We had driven two hours north of Naples in Florida. We were at the correct park. We had a general idea of where to go, but would the bird be there? Then, I saw a group of people with their binoculars up, staring at the bushes. We were where we needed to be to see the rarity: Groove-billed Ani, which is usually found in Central America.
Groove-billed Ani
We were in the Sarasota area, at Shamrock Park, which has the perfectly maintained habitat for Florida Scrub-jays (see image at top of article). Also, the park has been playing host to the ani, which are sometimes seen in Texas as well as along the Gulf Coast in Florida. This bird was very active and posed beautifully for the photographers. There were Scrub-jays hanging around with this bird, but I gave them little notice, as I stared at my latest North American lifer.
After the bird flew off, we decided to head a bit farther north to the Celery Fields. This spot was a former agricultural site, which was converted to a flood mitigation area. Now, it is a birding hotspot. The open landscape offers views of flooded fields and a freshwater marsh. You can walk the berms or walk out onto the gazebo for better views. There is a visitor centre and a bird garden, with feeders.
Nanday Parakeet
On that early February day, there was a large flock of Nanday Parakeets, screaming as they flew from telephone wires to tree tops. Purple Martins checked out the birdhouse homes, which were set up for them. A little boy excitedly pointed out and named incoming Sandhill Cranes. All of this was before we had even left the parking lot.
Boat-tailed Grackle
We walked across the street to the freshwater marsh. A raised walkway takes you out to the gazebo. Along the way, we spotted Grey-headed Swamphen, Glossy Ibis, White Ibis, Boat-tailed Grackle, and Blue-Winged Teal. There were some impressive-sized turtles, sunning themselves on the shoreline. Walking along the berm, we found Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-Winged Blackbird, and Tree Swallow.
This is a spot that hosts rarities. Although we didn’t see either species, there had been reports of Crested Caracara and Tropical Kingbird the day before.
There was a lot of driving involved, but the birds we saw made it a successful road trip.
Note: Picture of Groove-billed Ani by Ulrich Prokop, plus the Florida Scrub-jay, are both from Wikipedia Commons, a royalty-free site. Pictures of Boat-tailed Grackle and Nanday Parakeet by Leslie Kinrys.
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