. Survey of nasal mites (Rhinonyssidae, Erynetidae, and Turbinoptidae) associated with birds in Alberta and Manitoba, Can- ada. Canadian Entomologist 140:364-379. MacFarlane, D., a. Chadli, and P. Danescu. 1969. Notes sur les Phlebotomesde la Tunisie III. Sur le role possible des Phlebotomes comme vecteurs mecaniques de Brevipalpus phoenicis Ceijskes 1939. Archives de FInstitut Pasteur de Tunis 46:365-368. Mironov, S. V. 2012. New species of the feather mite genus Proctophyllodes Robin, 1877 (Acari: Analgoidea: Proctophyllodidae) from European passerines (Aves: Passeri- formes), with an updated checklist of the genus. Acarina 20:130-158. Philips, J. R. 2000. A review and checklist of the parasitic mites (Acarina) of the Falconi- formes and Strigiformes. Journal of Raptor Research 34:210-231. Poulin, R., B. R. Krasnov, D. Mouillot, and D. W. Thieltgis. 2011. The comparative ecol- ogy and biogeography of parasites. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series B. 366:2379-2390. Santana, F. J. 1976. A review of the genus Trouessartia (Analgoidea: Alloptidae). Journal of Medical Entomology Supplement 1:1-128. SoMVE iLL E, M., A. Manica, S. H. M. Butchart, and a. S. L. Rodrigues. 2013. Mapping global diversity patterns for wild birds. PLoS ONE 8(8): e70907. doi:10. 1371/journal, pone. 0070907 Valim, M. P, and F. a. Hernandes. 2010. A systematic review of feather mites of the Ptero- dectes generic complex (Acari: Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) with redescriptions of species described by Vladimir Cerny. Acarina 18:3-35. Wheeler, T. A., and W. Threlfall. 1986. Observations on the ectoparasites of some New- foundland passerines (Aves: Passeriformes). Canadian Journal of Zoology 64:630-636. Florida Field Naturalist 42(3):124-137, 2014. FIELD OBSERVATIONS Winter Report: December 2013-February 2014. — This report consists of significant bird observations compiled by the Field Observations Committee (FOC). Electronic submissions to the FOC should be in the following format: species, number of individuals, age and sex of the bird(s), color morph if applicable, location (including county), date, observer(s), and significance. Seasons are winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-July), and fall ( August-No vember). Submit observations to regional compilers within two weeks after the close of each season, or to the state compiler within one month. Addresses of the compilers follow this report. Sight-only observations are considered “reports” while only those observations supported by verifiable evidence (photographs, video or audio recordings, or specimens) are called “records.” Species for which documentation is required by the FOC and by the FOS Records Committee (FOSRC; ) are marked here with an asterisk (*). A county designation (in italics) accompanies the first- time listing of each site in this report. Abbreviations in this report are: AFB = Air Force Base, AFR = Air Force Range, EOS = end of season, NERR = National Estuarine Research Reserve, NP = National Park, NS = National Seashore, NSRA = North Shore Restoration Area, NWR = National Wildlife Refuge, SF = State Forest, SP = State Park, STA = Stormwater Treatment Area, STF = sewage treatment facility, WMA = Wildlife Management Area, and N, S, E, W etc., for compass directions. Bold-faced entries denote birds newly reported or verified in Florida, or record numbers. Photographs or video- or audio-recordings archived by the FOC are identified by a plus (-I-). Summary of the Winter Season Florida experienced another mild winter with few freezes south of Gainesville. Irruptive wintering species such as Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, and Brown Creeper were scarce this season, and numbers of American Robins were low. The invasion of Black Scoters into the state continued from the fall with record numbers recorded on the Gulf Coast including 1,000 off Alligator Point. Only one Razorbill was found compared to the unprecedented massive numbers from this past winter. The state’s first Violet-green Swallow record [pending FOSRC acceptance] was obtained when one was well photographed at Everglades NP. Florida’s third-record Snowy Owl was found at Little Talbot Island SP, and to the delight of hundreds of birders remained for an amazing 26 days. There were 21 other FOSRC rarities reported this season, among these three Common Mergansers, the continuing Bar-tailed Godwit at Fred Howard Park, a Black-headed Gull in Putnam County, two California Gulls at Daytona Beach Shores, an exhausted Long-billed Murrelet in Palm Beach County, a Ruddy Quail-Dove that remained at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, a MacGillivray’s Warbler at Riverbend Park, a Lazuli Bunting in St. Lucie County and three Bullock’s Orioles including an adult male at Gainesville. Few reports from Christmas Bird Counts and hummingbird banding efforts are referenced here. Species Accounts Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: 93 at Dade City (Pasco) 9 Dec (D. Gagne et ah); 1,040 at Lake Apopka NSRA (Orange) 14 Dec (H. Robinson); 300 at Lake Istokpoga (High- lands) 16 Feb (M. McMillian). 124 Field Observations 125 Fulvous Whistling-Duck: 130 at Lake Apopka NSRA 20 Dec (H. Robinson); 1 at Celery Fields (Sarasota) 23 Dec (-i-K. Young et al.). Greater White-fronted Goose: 2 at Walnut Hill (Escambia) 20 Jan (B. & L. Duncan); 1 at Niceville (Okaloosa) 8 Feb (M. Swan). Snow Goose: 1 blue morph at Bayonet Point (Pasco) to 2 Dec (-i-B. Pranty); 3 white morphs at McKendree Road (Pasco) to 3 Dec (D. Gagne et al.); as many as 3 white morphs at University of Florida (Alachua) 1 Dec-30 Jan (B. Shea et al.); 2 at Shiloh Marsh, Merritt Island NWR (Volusia) 5 Dec (M. Harris); 1 blue morph at River Lakes Conservation Area (Brevard) 12 Dec (-i-J. Eager); 1 at Myakka River SP (Sarasota) 7 Jan (A. Peltomaa). Ross’s Goose: 1 at University of Florida to 3 Dec (-i-B. Ewing et al.); 1 at Tiger Point (Santa Rosa) 14-16 Feb (-i-B. Bremser). Mute Swan: 2 wintered at Viera Wetlands (Brevard-, -i-T. Ford et al.). Black Swan: 6 at Riverview (Hillsborough) 1 Dec (B. Ahern); 2 at Longwood (Seminole) 17 Feb (G. Williams). Egyptian Goose: 5 at Mount Dora (Lake) 6 Feb (R. Reynolds). Wood Duck: 2 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park (Miami-Dade) 7 Dec (B. Boeringer). Mandarin Duck: 2 at Longwood 17 Feb (G. Williams). Gadwall: 100 at STA-5 (Hendry) 4 Jan (C. Ewell, M. England et al.). Eurasian Wigeon: 1 male wintered at Cape Coral (Lee) for the second consecutive year (-I-R. Parks, C. Ewell et al.). American Black Duck: as many as 6 at St. Marks NWR (Wakulla) 4 Dec-15 Feb (R. Smith et al.); as many as 3 at Twin Lakes (Polk) 28 Dec-EOS (-i-C. Fredricks). Cinnamon Teal: 1 male wintered at STA-5 (C. Ewell, M. England et al.); 1 first-cycle male at Viera Wetlands 3 Dec (C. Newton); as many as 2 males at St. Marks NWR 5-27 Jan (D. Morrow, -i-J. Murphy et al.). Canvasback: 9 at Inglis Dam (Citrus) 13 Dec (M. Gardler et al.). Redhead: 3,500 at Gulf Harbors (Pasco) 24 Dec (D. Gagne et