Bird Rookery Swamp observations
Saturday, January 2 ~ 7:00 am-12:10 pm
“The cloudy skies and starting temperatures in the upper 60s made walking very pleasant. One birder, three joggers, two hikers, and I were the only ones there at the start, but the 
crowds of people began coming in around 11. When I left a little after noon, the parking lot was full and people were parking in the street. Lots of nice people.
Birding was good with 42 species, but the weather suppressed everything else including insects and herps. I only spotted seven gators for the day, but it may have been my ability to look in the right spot. In the attached photo, X marks the spot!
The Florida Snapping Turtle was just emerging from the water, probably to dig a hole and lay some eggs. It’s that time of year for them. She was between mile markers 8 and 9, a little west of the large twin culverts that run under the tram”.
BIRDS
Pied-billed Grebe – 3
Anhinga – 4
Great Blue Heron – 7
Great Egret – 13
Snowy Egret – 7
Little Blue Heron – 8
Tri-colored Heron – 8
Green Heron – 2
Black-crowned Night Heron – 4
Yellow-crowned Night Heron – 2
White Ibis – 143
Roseate Spoonbill – 8
Wood Stork – 6
Black Vulture – 102
Turkey Vulture – 13
Red-shouldered Hawk – 6
American Kestrel – 1
Mourning Dove – 1
Barred Owl – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 15
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Pileated Woodpecker – 5
Eastern Phoebe – 6
Great-crested Flycatcher – 8
Tree Swallow – 38
American Crow – 4
Tufted Titmouse – 6
Carolina Wren – 7
House Wren – 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 32
American Robin – 19
Gray Catbird – 42
White-eyed Vireo – 2
Black-and-white Warbler – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 41
Palm Warbler – 9
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Northern Cardinal – 9
Common Grackle – 16
American Goldfinch – 2
BUTTERFLIES
White Peacock – 47
Zebra Longwing – 1
Common Buckeye – 1
Brazilian Skipper – 1
Phaon Crescent – 1
DRAGONFLIES
Eastern Pondhawk – 2
MAMMALS
White-tailed Deer – 1
REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
Alligator – 7
Green Anole – 1
Brown Anole – 13
Pig Frog – 1
Florida Snapping Turtle – 1
By Dick Brewer