Thursday night I caught a red-eye from SEA to MIA, rented a car and drove first to a stakeout for Mangrove Cuckoo at Black Point Park and Marina, in Miami-Dade Co.  It was right on the way to Long Key and then to the place Jean had her business meeting.  I looked for a bit, found the stakeout spot, at the beginning of the second parking lot.  Shortly I heard the MACU calling from in the mangroves.  Then heard it from the other side.  As I turned I saw the cuckoo fly across the road back to the original location where it started to call again.  It was entirely c/w MACU, lacking any rufous in the upper wings.  I could not relocate again, though it called several times.

From there off to Long Key State Park where a Zenada Dove has been seen most days for several weeks.  The ranger at the gate gave excellent directions, and there is a piece of plastic surveyor’s tape marking the spot.  As I arrived a helpful birder was rushing back to get his wife to tell her he had just seen the dove.  She was more interested in a spider ID at the time, and he was a bit frustrated.  We returned, and nothing but a few MODOs.  An hour or so of looking under every bush in the thicket, just more and varied angles to look at MODOs.  Finally he left.  I kept looking and widened the search still no Zenada. I had planned to meet Jean by 2 PM, but that time came and went.  As I was about to quit, I met a young couple who had just seen and photographed the bird.  They took me to the spot, and NO DOVE.  I kept looking and as they walked off she waved, and had the bird.  It gave us great looks, walking avout 50 yards along a path parallel to the trail, I got passable photos, and great looks.  Scope views, binos views, great.  It’s a good thing it has a nice white secondary patch, sort of like on a female BTBW, because otherwise it looks a lot like a MODO. On study it does have a larger bill, and lacks the prominent eye ring of the MODOs, but not much of the expected purple color in the light I had.

 

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28809895

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28817011

Off to meet Jean, a swim, and travel to Florida City to stay last night.

Up early for a long day at Everglades NP.  Tired so just brief here.  Started at dawn, about 6:40AM at the visitor’s center.  Jean loved the fog photos over the water. I got really few birds there. Then on to Royal Palm and Anhinga Trail and Gumbo-limbo Trails.  Good views of alligators, a very obliging Purple Gallinule I at first almost passed off as a Common Gallinule,

brief looks at Palm and BTG warblers, and not much more. The boardwalk to the really cool pool for waders is blocked off and needs repair.  A prescribed burn on the road in made the whole area smoky.  Gmbo Limbo Trail eerily quiet.  See checklists.

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28824813

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28825320

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28845186

Next off towards Mahogany Hammock, hoping for Seaside Sparrow. That was not to be, but highlights were great looks at a pair of Swallow-tailed kites soaring

a pair of Barred Owls calling very close but not to be seen, and a beautiful boardwalk trail.

Next off towards Flamingo, a few minor stops on the way.  There we had a great lunch at Eco Pond Overlook, not really birdy, but more STKI soaring. They seemed everywhere today.

Then a 2 hour canoe with few birds, and no manatees, no crockodiles until on arrival back went down a small waterway almost beside the marina where we had 3 large ones, and after landing 2 giant ones from the dam.

Searched the grounds for odd cowbirds, none, got a look over the bay and got a Caspian Tern, a few common shorebirds, a juv. YCNH, and on the way out made more stops for Seaside sparrow while Jean napped, no luck again.

Staying at Circa 39 in Miami Beach tonight.