This morning, our birding group (6 persons) traveled north into Sarasota County to bird 

the Laurel Landfill.  On the way into the complex, we saw a Barred Owl sitting out in 

the open on a fence post, offering good views to whoever wanted to stop and watch it.  

As usual, we stopped at the Admin building and picked up the latest map and birding list.  

Part of the area is still not open to birders due to construction.

We drove slowly along the road, past Ponds 4, 5, 6, & 7, stopping just east of the 

landfill area where we were not allowed.  We turned around and slowly drove back to the 

Admin building.  Some highlights included a lone female Bobolink, several male Bobwhites 

along the fence line, about a half-dozen Meadowlarks, and more than a half-dozen Bald 

Eagles (2 adult and the rest juv).  We saw a total of 33 species.  The Bobolink was a new 

species for the landfill area's bird list.  A number of wild flowers were also seen.  

Following is a detailed list of birds seen.

Mottled Duck     4                    Mourning Dove   5

Northern Bobwhite     3               Common Ground-Dove   6

Double-crested Cormorant     2        Barred Owl   1

Anhinga     1                         Downy Woodpecker   1

Great Blue Heron     5                Blue Jay   1

Great Egret     2                      American Crow   5

Little Blue Heron     2               Fish Crow   5

Cattle Egret     25                   Northern Mockingbird   2

Green Heron     1                     European Starling   2

White Ibis     4                      Savannah Sparrow   1

Wood Stork     10                     Northern Cardinal   1

Black Vulture     25                  Bobolink   1

Turkey Vulture     25                 Red-winged Blackbird   1

Bald Eagle     8                      Eastern Meadowlark   7

Red-shouldered Hawk     2             Common Grackle   3

Killdeer     1                        Boat-tailed Grackle   8

Laughing Gull     50

Three of us drove up to the Celery Fields this morning.  The objective was to see the 

White-rumped Sandpipers and Stilt Sandpiper that were reported there last weekend.  The 

birds were reported as being seen in the mudflats.  We weren’t sure where the mud flats 

were, so we birded the area around the gazebo.  Much of the pond is dried up, so maybe 

this was the mud flat.  Unfortunately, no sandpipers were seen, although there was a 

Black-necked Stilt there.  Other birders we spoke to in the area had not seen any 

sandpipers.

We walked along the canal and also around the gazebo ponds.  Birds were quite plentiful, 

although nothing unusual.  The most interesting bird was the Black-necked Stilts.  We saw 

about a dozen during our walk.  In one area they flew up and around us, squawking as if 

there were nests in the area.  Several Limpkins and Spoonbills were also seen.  On the way 

home, we stopped at the Fruitville Library to seen the Monk Parakeets in the nests in the 

parking lot.  Following is a complete list of birds seen. 

Location:     Celery Fields

Observation date:     5/14/10

Notes:     Monk Parakeet seen in parking lot of Fruitville Library

Number of species:     36

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck     15   Common Moorhen   7

Mottled Duck     13                   American Coot   1

Double-crested Cormorant     1        Limpkin   2

Anhinga     3                         Sandhill Crane   3

Great Blue Heron     7                Killdeer   1

Great Egret     8                     Black-necked Stilt   9

Snowy Egret     3                     Laughing Gull   5

Little Blue Heron     3               Least Tern   8

Tricolored Heron     4                Forster’s Tern   1

Cattle Egret     11                   Mourning Dove   1              

Green Heron     1                     Monk Parakeet   2

White Ibis     6                      Fish Crow   2

Roseate Spoonbill     5               Barn Swallow   4

Wood Stork     5                      Northern Mockingbird   2

Black Vulture     3                   Northern Cardinal   1

Turkey Vulture     3                  Red-winged Blackbird   25

Osprey     2                          Common Grackle   4

Bald Eagle     2                      Boat-tailed Grackle   18

Following are a few images taken during our trip.  (For a larger view, double click on the desired image.)