al.); 1 at Naples (Collier) 28 Dec (-I-C. Ewell); 5,000 at Palm Harbor (Pinellas) 30 Dec (E. Kwater); 5,000 at William E. Dunn STF (Pinellas) 3-12 Jan (J. Wells et al.); 3,500 over Anclote Gulf Park (Pasco) 4 Jan (E. Kwater); 2 at Palm Beach Gardens (Palm Beach) 14-20 Jan (-i-S. McKemy, C. Callaghan); 10,000 at Fred Howard Park (Pinellas) 25 Jan (R. Smith, R. Harrod). Ring-necked Duck: 627 at The Villages (Sumter) 25 Nov (J. Dinsmore); 16,000 at Lake Apopka NSRA 1 Jan (H. Robinson). Greater Scaup: 1 female at Ollie’s Pond Park (Charlotte) 1-3 Dec (-i-J. Bouton); 10 at Shi- loh Marsh, Merritt Island NWR 5 Dec (M. Harris); 1 at Dunedin Causeway (Pinellas) 7 Dec (D. Gagne et al.); 1 at Lake Elberta (Leon) 9 Dec (E. Schunke et al.); 5 at Fort Island Beach (Citrus) 13 Dec (M. Gardler et al.); 2 at Tram Road STF (Leon) 13 Dec (-I-A. Wraithmell); 4 at West Lake, Everglades NP (Miami-Dade) 14 Dec-13 Jan (B. Mulrooney et al.); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP (Alachua) 15 Dec (S. Collins, D. Segal); 1 at Gulf Harbors 24 Dec-EOS (D. Gagne et al.); 8 at Ben T. Davis Beach (Hill- sborough) 1 Jan (C. Cox); 1 at Tierra Verde (Pinellas) 12 Jan (D. Gagne, B. Pranty et al.); 1 at Viera Wetlands 12 Jan (-i-J. Eager); 7 off Robert K. Rees Park (Pasco) 14 Jan (D. Gagne); 2 at Leffis Key (Manatee) 19 Jan (J. Ginaven et al.); as many as 6 males at Vivante Ponds, Punta Gorda (Charlotte) Feb 2-EOS (J. Bouton, M. Manetz, -i-C. Ewell et al.); 4 at Lake lamonia (Leon) 21 Feb (-i-E. Schunke, E. Woodruff). Common Eider: 1 at Ponce de Leon Inlet (Volusia) 6 Dec (A. Horst et al.); 1 first-cycle male wintered at Boynton Beach Inlet (Palm Beach-, -i-R. Schofield, C. Callaghan); 1 at Jetty Park (Brevard) 14 Dec-11 Jan (-i-M. Harris); 1 at Sanibel Causeway to Matanzas Pass (Lee) 10 Dec-EOS (-i-C. Hagenlocher et al.). Harlequin Duck: 1 first-cycle male at Fort Clinch SP (Nassau) 26 Dec-17 Jan (-i-P. Leary); 1 male at Mangrove Park (Palm Beach) 4 Jan (-i-J. Peet) was presumed to be of cap- tive origin. 126 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Surf Scoter: 3 off Key Biscayne (Miami-Dade) 1 Dec (Robin Diaz); 1 at Joe Overstreet Landing (Osceola) 2 Dec (+R Cooper); 2 at Sanibel Island (Lee) 8 Dec (D. & L. Stokes); as many as 25 at Salt Run (St. Johns) 7-15 Feb (-i-G. Williams, J. Hintermister et al.). White-winged Scoter; 3 off Honeymoon Island SP (Pinellas) 1 Jan (J. Wells); 14 off Fort De Soto Park (Pinellas ! Hillsborough) 5 Jan (-i-C. Cox); as many as 14 at Gulf Breeze (Santa Rosa) 13 Jan-2 Feb (B. & L. Duncan); 4 at Destin (Okaloosa) 14-30 Jan (C. Saleeby); 3 at Ponce de Leon Inlet 15 Jan (-i-M. Brothers); 12 at Alligator Point (Franklin) 18 Jan (-i-J. Murphy); 2 at Lake Seminole (Jackson) 19 Jan (K. Blanken- ship); 3 at Fort Clinch SP 25 Jan (R. Rowan); 1 at Parrish Park (Brevard) 26 Jan (-i-R. Geisler); 2 at Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR (St. Johns) 26-30 Jan (-i-A. Gonzalez); 1 at Alligator Lake Park (Columbia) 1 Feb (-i-J. Krummrich et al.); as many as 15 at Salt Run 7-15 Feb (-i-G. Williams et al.); 8 at Reddie Point Preserve (Duval) 10 Feb (T. Rohtsalu); 2 at Tram Road STF (Leon) 14 Feb (-i-E. Schunke, E. Woodruff); 24 at Lanceford Creek (Nassau) 17 Feb (P. Leary); 1 at Lemon Bay (Charlotte) 20 Feb (-i-B. Dunson). Black Scoter: as many as 1,000 at Alligator Point 1-2 Dec (J. Murphy, A. Wraithmell); 1 female at Spring Hill (Hernando) 3-5 Dec (B. & -i-A. Hansen); as many as 5,000 at Or- mond-by-the-Sea (Volusia) 4-25 Dec (M. Brothers); 5 at Fort De Soto Park 9 Dec (-i-B. Knight); 40 at Jupiter Inlet (Palm Beach) 9 Dec (A. Harper); 68 at Fort Lauderdale Beach (Broward,) 10 Dec (R. Titus); 300 at Sanibel Causeway 13 Dec (R. Parks); 33 at Boynton Beach Inlet 13 Dec (-i-R. Schofield); 3 at Hillsborough Bay (Hillsborough) 15 Dec (E. Kwater et al.); 157 at Honeymoon Island SP 27 Dec (E. Kwater et al.) was a record number for Pinellas', 1 inland at Lake Apopka NSRA 15 Jan (H. Robinson); 2 inland at Welling Park (Polk) 18 Jan (C. Fredricks); 15 at Salt Run 7-15 Feb (G. Wil- liams et al.); 20 near Fort De Soto Park 23 Feb (M. Burns); 150 wintered off Sanibel Island (fide C. Ewell); as many as 140 wintered at Charlotte Harbor (Charlotte', M. Manetz et al.). Long-tailed Duck: as many as 2 at Canaveral NS (Brevard) to 6 Dec (-i-J. Eager et al.); 1 at Parrish Park 19 Dec-EOS (-i-T. Dunkerton, J. Eager); 1 at Bald Point SP (Franklin) 27 Jan (-i-E. Schunke); 1 at Fort Clinch SP 9 Feb (A. Wraithmell); 1 at Salt Run 7 Feb-EOS (C. Hooker); 4 females at Titusville 9 Feb (E. Kwater); 1 adult male at Shell Point (Wakulla) 12 Feb (-i-J. Murphy). Bufflehead: 9 at Fred Howard Park 3 Dec (-i-T. Mast); 17 at Dunedin Causeway (Pinel- las) 7 Dec (D. Gagne et al.); 12 at Lake Weir (Marion) 12 Dec (A. Horst); 1 female at STA-IW (Palm Beach) 26 Jan (-hC. Callaghan). Common Goldeneye: 3 at Spring Hill to 9 Feb (B. & A. Hansen); 1 female at Brighton Bay (Pinellas) 3 Dec-13 Jan (-i-M. Burns); 2 at Gainesville (Alachua) 6 Dec-15 Feb (-i-B. Ewing); 1 at Weekiwachee Preserve (Hernando) 10 Dec (-i-A. & B. Hansen); as many as 12 at Tram Road STF 13-20 Dec (-i-A. Wraithmell); 1 at Cape Canaveral (Brevard) 14-15 Dec (-I-M. Harris); 1 first-year male at Ollie’s Pond Park 20 Dec-18 Feb (-i-J. Bouton et al.); 2 at Watermelon Pond (Alachua) 21 Dec (L. Davis); 3 at Handcart Road (Pasco) 26 Dec-16 Jan (D. Gagne et al.); 50 at St. Marks NWR 13 Jan (B. Phelan); 1 at Windermere (Orange) 29-31 Jan (C. Newton et al.). Hooded Merganser: 382 at Brighton Bay 14 Dec (M. Burns). *CoMMON Merganser: 1 female at Gulf Breeze 8-18 Dec (-i-B. Bremser); 1 female at Wal- nut Hill 30 Dec (G. Quigley); 1 female at Fort Island Beach 3 Jan (-i-K. Brabble). Ruddy Duck: 2,100 at Lake Jesup (Seminole) 14 Jan (R. Stalnaker); 1,470 at Lake Apop- ka NSRA 26 Jan (H. Robinson). Red-throated Loon: 1 at Mexico Beach (Gulf) 12 Dec (Neil Lamb et al.); 2 at Huguenot Memorial Park (Duval) 13 Dec (-i-C. Barrigar); 1 at Gulf Breeze 29 Dec-1 Jan (B. & L. Duncan et al.); 2 at Fort Pickens (Escambia) 30 Dec (G. Quigley); 1 at Little Tal- bot Island SP (Duval) 19 Jan (K. Dailey); 7 at Alligator Point 23 Jan (J. Murphy); 2 Field Observations 127 at South Ponte Vedra Park (St. Johns) 10 Feb (J. Becker); 2 at Salt Run 12 Feb (D. Reed). Pacific Loon: 1 at Gulf Breeze 7 Dec-8 Jan (B. & L. Duncan et al.); 1 at Lake Santa Fe (Alachua) 6 Feb-EOS C+R. Rowan, M. Manetz, J. Hintermister) for second consecu- tive winter; 1 at Fort Pickens 24 Feb (B. Duncan, R. Sinclair). Common Loon: as many as 8 at Lake Weir 7-12 Dec C+A. Horst); 103 at Fred Howard Park 14 Jan (D. Gagne et al.); 305 at South Skyway Fishing Pier (Hillsborough ! Manatee) 26 Jan (C. Cox, L. Deaner). Pied-billed Grebe: pair with 2 downy young at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 24 Feb (M. O’Sullivan). Horned Grebe: 2 at Lake Weir 9 Dec (A. Horst); 1 at Brandon (Hillsborough) 24 Dec (E. Kwater); 107 at Lake Santa Fe 6 Feb (R. Rowan, M. Manetz, J. Hintermister). Eared Grebe: 1 at Canaveral NS (Brevard) 1 Dec (-i-J. Eager et al.); 1 at Margate (Bro- ward) 