Bird Walk Wrap-Up: Matheson Hammock Park, Spring 2022
Saturday, May 14, 2022 • Matheson Hammock State Park • Report by Rachel DiPietro • Images Courtesy of Ana Lima
Thirty-four birders joined us for our May 2022 Spring Bird Walk at Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables, hoping to spot the last few migrant birds on the tail end of spring migration. The morning started off cool, eventually creeping into the 80s later on, and everyone enjoyed clear blue skies. Both some of the regular exotic species and natives made an appearance. In all, 76 birds of 30 species were recorded, including a few crowd-pleasers!
As we typically do for walks at Matheson, we began recording birds at our gathering spot in the parking lot on the border with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. We enjoyed the raucous calls of Orange-winged Parrots that are regulars in the area, one of which gave us excellent views at closer range in a tree on the south side of the parking lot. Pileated Woodpeckers and Red-masked Parakeets were also heard in the distance. The stand of royal palms and snags on the border between Matheson and Fairchild is a reliable place for woodpeckers and parrots, and squabbles between the woodpeckers and invasive European Starlings are a typical sight.
As we circled the oaks around the pond, we were delighted by the distraction of a singing Northern Parula, which had us all running around, as it taunted us, flitting from tree to tree with its song. That chase led us to a Blue-headed Vireo, a few Palm Warblers, and a Northern Cardinal, which refused to be out-sung. When we finally caught up to our singing Parula, we were also treated to a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, giving us quick looks for a few seconds before zinging away from the area.
While warbler numbers were low, we encountered a few late birds, including American Redstarts, a Northern Parula, and a Northern Waterthrush. A small group of juvenile White Ibis, a wading bird that has adapted remarkably to urban Miami environments, grazed on the lawn among the live oaks. We followed a Tricolored Heron along the edge of the mangrove pond, getting good views when it decided to fly, along with Green Herons and two Yellow-crowned Night-Heron flyovers. Northern Cardinals sang for the duration of the walk, and a pair of Blue-and-Yellow Macaws also briefly flew overhead.
We encountered a banded and very calm Red-shouldered Hawk in the live oaks, feasting on what appeared to be a discarded chicken wing. Many birders were able to get good photos, and perhaps the bird can later be identified from its bands through the USGS Bird Banding Lab sighting submission page. The hawk gave us one last thrill as it finished its meal and flew directly over our heads at close range to a different tree on the other side of the park!
Crossing over to the western side of Matheson on the other side of Old Cutler Road, we were greeted with the distant calls of Indian Peafowl, who are regularly found patrolling Miami neighborhoods. At the clearing, we spotted an often hard-to-find bird: a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Shortly thereafter we were graced with flyovers of an Osprey, a brief glimpse of the local Hill Mynas, a small flock of Snowy Egrets and one Little Blue Heron.
We ended the morning with a picnic in the shade of the oaks on the east side of Matheson. Amid discussion of the day's sightings over popcorn, cookies and Twizzlers, we were delighted to hear the experience of Rima Dhillon, visiting us from the Chandigarh Birding Club in India! Thank you for sharing your morning with us, Rima, and safe travels back home!
Birds We Saw
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Anhinga
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Black Vulture
Osprey
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Merlin
Orange-winged Parrot
Blue-and-yellow Macaw
Red-masked Parakeet
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Common Hill Myna
European Starling
Boat-tailed Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Northern Cardinal