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The Cattle Egret Expansion

10,000 Birds

Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. I’d like to introduce you to a diminutive heron, the Cattle Egret Bubuclus ibis. The Cattle Egret is native to Africa, where it is a familiar sight among herds of large mammals. a Cattle Egret in Brooklyn.

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Whooping Crane at Joe Overstreet Road

10,000 Birds

Like my two previous visits I spent one day that I didn’t have to lead any field trips doing a run through central Florida looking for some of the specialty species of the region. On my previous trips I was successful on each and every species except for the crane. The first farm on the left, where all the cattle are?

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Avian Expansion in Two Acts

10,000 Birds

It has no avian endemic species (only one subspecies), and its most spectacular birds like Venezuelan Troupial and Fiery-Topaz Hummingbird can be found in greater numbers across a narrow strait in mainland South America, where you can pick up an additional 400-500 species besides. But they prefer to hang tight in the islands.

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Whooping Crane Ancestry

10,000 Birds

So what’s so special about seeing the resident re-introduced Whooping Cranes in Florida? Moreover, the pair I saw was feeding from a livestock trough alongside a group of cattle. One of the last remaining Whooping Cranes in the non-migratory Florida flock. According to the ABA, they are not countable.

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Tri-colored Egret or Snowy Heron?

10,000 Birds

On a recent filming trip to Emeralda Marsh in Lake County Florida we managed to film and photograph a suspected hybrid between a Tricolored Heron and a Snowy Egret. Hybrids between separate species are rare. Suspected hybrids between heron species, whilst extremely rare, have been documented for some time.

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Birding Orlando

10,000 Birds

In early May, I reluctantly accepted my parental obligation to bring my children to Orlando, Florida. At least, thought I, Florida would produce some superior birds. Orlando, Florida is an ecological blight. Actually, the best live bird I spotted on site was a wild White Ibis , one of my favorite Florida birds.

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South Florida Specialties Birding

10,000 Birds

Of course, I contacted Carlos Sanchez , alleged south Florida birder extraordinaire, to maximize the returns on what time I could spend. The reason the location is remaining undisclosed is that reliable Mangrove Cuckoos are difficult to find in the American Birding Association area and are a very sought after species. He was right!

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