12 Dec-EOS (G. Jones); 1 at Taminco Sanctuary (Santa Rosa) 27 Dec-27 Jan (L. Kelly, B. Furlow, P. Baker, L. Goodman). Sooty Shearwater: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 6 Dec (-i-L. Rogers). Audubon’s Shearwater: 1 at Alligator Point 1 Jan (J. Murphy). Magnificent Frigatebird: 64 at John’s Pass (Pinellas) 14 Dec (D. Goodwin, B. Pranty et al.); 2 at Honeymoon Island SP 21 Dec (E. Kwater et al.); 6 at Sebastian Inlet (Bre- vard ! Indian River) 28 Dec (N. Soucy); 51 off Crandon Park Beach (Miami-Dade) 5 Jan (R. Diaz). Brown Booby: 1 off Fort De Soto Park 5 Jan (-i-C. Cox); as many as 3 at Jetty Park (Bre- vard) 9-15 Feb (M. Wallace et al.). *Neotropic Cormorant: 2 mixed pairs of Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorant suc- cessfully bred at Wakodahatchee Wetlands (Palm Beach) from Nov until at least 3 Jan and fledged a total of 9 hybrids. Two other mixed pairs failed. At least 2 adults re- mained at Wakodahatchee until EOS (M. Berney et al.; photos & details to FOSRC). American White Pelican: 141 at Brandon 24 Dec (E. Kwater). Brown Pelican: 3 at Bivens Arm (Alachua) 4 Jan (M. Landsman). American Bittern: 75 at Lake Apopka NSRA 18 Dec (H. Robinson). Least Bittern: 1 at St. Marks NWR 18 Jan (S. Mitchell, -i-R. Hall); 1 at Big Lagoon SP (Escambia) 25 Jan (-i-B. Callaway, B. DeArman); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 31 Jan (R. Rowan, M. O’Sullivan). Great Blue Heron, white morph: 1 at Port Orange (Volusia) 7 Dec (-i-M. Brothers); 1 at Myakka River SP 10-23 Jan (S. Daughtrey et al.). Reddish Egret: 1 juvenile dark morph at Lake Apopka NSRA 8 Dec (H. Robinson). Cattle Egret: 13 at north Pensacola (Escambia) 20 Jan (B. & L. Duncan) where rare in winter. White Ibis: 3,580 at Lake Apopka NSRA 18 Dec (H. Robinson). Glossy Ibis: 9 at Brooker Creek Preserve (Pinellas) 11 Jan (R. Smith, B. Ahern); 600 at Orlando Wetlands Park (Orange) 5 Feb (T. Rodriguez); 940 at Lake Apopka NSRA 7 Feb (H. Robinson). White-faced Ibis: 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 8 Dec-EOS (J. Hintermister, D. Segal et al.); 1 at Lake City (Columbia) 4 Jan (J. Krummrich); 1 at Chapman’s Pond (Ala- chua) 11 Jan (T. Lyons); 1 at Merritt Island NWR 26 Jan (-i- R. Geisler et al.); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Jan & 7 Feb (H. Robinson); 12 at St. Marks NWR 15 Feb (A. Wraithmell). Roseate Spoonbill: 135 at Orlando Wetlands Park (Orange) 4 Feb (J. Leavens). Swallow-tailed Kite: 1 at Prairie Creek (Alachua) 15 Feb (C. Faulhaber); 1 at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (Lee) 15 Feb (R. Repenning). White-tailed Kite: 1 at LI Dike Road (Hendry) 4 Jan (-i-N. Price); 2 at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve (Okeechobee) 14 Jan-EOS (G. Williams et al.). Snail Kite: 1 at Henderson Lake (Citrus) 18-23 Feb (M. Radscheid). 128 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Great Black-Hawk: 1 adult wintered at Virginia Key (Miami-Dade; -i-Robin Diaz). Broad-winged Hawk: 1 wintered at Tierra Verde (E. Plage et al.); 20 soaring in a kettle at Dante Fascell Park {Miami-Dade) 1 Dec (C. Sanchez); 1 adult at St. Petersburg Beach (Pinellas) 12 Dec (-i-S. Crawford); 1 at Destin (Okaloosa) 16 Dec (B. Purdy); 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve 21 Dec (-i-R. Harrod, P. Plage); 1 at Rockledge (Brevard) 21 Dec (-I-T. Dunkerton); 2 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (Pinellas) 2 Feb (-f-S. Tava- glione). Short-tailed Hawk: 1 light morph at Lake Woodruff NWR (Volusia) 6 Dec (A. Horst et al.); 1 light morph at New Port Richey (Pasco) 9 Dec-27 Jan (D. Gagne); 1 dark morph at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve 11 Dec (S. Tavaglione); 1 dark morph at Cape Coral 16 Dec (C. Ewell et al.); 1 light morph at Sanibel Island 26 Dec-EOS (K. Werner et al.); as many as 2 at Palm Harbor (Pinellas) 8 Jan-26 Feb (J. Wells); 1 light morph at Crews Lake Park (Pasco) 5 Feb (B. Pranty, L. Gomez); 2 dark morphs at Sawgrass Lake Park (Pinellas) 7 Feb-EOS (J. Miller et al.) where this species has nested continu- ously since 2007 (fide R. Smith); 1 dark morph at Valrico (Hillsborough) 16 Feb (S. Backes); 1 dark morph at Arbuckle Creek (Highlands) 28 Feb (M. McMillian). Swainson’s Hawk: as many as 3 at the Okaloosa STF (Okaloosa) 5 Dec-24 Feb (B. & L. Duncan, -i-M. Swan); 1 east of Homosassa (Citrus) 11-16 Dec (E. Freeborn, -i-K. Brabble et al.); 1 at Archer (Alachua) 8-24 Dec (-i-N. Mueller et al.); 6 at STA-IW, 10 Feb (S. McKemy et al.). Red-tailed Hawk: 1 adult Krider’s at Lust Road (Orange) 15 Jan (-i-B. Stalnaker). Yellow Rail: 1 at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve SP 5 Jan (C. Butler et al.); 1 at Cedar Key (Levy) 18 Jan (A. Zions). Black Rail: as many as 3 at Merritt Island NWR to 28 Jan (G. Williams et al.); as many as 12 at Coastal Prairie Trail, Everglades NP (Monroe) 29 Dec-28 Jan (-i-L. Manfredi, M. Berney et al.). King Rail: 114 at Lake Apopka NSRA 18 Dec (H. Robinson). Sora: 152 at Lake Apopka NSRA 18 Dec (H. Robinson). Purple Swamphen: 1 at Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston (Hendry) 6 Dec (D. Simpson); 3 at Harney Pond Canal Recreation Area (Glades) 9 Feb (C. Fredricks et al.). Purple Gallinule: as many as 3 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP to 16 Feb (R. Rowan et al.). Limpkin: 39 at Newnans Lake (Alachua) 20 Feb (J. Hintermister, R. Rowan). Sandhill Crane: 5 at Apalachicola (Franklin) 27 Dec (J. Thornton). Whooping Crane: 1 at Double C Bar Ranch (Osceola) 12 Dec (B. Marcischak); 1 at San Felasco Hammock Preserve SP (Alachua) 10 Feb (M. Panqueva); 1 at Broadmoor WMA (Brevard) 13 Feb (C. Cimino); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 13 Feb (A. Christman). Black-bellied Plover: 180 wintered at Crandon Park Beach (Robin Diaz); 3 southwest of Buckhead Ridge (Glades) 19 Jan (C. Fredricks, B. Snow). American Golden-Plover: 1 at Tyndall AFB (Bay) 14 Dec (-i-P. Overmyer et al.); 1 at STA- lE (Palm Beach) 16 Feb (R. Schofield, C. Callaghan et al.). Snowy Plover: as many as 44 wintered at Anclote Key Preserve SP (Pinellas-, G. Deterra et al.); 20 at Carlos Pointe, Fort Myers Beach (Lee) 20 Feb (K. Laakkonen). Wilson’s Plover: 1 at Snook Islands Natural Area (Palm Beach) to 24 Feb (C. Callaghan); 32 at Fort De Soto Park 4 Dec (D. Sauvageau); as many as 4 at Crandon Park Beach 3 Jan-EOS (Robin Diaz). Piping Plover: 37 wintered at Crandon Park Beach (Robin Diaz); 26 at Fort De Soto Park 4 Dec (D. Sauvageau); 73 at Anclote Key Preserve SP 20 Dec (S. Sauvageau) & 40 there 7 Feb (E. Plage, P. Plage). American Oystercatcher: 2 at Pensacola 11-17 Jan (J. & B. Callaway et al.); 12 at South Marco Island (Collier) 22 Feb (T. Below, V. Below). Field Observations 129 Black-necked Stilt: 3 wintered at Pinellas County Landfill {Pinellas', R. Smith et al.); 20 at Lake Apopka NSRA 20 Dec (H. Robinson). American Avocet: 6 at Fort De Soto Park 3 Dec (-i-D. Sauvageau). Solitary Sandpiper: 2 wintered at Old Keystone Road {Pinellas-, +T. Mast); 1 at Brooks- ville {Hernando) 28 Dec (K. & K. Brabble); 