Recent Sightings by Jim Eager

Recent Sightings:

Krider's Red-tailed Hawk photo by Paul Cooper

• 11/30/10—Marbled Godwit (17)--East & West Gator Ck—MINWR—Tom Dunkerton
• 11/30/10—Virginia Rail  (1st yr)--Peacocks Pocket—MINWR—Tom Dunkerton
• 11/30/10—Snow Goose (2)--Peacocks Pocket—MINWR—Tom Dunkerton
• 12/05/10—Rusty Blackbird--Parrish Pk, Titusville—Ryan Lesh
• 12/06/10—Common Tern--Sebastian Inlet SP—beach side south—Andy Bankert
• 12/14/10—Yellow-billed Loon--(possible)--Manatee Hammock Pk—Mitchell Harris
• 12/14/10—Tundra Swan (2)--Indian River Lagoon—Tom Dunkerton
• 12/18/10—Thayer’s Gull (1st cycle)--Jetty Pk--Cocoa CBC—Mitchell Harris & team
• 12/18/10—Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk--SR528/SR401--Cocoa CBC—Mitchell Harris & team
• 12/18/10—Black Rail--Ulumay Sanctuary--Cocoa CBC—Charlie Venuto & team
• 12/22/10—Glaucous Gull--Cocoa Beach(Minuteman Cswy)—Karen Mansfield
• 12/23/10—Peregrine Falcon--Lori Wilson Pk (beach)—Karen Mansfield
• 12/27/10—Ross’s Goose--(possible SnowXRoss’s hybrid)--Viera Wetlands—Thomas Ford
• 12/30/10—Canvasback (F)--Viera Wetlands—Carolyn Cimino
• 01/01/11—Glaucous Gull--Cocoa Beach between S 8th & S 10th St—Karen Mansfield—possibly the same one observed on 12/22/10 by Karen Mansfield
• Yellow-billed Loon:  On 12/14 Mitchell Harris observed what he thinks might be a Yellow-Billed Loon.  It was 1st observed from the fishing pier at Manatee Hammock Pk, a Brevard County campground at 7275 S US 1 in Titusville.  There have been many possible sightings and many distant photos but no positive identification has been made.  When and if there is a positive id and acceptance by FOSRC this would be a 1st documented Florida record.
• Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk:  On Saturday 12/18, during the Cocoa CBC, Mitchell Harris and his team located a Krider’s Red-tailed hawk around the area of SR528 (Beachline) & SR401 (road to north cruise terminal and Cape Canaveral AFS).  Over the next several days the hawk was observed and photographed by many people.

Cocoa CBC had a total species count of 157, including the following unusual sightings:

• Dark-eyed Junco
• Thayer’s Gull (1st cycle)
• Dickcissel
• Snow Goose
• Black Rail
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk

 Merritt Island CBC had a total species count of 158, with the following unusual sightings:

• American Pipit
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Black Scoter 
• Black-legged Kittywake
• Pomarine Jaeger
• Parasitic Jaeger
• Greater Scaup
• Bobolink
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• House Finch