This morning, our birding group went over to the Babcock-Webb located just south of 

Punta Gorda.  We arrived there at 7:15.  Our first stop was the Marl Ponds.  The only 

birds seen were common birds like Grackles and Doves.  We didn’t even see a Moorhen, but 

did hear one.  However, we were surprised to see a lone Least Tern sitting on a post. We 

continued slowly east on Tucker’s Grade seeing a few birds such as Killdeer, Meadowlarks, 

Cardinals, and Red-winged Blackbirds.  We turned north on Oil Well Grade and stopped near 

the Red-cockaded Woodpecker roosts.  We were pleasantly surprised to see a pair of the 

Woodpeckers flying back and forth to a nest, apparently feeding their chicks.  We 

watched the activity for about 30 minutes, which afforded excellent views of these birds 

and some good photographs.  Slightly further north along this road, we stopped at the 

Screech Owl roost and was again pleasantly surprised to find a baby Screech Owl standing 

on the edge of the hole.

Further along, we stopped and walked the trail back to Crooked Lake.  Several Bluebirds, 

Northern Flickers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and a Hairy Woodpecker were observed along 

the path.  Wild flowers were in bloom everywhere.  We continued driving along Oil Well 

Grade, turned right on Tram Grade, and then right on Seaboard Grade.  We observed more 

of the common birds including an Eastern Towhee, Little Blue Herons, and several White-

tailed Deer.  We did not see or hear any Bitterns at the location we usually find them.  

We continued along Seaboard Grade, then turned right on Tucker’s Grade, and slowly drove 

back to the entrance.  Seeing the Woodpeckers, the Screech Owl, and all of the wild 

flowers made this a day to remember.  Following is a list of the birds seen this morning.

Mottled Duck     1                    Red-cockaded Woodpecker   3

Northern Bobwhite     1               Northern Flicker   2

Anhinga     1                         Loggerhead Shrike   1

Great Blue Heron     1                Fish Crow   1

Great Egret     2                     Eastern Bluebird   3

Little Blue Heron     3               Northern Mockingbird   5

Killdeer     3                        Eastern Towhee   1

Least Tern     1                      Northern Cardinal   7

Mourning Dove     10                  Red-winged Blackbird   8

Common Ground-Dove     2              Eastern Meadowlark   5

Eastern Screech-Owl     1             Common Grackle   12

Red-bellied Woodpecker     1          Boat-tailed Grackle   10

Hairy Woodpecker     1

 
Following are a few images taken during our trip. (For a larger view, double click on the desired image.) 

This morning, our birding group drove up to the Myakka River State Park via Kings Highway 

and SR 72.  As we drove along SR 72 we saw one Caracara and a field of about 50 Cattle 

Egrets approximately 6 miles east of the Park entrance.  We arrived at the Park around 

8:00.

The most interesting sighting was a large male Wild Turkey that would look at us and raise 

his tail every now and then.  At the dam, we saw several Spoonbills, a Red-shouldered Hawk 

and a Limpkin.  Across from the boardwalk, we saw a single Black Skimmer, a Reddish Egret, 

Black-necked Stilts, and several other wading birds.  The most numerous birds seen today 

were the vultures, which seemed to be everywhere.  Following is a list of birds seen 

within the park.  While driving home, we did see a Swallow-tailed Kite along Kings Highway 

while still in DeSoto County.

Mottled Duck     9                    Black Vulture   106

Wild Turkey     1                     Turkey Vulture   10

Double-crested Cormorant     1        Osprey   2

Anhinga     3                         Red-shouldered Hawk   2

Great Blue Heron     6                Limpkin   1

Great Egret     4                     Sandhill Crane  1

Snowy Egret     3                     Black-necked Stilt   9

Little Blue Heron     2               Black Skimmer   1

Tricolored Heron     1                Red-bellied Woodpecker   1

Reddish Egret     1                   American Crow   3

White Ibis     5                      Barn Swallow   2

Glossy Ibis     1                     Northern Cardinal   1

Roseate Spoonbill     7               Common Grackle   2

Wood Stork     2                      Boat-tailed Grackle   7

Following are a few images taken during our trip. (For a larger view, double click on the desired image.)