1 at Hillsborough STF {Hillsborough) 1 Jan (C. Cox); 1 at Welaka National Fish Hatchery {Putnam) 8 Feb (V. Ponzo et al.). Lesser Yellowlegs: 63 at Auton Road {Pasco) 8 Dec (D. Gagne et al.). Whimbrel: 7 at South Marco Island 22 Feb (T. Below, V. Below). Long-billed Curlew: 1 wintered at Fort De Soto Park (fide R. Smith); 1 male wintered at Bunche Beach Preserve {Lee) for eleventh consecutive year (C. Ewell et al.); 1 win- tered at Joe Overstreet Road (J. Stefancic); 1 at Indian Pass {Gulf) 2 Dec (A. Wraith- mell); 3 at Hillsborough Bay 15 Dec (E. Kwater et al.). *Bar-tailed Godwit: 1 adult European (L. 1. lapponica) wintered at Fred Howard Park north to Key Vista Nature Park (h-T. Mast, h-G. Deterra et al.). Marbled Godwit: 1 at Huguenot Memorial Park 15 Feb (J. Wheat). Pectoral Sandpiper: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 8-20 Dec (H. Robinson). Purple Sandpiper: as many as 3 at Ponce de Leon Inlet to 26 Jan (A. Horst et al.); 3 at Fort Clinch SP 8 Dec (P. Leary); as many as 3 at Huguenot Memorial Park 8-12 Dec (K. Dailey, -i-P. Graham); as many as 2 at Jetty Park 14 Dec-19 Jan (M. Harris). Dunlin: 6,000 at Merritt Island NWR 24 Dec (B. Stalnaker); 30 at STA-5, 25 Jan (M. England et al.). Stilt Sandpiper: 12 at Auton Road 8-9 Dec (D. Gagne et al.). Long-billed Dowitcher: 25 at Twin Lakes {Hillsborough) 12 Jan (-i-B. Ahern); 120 at Or- lando Wetlands Park 2 Feb (S. Simmons). American Woodcock: 2 at Betz Tiger Point {Duval) 28 Dec-1 Jan (R. Clark); as many as 3 at Research Road, Everglades NP {Miami-Dade) 13 Jan (M. Berney); 1 on nest with four eggs at Camp Blanding {Clay) 28 Feb (D. Greene). Red-necked Phalarope: 1 at Merritt Island NWR 5 Dec (+M. Harris). Black-legged Kittiwake: 1 at Boynton Beach Inlet 16 Dec (-i-M. Gomes); 1 at Sebastian Inlet 28 Dec (D. Simpson); 1 first-cycle at Daytona Beach Shores {Volusia) 9 Jan (+G. Williams et al.). Bonaparte’s Gull: 1 at Virginia Key 15 Dec (Robin Diaz); 440 at Lake Apopka NSRA 22 Jan (H. Robinson). *Black-headed Gull: 1 adult at Welaka National Fish Hatchery 5-27 Feb (-i-M. Dryden et al.). *Little Gull: 1 first-cycle at Lake Apopka NSRA 16 Dec (H. Robinson). Franklin’s Gull: 1 at Fort Myers Beach 2 Dec (+V. McGrath); 1 at Port St. Joe {Gulf) 2 Dec (A. Wraithmell); 1 first-cycle at Fort De Soto Park 2 Dec-EOS (+D. Irizarry); 1 at Cutler Wetlands {Miami-Dade) 21 Dec (R. Torres); 1 at New Port Richey 5 Jan (-i-K. Tracey). ^California Gull: 1 adult at Daytona Beach Shores 6 Jan-24 Feb & 1 first-cycle there 26-27 Feb (+M. Brothers et al.). Iceland Gull: 1 first-cycle at Huguenot Memorial Park 2 Jan (-i-M. McShane); as many as 2 at Daytona Beach Shores 3-26 Feb (-i-M. Brothers); 1 at Matanzas Inlet {St. Johns) 10 Feb (G. Davis). Lesser Black-backed Gull: as many as 10 wintered at Sanibel Island (C. Ewell et al.); 1 at Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston 6 Dec (D. Simpson); 1 at Pine Island {Hernando) 8 Dec & 6-12 Feb (-i-A. & B. Hansen); 1 at Key Vista Nature Park {Pasco) 13 Dec (D. Gagne); 1 at Ben T. Davis Beach 17 Dec-22 Feb (C. Cox); 1 at Fort Island Beach 18 Dec (K. & K. Brabble); 1 at Destin 23 Dec (M. Swan); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 15 Jan (H. Robinson); 2 at Gulf Breeze 25 Jan-1 Feb (B. & L. Duncan, T. & S. King); 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 27 Dec-1 Jan (E. Kwater et al.); 1 at Fort McRae {Escambia) 4 Feb (D. Vander Pluym, L. Harter). 130 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Glaucous Gull: 1 at Huguenot Memorial Park 15 Dec (K. Dailey); 1 at Fort Clinch SP 1 & 15 Jan (J. Knoll, J. Dinsmore); 1 first-cycle at Daytona Beach Shores 21 Jan-26 Feb (-I-M. Brothers); 1 at Little Talbot Island SP 11 Feb (R. Becker); 1 at Pompano Beach {Broward) 14 Feb-EOS C+W. Parker); 1 at South Dade Landfill (Miami-Dade) 22 Feb-EOS (T. Mitchell et ah). Great Black-backed Gull: 1 adult at Sanibel Causeway 15 Dec-EOS (C. Ewell et ah); 1 first-cycle at Fort Pickens 14 Jan-14 Feb (B. & L. Duncan); 1 first-cycle at Gulf Breeze 24 Jan-6 Feb (B. & L. Duncan, T. & S. King). Sooty Tern: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 23 Feb (+M. Kenderdine). Gull-billed Tern: 1 at Honeymoon Island SP 21 Dec (+E. Kwater et al.); 1 at Alligator Creek (Nassau) 2 Feb (P Leary); 2 at Salt Run 2 Feb (D. Reed); 1 at Pompano Beach 19 Feb (R. Titus). Caspian Tern: 100 at STA-5, 4 Jan (C. Ewell, M. England, et al.). Common Tern: as many as 11 at Fort De Soto Park 9-10 Dec (+E. Plage et al.); 2 at Vi- era Wetlands 11-12 Dec (-i-T. Dunkerton); 1 at Pinellas Bayway {Pinellas)14 Dec (B. Ahern); 1 at Bald Point SP 12 Jan (J. Murphy). Royal Tern: 1 at Pa 3 mes Prairie Preserve SP 4 Feb (A. Wilson, P. Polshek); 1 at Gaines- ville 19 Feb (S. Ewing, D. Ewing). Parasitic Jaeger: 2 at Alligator Point 1 Jan (J. Murphy). ^Razorbill: 1 at Flagler Beach (Flagler) 13 Dec was brought into rehab at Marine Sci- ence Center (-i-M. Brothers; photos to FOSRC). *Long-billed Murrelet: 1 found at Gulf Stream (Palm Beach) 27 Dec and later expired (fide A. Kratter, specimen to Florida Museum of Natural History, UF). White-crowned Pigeon: 1 at J. N. “Ding” Darling NWR (Lee) 7 Dec and 25 Feb-EOS (R. Hill, S. Stilwell, -i-J. Padilla- Jose). White-winged Dove: 25 at Bayonet Point 2 Dec C+B. Pranty); 1 at Fort Island Beach 13 Dec (M. Gardler); 61 at The Villages (Marion) 28 Jan (J. Dinsmore). *Ruddy Quail-Dove: 1 female at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP (Miami-Dade) to 5 Feb (-i-Robin Diaz et al.; photos to FOSRC). Groove-billed Ani: 2 at Fort Pickens 2-30 Dec (B. & J. Callaway et al.). Barn Owl: 1 at St. Marks NWR 15 Jan (J. Cavanagh). *Snowy Owl: 1 at Little Talbot Island SP 27 Dec-21 Jan (+E. & G. Pourchot) provided the third Florida record. Short-eared Owl: 1 at Shired Island (Dixie) 7 Feb (T. Rodriguez). Lesser Nighthawk: 2 at Everglades NP (Miami-Dade) 8 Feb (A. Harper). Chuck-will’s-widow: 1 at Fort Pickens 27 Dec (J. Callaway); 1 female at Riverfront Pre- serve (Hillsborough) 4 Jan (-i-E. Haney, C. Fisher et al.). *Chaetura species: 1 at Jay B. Starkey Park (Pasco) 28 Dec (-i-J. Colontonio; photos to FOSRC). Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 39 were banded throughout the season from Escambia to Polk (fide B. Anderson). Buff-bellied Hummingbird: 1 at Apalachicola 15 Jan-16 Feb (-i-M. Berney et al.); 1 adult male at Tallahassee (Leon) 7-23 Feb (E. Schunke et al.) Black-chinned Hummingbird: 14 were banded throughout the season from Okaloosa to Alachua, with 8 banded in Tallahassee (fide B. Anderson); 1 at Gainesville 18 Jan-8 Feb (fide R. Rowan). Calliope Hummingbird: 1 adult male at Blountstown (Calhoun) to 4 Dec (-i-T. & K. Mac- Clendon); 1 female at Lutz (Hillsborough) 18 Dec-21 Jan (-i-T. & A. Mason) provided the fiYQi Hillsborough record; 1 adult male at High Springs (Alachua) 3 Jan-EOS (-i-J. & M. Lynch); 1 male at Apalachicola 15 Jan (-i-J. Murphy); 1 at Gainesville 18 Jan (fide R. Rowan); 1 at Tallahassee 29 Jan (-i-E. Schunke). Rufous Hummingbird: 92 were banded throughout the season from Escambia to Marion, with 42 banded in the Panhandle, 40 banded in the Big Bend, and 10 banded in the Field Observations 131 northern peninsula (fide B. Anderson); 3 wintered at Valrico (S. Backes); as many as 2 at Castellow Hammock Park (Miami-Dade) to 22 Feb (R. Diaz et al.); as many as 4 wintered at Gainesville (fide R. Rowan); 1 at High Springs 16-25 Jan (J. & M. Ljmch); 1 at San Mateo (Duval) 11 Jan (D. Foster); 1 adult male at Inverness (Citrus) 25 Jan (K. & K. Brabble); 1 male at Temple Terrace (Hillsborough) 9-16 Feb (B. Ahern); 1 at Jacksonville (Duval) 13-18 Feb (K. Comer). Red-headed Woodpecker: 1 juvenile at Tierra Verde 28 Feb (T. & L. Bell). Hairy Woodpecker: 3 at Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve (Hillsborough) 1 Dec-19 Jan (B. Ahern, -i-D. Irizarry et al.); 1 at New Port Richey 27 Dec (D. Gagne); 1 near Green- wood (Jackson) 4 Jan (E. Schunke); 1 at Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve (Alachua) 17 Jan (M. Manetz). Northern Flicker: 7 at Hillsborough STF 1 Jan (C. Cox). Crested Caracara: 1 at South Dade Landfill 30 Dec-2 Jan (-i-L. Manfredi). Merlin: 1 preyed upon a yellow-colored warbler at Weekiwachee Preserve 9 Dec (B. Pranty, E. Dupuis). Peregrine Falcon: 3 at Hillsborough Bay 15 Dec (E. Kwater et al.). Monk Parakeet: 1 at Lake City 13 Dec (-i-K. Chiasson). Nanday Parakeet: 40 at Fort Myers (Lee) 27 Jan (T. Obrock). Blue-crowned Parakeet: 30 at Fort Lauderdale (Broward) 7 Feb (R. Titus); 8 at Vero Beach (Indian River) 26 Feb (C. Cimino). Crimson-fronted Parakeet: 6 at Virginia Gardens (Miami-Dade) 31 Dec (P. Bithorn et al.). Scarlet-fronted Parakeet: 6 at Virginia Gardens 31 Dec (P. Bithorn et al.). Mitred Parakeet: 20 at Biscayne Gardens (Miami-Dade) 14 Dec (J. Boyd); 1 at North Venice (Sarasota) 21 Feb (J. Kuhn; details to FOG). White-eyed Parakeet: 50 at Biscayne Gardens 14 Dec (J. Boyd). Lilac-crowned Parrot: 10 at South Miami (Miami-Dade) 10 Feb (J. Crittenden et al.). Orange-winged Parrot: 25 at Matheson Hammock Park (Miami-Dade) 5 Feb (G. Boucha- rd). Least Flycatcher: 2 wintered at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP (F. Goodwin, M. Bruce et al.); as many as 5 wintered at Lake Apopka NSRA (H. Robinson et al.); 1 at Frog Pond WMA (Miami-Dade) 11-12 Dec (A. Harper et al.); 2 at Lemon Bay Preserve (Sarasota) 19 Jan (-I-C. Herzog et al.); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 31 Jan (R. Rowan, M. O’Sullivan); 1 at C-lllE Canal (Miami-Dade) 21 Feb (C. Sanchez). Say’s Phoebe: 1 wintered at Four Mile Grade Road (DeSoto; D. Robbins, C. Fredricks et al.). Vermilion Flycatcher: 1 male wintered at Orlando Wetlands Park (J. Leavens et al.); 1 male at Carabelle (Franklin) 1 Dec-27 Jan (S. Parker, -i-J. Murphy et al.); 1 wintered at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP (-i-J. Mays et al.); 1 female at Lake Apopka NSRA 17 Dec-EOS (H. Robinson); 1 north of Indiantown (Martin) 23 Dec (-i-K. Cunningham) provided the first Martin record; 1 at St. Marks NWR 6 Jan (D. Morrow). Ash-throated Flycatcher: as many as 9 wintered at Lake Apopka NSRA (H. Robinson); singles at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 15 Dec & 14 Feb (D. Dacol, J. Hintermister et al.); 1 at River Lakes Conservation Area to 19 Jan (-i-J. Eager); 1 at Auton Road 3-9 Dec (-I-D. Gagne et al.); 1 at James Road, NW of Dade City (Pasco) 11 Dec (+K. Tracey); 1 at Old Homosassa (Citrus) 18 Jan (-i-K. Brabble); 1 at Fort Pierce (St. Lucie) 1 Feb (-I-B. Webster). Brown-crested Flycatcher: 1 at Frog Pond WMA 1 Dec-8 Jan (B. Boeringer et al.); 1 at West Delray Regional Park (Palm Beach) 28 Jan (C. Callaghan); 5 at C-lllE Canal 21 Feb-EOS (C. Sanchez et al.). La Sagra’s Flycatcher: 1 at Matheson Hammock Park 8 Dec-EOS (C. Sanchez, -i-D. Smyth et al.); 1 at Spanish River Park (Palm Beach) 29 Jan (C. Callaghan). 132 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Tropical Kingbird: 1 wintered at STA-5 for third consecutive year (M. England et al.); 1 at Tamiami Trail (Miami-Dade) 22 Dec (+D. Bernstein et ah). *Cassin’s Kingbird: 1 wintered 11 km west of Bunnell {Flagler) for second consecutive year (+J. Hintermister et al.); 2 wintered at Deer Fence Canal Road {Hendry, M. England et al.). Western Kingbird: as many as 26 at Bartow {Polk) to 29 Jan (C. Fredricks et al.); 2 at Alligator Point 1 Dec (J. Murphy); 5 at Mayport {Duval) 13 Dec-5 Jan (D. Pridgen); 1 at Golding Loop Road {Hillsborough) 15 Dec (C. Cox); 1 at Watermelon Pond 21-23 Dec (-I-L. Davis); as many as 2 at Ocala {Marion) 29 Dec-4 Feb (-i-F. Hileman et al.); as many as 10 at Long Boat Key {Manatee) 1-10 Jan (J. Ginaven); as many as 2 at Fort De Soto Park 4-17 Jan (E. Plage); 1 at Rosewood {Levy) 5 Jan (B. Pfeiffer); 1 at Sanibel Island 6 Jan (D. & L. Stokes); 1 at Green Key Road {Pasco) 11-14 Jan (-i-M. Ranck); 1 at Palm Harbor 14-19 Feb (-i-M. Korosy); 1 at Providence Road {Brevard) 26 Feb-EOS (P. Mansfield); 6 at Shark Valley, Everglades NP {Miami-Dade) 26 Feb (C. Sanchez). Gray Kingbird: 1 wintered at STA-5 for third consecutive year (M. England et al.). ScissoR-TAiLED FLYCATCHER: as many as 5 at Bartow to 29 Jan (C. Fredricks et al.); 2 at Golding Loop Road 15 Dec-27 Jan (B. Pranty, V. Ponzo et al.); as many as 3 south of Ocala Airport {Marion) 29 Dec-4 Feb (-i-F. Hileman, K. Brabble); 1 at the Okaloosa STF 4 Jan (M. Swan); 3 at Sanibel Island 9 Jan (K. Werner et al.); as many as 20 win- tered at Deer Fence Canal Road (M. England et al.); 2 at Cypress Island Fish Camp Road {Highlands) 28 Feb (M. McMillian). Bell’s Vireo: 1 at Frog Pond WMA 15 Feb (Robin Diaz). Yellow-throated Vireo: 1 at Biscayne Gardens 14 Dec (J. Boyd); 1 at Snake Bight Trail, Everglades NP {Monroe) 18 Jan (B. Showier); 1 at Homestead {Miami-Dade) 22 Feb (J. Boyd); 1 at Jay Blanchard Park {Orange) 26 Feb (J. Leavens); 1 in song at John Chesnut Park {Pinellas) 27 Feb (-i-T. Mast). Florida Scrub-Jay: 1 male at Weekiwachee Preserve 9 Dec (-i-B. Pranty, E. Dupuis) where has been present for at least three years. Horned Lark: 3 near Mayo {Lafayette) 15-17 Feb (T. Rodriguez, D. Robbins). Purple Martin: 1 female at Jay B. Starkey Park 29 Dec (D. Gagne, T. Kalbach); 1 at Melbourne {Brevard) 15 Jan (J. Wherley). *ViOLET-GREEN SwALLOw: 1 at Coastal Prairie Trail, Everglades NP 10 & 12-15 Jan (-1- S. Galick, G. Davis, T. Johnson; photos to FOSRC) provided the first Florida record. Northern Rough-winged Swallow: 1 at Tierra Verde 12 Dec (E. Plage); as many as 6 at Holiday {Pasco) 16 Dec-9 Jan (-i-B. Pranty et al.); 1 at Apalachicola 27 Dec (M. Broth- ers); 1 at Hague Dairy {Alachua) 4-9 Feb (M. Manetz, R. Rowan, G. Israel). Bank Swallow: 6 at Coastal Prairie Trail, Everglades NP 10 Jan (L. Manfredi). Cave Swallow: 1 at Destin 16 Dec (B. & J. Callaway); 3 at Taylor Slough, Everglades NP {Miami-Dade) 14 Jan (D. Simpson); 3 at Alligator Point 22 Jan (M. Berney, -i-J. Mur- phy); 1 Mexican pallida at St. Marks NWR 24 Jan (M. Berney). Barn Swallow: 40 at Frog Pond WMA 6 Dec (B. Carlson); 20 at Research Road, Ever- glades NP 16 Dec (R. Urgelles); 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Feb (H. Robinson). Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1 wintered at Gainesville (S. Zoellner et al.). Brown-headed Nuthatch: 3 at Brooker Creek Preserve 21 Dec (-i-L. & D. Margeson et al.). Brown Creeper: 1 at Florence Point {Nassau) 1 Feb (A. Schumann). Winter Wren: 1 at Florida Caverns SP {Jackson) 23 Jan (M. Berney); 4 at Ponce de Leon {Holmes) 10 Feb (B. & L. Duncan); 1 at Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail {Alachua) 16-23 Feb (J. Mays). Golden-crowned Kinglet: 1 at St. Marks NWR 8 Dec (D. Morrow); 1 at Tall Timbers Research Station {Leon) 23 Jan (M. Berney); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 30 Dec (H. Robinson). Eastern Bluebird: 1 leucistic at Spring Hill 15 Dec-24 Feb (-i-C. Black). Field Observations 133 Hermit Thrush: 3 at Riverbend Park {Palm Beach) 25 Jan (C. Callaghan). Wood Thrush: 1 at Taminco Sanctuary 30 Dec (L. Kelly); 1 at Torreya SP {Liberty) 24 Jan (+M. Berney) provided the second Florida winter record. American Pipit: as many as 8 at Pinellas County Landfill {Pinellas) 14-17 Dec (D. Good- win, J. Mangold); 1 at Fort Lauderdale 31 Dec (R. Titus). Sprague’s Pipit: as many as 3 at Apalachicola to 7 Feh (J. Murphy et ah). Cedar Waxwing: 1,500 at The Villages {Sumter) 7 Feb (J. Dinsmore). Lapland Longspur: as many as 2 at Okaloosa STF 5 Dec-5 Jan (B. & L. Duncan, -i-B. Wallace et al.); 1 at the Wright Compost Facility {Okaloosa) 5 Dec (S. Tagatz); 1 at Pinellas County Landfill 14-16 Dec (-i-J. Mangold, D. Goodwin) provided the second Pinellas record; 1 at Fort Pickens 26 Jan (B & L. Duncan et ah). Snow Bunting: 3 at Huguenot Memorial Park 13 Dec-EOS (-i-P. Leary); 1 at St. Andrews SP {Bay) 8-22 Feb (-^N. Cobb). Worm-eating Warbler: 1 at Enchanted Forest Park {Miami-Dade) 4 Dec-23 Jan (A. Harper); 2 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 8 Dec (J. Patterson); 1 at Lohlolly Woods Park {Alachua) 27 Feb (-i-M. O’Sullivan). Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 at Greynolds Park {Miami-Dade) 14 Dec (J. Boyd); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 9 Feb (H. Robinson); 1 at Gainesville 14 Feb (A. Kratter); 1 at Morris Bridge Park {Hillsborough) 20 Feb (R. Webb); 1 at Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area {Brevard) 22 Feb (D. Simpson); 1 at Brooker Creek Preserve 22-23 Feb (-i-R. Smith, E. Plage); 2 at John Chesnut Park 23-27 Feb (T. Mast, C. Gjervold). Northern Waterthrush: as many as 5 wintered at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP (A. Zions, S. Collins et ah); 1 at St. Marks NWR 14 Jan (E. Orf, J. Murphy). Blue-winged Warbler: 1 at Frog Pond WMA 9-12 Dec (-i-L. Manfredi et ah); 1 at Eco Pond, Everglades NP {Monroe) 13 Jan (M. Berney). Black-and-white Warbler: 1 at Pensacola 13 Feb (C. Bunch). Tennessee Warbler: 2 at Easterlin Park {Broward) 7 Dec (J. Hutchison, R. Titus); 1 at Silver Glen Springs {Marion) 23 Jan (T. Geernaert, D. Fraser; details to FOC). Nashville Warbler: 1 wintered at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park (C. Sanchez); 1 at Possum Branch Preserve {Pinellas) to 23 Feb (J. Wells, -i-M. James et al.); 1 at Frog Pond WMA 9 Dec (-i-L. Manfredi et al.). *MacGillivray’s Warbler: 1 male at Riverbend Park 28 Feb-EOS (C. Weber, -i-C. Cal- laghan) provided the second Palm Beach record. American Redstart: 3 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 8 Dec (J. Patterson); 1 male at Holiday {Pasco) 18 Dec-2 Feb (-i-K. Tracey); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 8 Jan (L. Davis) & 1 there 3 Feb (M. Kalinowski, E. Kalinowski); 1 at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve SP 19 Jan (C. Fredricks, B. Snow). Cape May Warbler: 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 8 Dec (H. Robinson); as many as 2 at Lori Wilson Park {Brevard) 7-27 Jan (P. Mansfield); 1 at Vero Beach {Indian River) 4 Feb (B. Wagner). Northern Parula: 1 at Fountain of Youth {St. Johns) 30 Dec (D. Doyle); 1 at St. Marks NWR 14 Jan (J. Murphy, E. Orf); 12 males at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP 5 Feb (Robin Diaz). Magnolia Warbler: 1 at Enchanted Forest Park 4 Dec-23 Jan (A. Harper); 1 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 8 Dec (J. Patterson); 2 at Frog Pond WMA 11 Dec (A. Harper et al.); 1 at Snake Bight Trail, Everglades NP 18 Jan (B. Showier). Yellow Warbler: 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 1 Dec (-i-J. Hintermister); 1 at Gulf Harbors 5 Dec (-i-K. Tracey); 1 at STA-IE, 1 Feb (J. Boyd, C. Weber). Blackpoll Warbler: 1 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park to 2 Dec (B. Boeringer); 1 at Easterlin Park 6 Dec (R. Titus). Black-throated Blue Warbler: 3 at Enchanted Forest Park 4 Dec-23 Jan (A. Harper). Yellow-rumped Warbler: 1 Audubon’s at County Line Ditch Road {Volusia) 14 Dec (-i-M. Brothers); 1,080 at Lake Apopka NSRA 23 Feb (H. Robinson). 134 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Prairie Warbler: 1 at Cedar Point {Duval) 28 Dec (T. Rohtsalu); 1 at north Escambia 22 Feb (D. Stangeland). Townsend’s Warbler: 1 male at Frog Pond WMA 8-15 Dec (+A. & M. Abreu et al.). Black-throated Green Warbler: as many as 3 wintered at Six Mile Slough Preserve (C. Ewell et ah); 1 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park 8 Dec (J. Patterson); 1 at Bell Creek Preserve {Hillsborough) 15 Dec (D. Bowman); 2 at Newnans Lake 15 Dec (A. Kratter, B. Wallace); 1 at River Rise Preserve SP {Columbia) 17 Dec (R. Rowan, D. Pearson); 2 at Castellow Hammock Park 19 Dec (R. Diaz); 1 at Largo City Park {Pinellas) 23 Dec (-I-K. Duncan). Wilson’s Warbler: 1 male at Auton Road to 16 Jan (+B. Pranty, D. Gagne et al.); 1 at Frog Pond WMA 1 Dec-22 Feb (B. Boeringer); 1 at Lake Alice {Alachua) 4-16 Dec (M. Joos, S. Robinson); 1 male near Walsingham Park {Pinellas) 28 Dec-EOS (-i-C. Paonessa); 2 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 29 Dec-29 Jan (M. Manetz et al.); 2 at Lafayette Heri- tage Trail Park {Leon) 1 Jan (-i-E. Schunke); 1 at Snake Bight Trail, Everglades NP 18-20 Jan (B. Showier, -i-M. Berney); 1 male at West Delray Regional Park 28 Jan (C. Callaghan); 1 at Frog Pond WMA 6-22 Feb (C. Sanchez et al.); 1 at Fernandina Beach {Nassau) 8 Feb (P. Leary). Yellow-breasted Chat: 1 at Frog Pond WMA 6 Dec (B. Carlson); 1 at Research Road, Everglades NP 16 Dec (M. Davis); 1 at Green Cay Wetlands {Palm Beach) 8 Jan- 26 Feb (C. Callaghan et al.); 1 at Cedar Key 9 Jan-EOS (D. Henderson); as many as 4 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 25 Jan-17 Feb (C. Burney, L. Davis et al.); 1 at Loxahatchee NWR {Palm Beach) 29 Jan (C. Callaghan); 1 at Johnsons Pond, Withla- coochee SF {Citrus) 30 Jan (K. Brabble). Chipping Sparrow: 1 at Fort De Soto Park 19 Dec (E. Plage); 1 leucistic at Zephyrhills {Pasco) 1 Jan (-i-J. Strong). Clay-colored Sparrow: 1 at Wolf Branch Creek Preserve {Hillsborough) 15 Dec (S. Backes); 1 at Lake Apopka NSRA 8 Jan & 9 Feb (H. Robinson); 1 at Inverness 25 Jan (K. & K. Brabble); 1 at Fort Pickens 26 Jan (B. & L. Duncan, C. Brown); 1 at Hague Dairy 30 Jan-8 Feb (L. Davis). Field Sparrow: 1 at Crooked Lake Prairie {Polk) 5 Dec (D. Estabrooks); singles at Brook- er Creek Preserve 17-18 Dec & 11 Jan (-i-T. Mast, T. Kalbach); 1 at Lust Road 17-19 Jan (-I-B. Stalnaker); 1 at Flatford Swamp Preserve {Manatee) 27 Jan (S. Wilson); 24 at Lake Apopka NSRA 29 Jan (H. Robinson). Lark Sparrow: 1 at Cockroach Bay Preserve to 26 Jan (B. Ahern et al.); 1 at Auton Road 3 Dec-EOS (D. Gagne et al.); 1 at Pensacola 14 Dec (P. Baker); 2 at Church Road {Hendry) 29 Jan (V. McGrath et al.); 1 at Pinellas County Landfill 13 Jan-19 Feb (+M. Burns); 1 at Wakulla Springs SP {Wakulla) 14 Feb (S. Fried). Le Conte’s Sparrow: 1 at St. Marks NWR 26 Jan (E. Schunke); 2 at Weekiwachee Pre- serve 11 Jan-1 Feb (D. Gagne et al.); 1 at Mullet Lake Park {Seminole) 14 Feb (-i-S. Simmons). Nelson’s Sparrow: 5 wintered at Fort De Soto Park (E. Plage); as many as 3 at Gulf Harbors 5 Dec (-i-K. Tracey, V. Ponzo, -i-B. Pranty); 4 at Honeymoon Island SP 21 Dec (E. Kwater et al.); 8 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 17 Jan-2 Feb (-i-K. Allen et al.); 5 at Tippecanoe Environmental Park {Charlotte) 21-27 Jan (M. Manetz); 5 banded at Shell Key Preserve 16 Feb with one being a re-capture from the same site 16 Feb 2013 (L. Deaner et al.). Saltmarsh Sparrow: 3 wintered at Fort De Soto Park (E. Plage); as many as 4 wintered at Bunch Beach Preserve (Lee; -i-J. Padilla-Lopez, C. Ewell et al.); 1 at Fort Island Beach 6 Dec (K. & K. Brabble); 2 at Cockroach Bay Preserve 17 Jan-2 Feb (-i-K. Allen et al.) provided the first Hillsborough record; 1 banded at Shell Key Preserve 16 Feb (L. Deaner et al.). Fox Sparrow: 1 at Gainesville 12 Dec (A. Kratter); 1 at Prairie Creek Lodge {Alachua) 9-30 Jan (C. Burney). Field Observations 135 Song Spaerow: 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve 7-12 Dec (R. Smith et al.); 1 at Hillsbor- ough River SP {Hillsborough) 25 Dec-1 Jan (B. Ahern). Lincoln’s Sparrow: 1 at Roosevelt Wetland {Pinellas) 13 Dec (-i-S. Tavaglione); 1 at Avalon Beach {Santa Rosa) 14 Dec (L. Duncan); 1 at Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve {Hills- borough) 15 Dec (B. Ahern, D. Goodwin); 1 at C-357 Fields {Miami-Dade) 19 Dec (R. Diaz); 1 at Possum Branch Preserve 21-23 Dec (J. Mangold); 1 at Chekika Unit, Ever- glades NP {Miami-Dade) 15 Jan (C. Sanchez); 1 at Tall Timbers Research Station 23 Jan (M. Berney); 2 at STA-3/4 {Palm Beach) 31 Jan (-i-C. Callaghan). White-throated Sparrow: 1 at Tippecanoe Environmental Park 26-27 Jan (-i-M. Manetz); 2 at Lake Apopka NSRA 26 Jan (H. Robinson). White-crowned Sparrow: 1 at South Fork, Stuart {Martin) 3-5 Dec (-i-N. Price); 1 adult gambelii at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP {Alachua) 16 Dec (-i-L. Davis et al.); 1 first- cycle gambelii at Fort De Soto Park 4-13 Jan (-i-E. Plage); 9 at Lust Road 8 Jan (B. Stalnaker); 1 first-cycle at Lake Apopka NSRA 11 Jan (h-G. Williams, et al.); I at Chekika Unit, Everglades NP 15 Jan (C. Sanchez). Dark-eyed Junco: 3 at Tallahassee 6 Jan (R. Cassidy) and 1 there 13 Dec (B. Phelan); 1 at north Jacksonville 9-12 Feb (R. Conklin). Summer Tanager: 1 wintered at Gainesville (A. & G. Kent); 3 at A. D. “Doug” Barnes Park II Dec (A. Harper et al.); 1 at Pace {Santa Rosa) 15 Dec-16 Feb (D. Stangeland); 1 at Castellow Hammock Park 19 Dec (R. Diaz); 1 at Apalachicola 27 Dec (-i-M. Brothers, J. Murphy); 1 at Valrico 10 Jan-1 Feb (S. Backes); 1 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve 2-4 Feb (-I-E. Plage); 1 at Pensacola 14-18 Feb (J. Brinson); 1 at Wekiwa Springs SP {Orange) 19 Feb (B. Stalnaker); 1 at Tallahassee 27 Feb (J. Langley). Western Tanager: 1 male at Melbourne 4 Dec-9 Jan (-i-L. Pernas-Giz); 1 at Frog Pond WMA 9 Dec (-i-L. Manfredi et al.); 1 at Cedar Point {Duval) 28 Dec (K. Dailey); 1 at McKethan Lake Park {Hernando) 28 Dec-6 Jan {+A. & B. Hansen et al.); 1 at Lust Road 1-31 Jan (-i-S. Simmons); 1 at Tallahassee 8 Jan (T. Loyless, -i-E. Schunke); 1 at Fort De Soto Park 10 Jan-5 Feb (-i-J. Clayton); 1 at New Port Richey 10 Jan (+ J. Bolger); 1 at High Springs 16 Jan-8 Feb (K. Brabble); 1 male near Richardson Park {Broward) 27 Jan C+M. & B. Mulligan). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 at Frog Pond WMA 8 Dec (L. Manfredi et al.); 1 male at Lake Park {Palm Beach) 25-26 Dec (-i-C. Kline, S. Bollinger); 1 wintered at Vero Beach (B. Wagner). Blue Grosbeak: as many as 6 wintered at Lake Apopka NSRA (H. Robinson); as many as 6 at Frog Pond WMA/Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area 6 Dec-EOS (B. Carlson, R. Diaz et al.); 1 at Okaloosa STF 16 Dec (B. & L. Duncan); 1 at Mi- canopy {Alachua) 12 Jan (F. Goodwin); 1 at Paynes Prairie Preserve SP 22-30 Jan (D. Gagne et al.); 1 at Fort De Soto Park 5 Feb (J. Gala). *Lazuli Bunting: 1 male south of Teague Hammock Preserve {St. Lucie) 28 Feb (-i-H. Rufe, N. & B. LaFramboise et al.) provided the second St. Lucie record. Indigo Bunting: 1 at Pensacola 5 Jan (-i-V. Hedrick); 1 at Tallahassee 9 Jan (F. Rutkovsky, -i-J. Cavanagh). Painted Bunting: as many as 16 ai Alachua throughout the season (C. Miller, L. Davis et al.); 1 first-winter male at Gulf Breeze 9 Jan-1 Feb (B. & -i-L. Duncan); 1 at Tal- lahassee 13 Jan (-I-T. Tanaka); 2 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve 16 Jan-20 Feb (S. Tavaglione). Dickcissel: 1 at Auton Road 9 Dec (D. Gagne et al.); as many as 2 at St. Petersburg {Pinellas) 17-30 Dec (-i-J. Clayton); 1 at Chekika Unit, Everglades NP 15 Jan (C. Sanchez); 1 at Fort Pickens 26 Jan (B & L. Duncan); 1 at Fort Myers 4 Feb-EOS (-i-V. McGrath). ^Western Meadowlark: 1 at Walnut Hill 9 Dec (B. & L. Duncan, C. Brown; details to FOSRC). 136 FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 female at Balm {Hillsborough) 15 Dec (B. Ahern et al.); as many as 3 at Lake Apopka NSRA20 Dec-5 Feb (H. Robinson); as many as 16 at Sem- Chi Rice Mill {Palm Beach) 5 Jan-EOS 9 Feb (C. Callaghan et al.). Rusty Blackbird: as many as 20 at Magnolia Parke {Alachua) 1 Dec-24 Feb (M. Manetz et al.); as many as 50 at St. Marks NWR 31 Dec-18 Jan (J. Cavanagh); 1 at Tallahas- see 25 Jan (-i-T. Tanaka); 30 at Baker {Okaloosa) 8-10 Feb (B. Purdy, B. & L. Duncan). Brewer’s Blackbird: 1 female wintered at Bayport Park and Jenkins Creek Park {Her- nando', -i-B. Pranty, E. Dupuis); 1 male at Lake Apopka NSRA 6 Dec & 1 female there 12 Jan (H. Robinson); 5 at Van Pelt Dairy {Escambia) 9 Dec (R. & L. Duncan); 1 male at Leesburg {Lake) 4 Feb (-i-L. Streeper); 45 at Baker 8-10 Feb (B. Purdy, B. & L. Duncan). Boat-tailed Crackle: 1 torreyi male at Ponce de Leon Inlet 7 Dec C+M. Brothers); 1 fe- male with pale irides at Bayport Park and Linda Pedersen Park 9-22 Dec (-i-B. Pranty et al.). Shiny Cowbird: 1 male at Flamingo, Everglades NP 13 Jan (-i-M. Berney); 1 male at “Dump Marsh” {Miami-Dade) 18 Jan (T. Whitman). Bronzed Cowbird: 1 at Carrabelle Beach {Franklin) 16 Dec (C. Griffin); as many as 2 at Celery Fields to 14 Jan (J. Fisher et al.); 1 at Okeechobee {Okeechobee) 19 Jan (C. Fredricks, B. Snow); 6 at Hallandale Beach {Broward) 23 Jan (R. Titus). Orchard Oriole: 1 male at Leesburg 24 Jan-1 Feb (-i-L. Streeper). *Bullock’s Oriole: 1 adult male at Gainesville 4 Jan-EOS (-i-T. Goodman, S. Goodman; photos to FOSRC); 1 first-year male at Tallahassee 16 Jan (-i-J. Cavanagh; photos to FOSRC); 1 adult male at Walnut Hill 20 Jan (B. & L. Duncan). Baltimore Oriole: 32 at High Springs 22 Jan (D. Gagne, C. Newton). House Finch: 13 at Fort Lauderdale 17 Dec (R. Titus). Pine Siskin: 1 female at Valrico 2 Jan-16 Feb (-i-S. Backes); 1 at Gainesville 19 Jan-9 Feb (E. Scales et al.); 1 at Homosassa 5 & 16 Feb (K. & K. Brabble). American Goldfinch: 1 at Fort Lauderdale 27 Feb (R. Titus). Tricolored Munia: 1 at Garden Key, Dry Tortugas NP {Monroe) 17 Dec & 10 Jan (-i-J. Patterson et al.; photos to FOSRC) was a likely vagrant from the Caribbean/Cuba population. Contributors: Angel & Mariel Abreu, Brian Ahern, Ken Allen, Bruce Anderson, Steve Backes, Peggy Baker, Chris Barrigar, Fred Bassett, Joan Becker, Richard Becker, Tom & Lindsay Bell, Ted & Virginia Below; Mark Berney, David Bernstein, Paul Bithorn, Clay Black, Ken Blankenship, Bill & Sonia Boeringer, Jess Bolger, Gilbert Bouchard, Jeff Bouton, Dave Bowman, John Boyd, Kevin & Karen Brabble, Bill Bremser, James Brinson, Michael Brothers, Cecil Brown, Matt Bruce, Cheryl Bunch, Chris Burney, Mark Burns, Chris Butler, Joseph Cala, Corey Callaghan, Jerry & Brenda Callaway, Brad Carlson, Bob Carroll, Rodney Cassidy, Jim Cavanagh, Karen Chiasson, Andi Christman, Carolyn Cimino, Jim Cavanagh, Roger Clark, JoAnna Clayton, Nancy Cobb, Steve Collins, Joe Colontonio, Kristen Comer, Richard Conklin, Paul Cooper, Cameron Cox, Jack Crittenden, Kerri Cunningham, Dalcio Dacol, Kevin Dailey, Susan Daughtrey, Garry Davis, Glen Davis, Lloyd Davis, Michelle Davis, Lauren Deaner, Bridgette DeArman, Rangel Diaz, Robin Diaz (spelled out), James Dinsmore, Diana Doyle, Michael Dryden, Kathy Duncan, Bob & Lucy Duncan, Tom Dunkerton, Bill Dunson, Jim Eager, Margaret England, Daniel Estabrooks, Charlie Ewell, Benjamin Ewing, Dean Ewing, Samuel Ewing, Craig Faulhaber, Jeff Fisher, Tom Ford, Ann & Dan Forster, David Foster, David Fraser, Cole Fredricks, Eric Freeborn, Nancy Freedman, Sam Fried, Bruce Furlow, Sam Galick, Dave Gagne, Tracee Geernaert, Angel Gonzalez, Murray Gardler, Reinhard Geisler, John Ginaven, Marcello Gomes, Louise Gomez, Larry Goodman, Steven Goodman, Ted Goodman, Dave Goodwin, Frank Goodwin, Phil Graham, Daniel Greene, Cheryl Ann Griffin, Matt Hafner, Christian Hagenlocher, Richard Hall, Al & Bev Field Observations 137 Hansen, Alex Harper, Mitchell Harris, Randy Harrod, Lauren Harter, Vaughan Hedrick, Dale Henderson, Claire Herzog, Fred Hileman, John Hintermister, Chris Hooker, Alice Horst, John Hutchison, Dan Irizarry, Glenn Israel, Melissa James, Tom Johnson, Shane Johnson, Greg Jones, Maralee Joos, Tim Kalhach, Matt & Erin Kalinowski, Les Kelly, Mark Kenderdine, Lillian Kenney, Adam & Gina Kent, Tom & Sally King, Carolyn Kline, Billie Knight, Joseph Knoll, Andy Kratter, Jerry Krummrich, Jen Kuhn, Ed Kwater, Keith Laakkonen, Bill & Nancy LaFramboise, Neil Lamb, Mary Landsman, Janeen Langley, Patrick Leary, Janet Leavens, Darcy Love, Tom Loyless, Jack & Mary Lynch, Thomas Lyons, Travis & Karen MacClendon, Mike Manetz, Larry Manfredi, John Mangold, Phyllis Mansfield, Brenda Marcischak, Lorraine Margeson, Eleanor Marr, Tom & Anya Mason, Tom Mast, Jonathan Mays, Vince McGrath, Jim McKay, Susan McKemy, Mike McMillian, Shelby McNemar, Mark McShane, Tony Menart, Charmie Miller, Jeff Miller, Simon Mitchell, Trey Mitchell, Don Morrow, Linda Most, Noah Mueller, Bill & Mary Beth Mulligan, Brennan Mulrooney, John Murphy, Chris Newton, Tom Obrock, Earl Orf, Matt O’Sullivan, Jessica Oswald, Pam Overmyer, Mercedes Panqueva, Cynthia Paonessa, Ruth Parks, Stephanie Parker, Warren Parker, Jud Patterson, France Paulsen, Dan Pearson, Julian Peet, Anders Peltomaa, Leslie Pernas-Giz, Bryan Pfeiffer, James Pfeiffer, Bill Phelan, Stuart Pimm, Eric Plage, Peter Polshek, Valeri Ponzo, Eric & Georgia Pourchot, Bill Pranty, Nancy Price, Donald Pridgen, Bruce Purdy, Gallus Quigley, Mary Radscheid, Mike Ranck, Brian Rapoza, Robert Repenning, Rosine Reynolds, Dotty Robbins, Bryant Roberts, Harry Robinson, Scott Robinson, Tom Rodriguez, Lee Rogers, Thomas Rohtsalu, Rex Rowan, Hart Rufe, Fran Rutkovsky, Charlie Saleeby, Carlos Sanchez, Danny Sauvageau, Earl Scales, Jr., David Schafter, Rick Schofield, Andrew Schumann, Elliot Schunke, Debbie Segal, Barbara Shea, Bob Showier, Scott Simmons, David Simpson, Ron Sinclair, Marvin Smith, Ron & Lori Smith, Dan Smyth, Bob Snow, Nancy Soucy, Bob Stalnaker, Daniel Stangeland, Joyce Stefancic, Sharon Stilwell, Don & Lillian Stokes, Leann Streeper, Joel Strong, John Sutton, Malcolm Swan, Sam Tagatz, Tara Tanaka, Sue Tavaglione, Brenda Tekin, Ryan Terrill, Russ Titus, Roberto Torres, Ken Tracey, Raul Urgelles, David Vander Pluym, Bob Wallace, Mark Wallace, Ray Webb, Chuck Weber, Brian Webster, Jim Wells, Karl Werner, James Wheat, Jay Wherley, Tedor Whitman, Joel Wilcox, Graham Williams, Angus Wilson, Stu Wilson, Ed Woodruff, Kathryn Young, Adam Zions, Steve Zoellner. Report prepared by Brian Ahern, state compiler (629 Gail Avenue, Temple Terrace, Florida 33617, ). Regional compilers are Bruce H. Anderson (2917 Scarlet Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792, ), John H. Boyd III (15291 SW 108th Terrace, Miami, Florida 33196, ), Kevin Dailey (6661 Beatrix Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32226, ). 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, ), Paul Miller (Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, 33104 NW 192nd Avenue, Okeechobee, Florida 34972, ), John Murphy (766 Alligator Drive, Alligator Point, Florida 32346, ), and Ron Smith (1500 85th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33702, ). BE A FRIEND OF FFN Florida Field Naturalist is the journal of FOS, an important communication vehicle for the Florida scientific and birding community. 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Below Billi Wagner David Hartgrove 2013 Silvio Crespo, Jr. Larry Hribar Mary Landsman John Murphy Robin Diaz William Post 2010 David Hartgrove Brian Ahern Robert Budliger John L. Wuepper Michael Brothers Wade Nolan Ann Paul Anthony White 138 SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE FLORIDA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY M. C. Bowman. 1978. Species Index to Florida Bird Records in Audubon Field Notes and American Birds, Volumes 1-30, 1947- 1967. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 1. xii + 43 pages. $4. J. A. Cox. 1987. Status and Distribution of the Florida Scrub Jay. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 3. vii + 110 pages. $8. R. W. Loftin, G. E. Woolfenden, and J. A. Woolfenden. 1991. Florida Bird Records in American Birds nnd Audubon Field Notes (1947- 1989): Species Index and County Gazetteer. Florida Ornithological Society Special Publication No. 4. xiv + 99 pages. $8. R. W. Loftin. 1991. 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