Subject: Palm Beach Sod Farms Shorebirding
From: Roberto Torres <rtorres AT TNC.ORG>
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:33:11 -0400

Angel and Mariel teamed with Trey and me this morning for a trip to the sod
farms in western Palm Beach County.  We met the group with the TAS trip at
Holeyland/Rotenberger WMA in the morning, but knowing we would have to make
it a short day went on our own in search of shorebirds ahead of the group. 
We were hoping to join them again later but car problems prevented that.

Heading north on US-27 we stopped at the microwave tower south of Okeelanta
and found the former sod fields overgrown and devoid of birds.  A little
farther north we found a flooded rice field across from King's Ranch that
had some L. Yellowlegs and BN Snilts and a Wilson's Phalarope. (26˚ 33,
47.44 N
80˚ 42, 43.10 W) Nice to get this one on the first stop. Crossing to the 

King's Ranch side of US-27 (east) we found a sod field with about a dozen
Upland Sandpipers. (26˚ 33, 23.39 N 80˚ 42, 12.33 W)

We then headed north and took 827A to Belle Glade, finding no suitable
fields along the way.  Heading east on CR-880 we turned onto Browns Farm Rd
at Six Mile Bend.  We turned left onto the first bridge on Brown's Farm Rd.
and found a couple of very large fields in excellent shorebird condition
with nice variety and numbers. After checking the fields on either side of
the dirt road leading away from Brown's Farm Rd, we took the levee that runs
parallel a little further south to the next road left and found even better
numbers and two more Wilson's Phalaropes.(26˚ 37, 16.28 N 80˚ 42, 
31.60 W) 


Speaking to Andy Bankert on the phone, he told us about an American Golden
Plover and two Buff-breasted Sandpipers he and David Simpson found at Roth
Sod Rd. (Gladeview Rd) further east on CR-880.  We quickly saw the Plover in
the first sod fields to the right after turning onto Roth Sod (26˚ 40,
32.27 N 80˚ 29, 48.6 W), but dipped on the Buff-breasteds a couple of
miles further south.  A crane, tractor, and bulldozer were operating in the
field where Andy and Dave found the Buff-breasteds.  There was another
Upland Sandpiper in the same area as the Golden Plover.

Some species that seemed less numerous than other years were Pectoral and
Samipalmated Sandpipers, and Gull-billed and Black Tern.  I've included the
Google Earth coordinates to some of the better birds.  These fields are
constantly changing depending on the farming operations, so their appearance
on Google Earth will not be indicative of their current condition.

Here's are total tally on shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover (6)
American Golden Plover
Semipalmated Plover (20)
Killdeer (~100)
Black-necked Stilt (~300)
American Avocet (2)
Spotted Sandpiper (4)
Greater Yellowlegs (50)
Lesser Yellowlegs (~1,000+)
Upland Sandpiper (13)
Ruddy Turnstone (5)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (3)
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper (500)
Pectoral Sandpiper (60)
Stilt Sandpiper (300)
Short-billed Dowitcher (100)
Long-billed Dowitcher (3)
Dowitcher Sp. (500)
Wilson's Phalarope (3)

Other interesting species included Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling
Ducks, Black Tern, Orchard Oriole, and Yellow warbler.  Not a blowout trip,
but a nice shorebird fix with a couple of really good birds.  The TAS group
stayed later and got a couple of species that we missed, so we could have
gone over our goal of 20 species.  Oh well, it was a fun day anyway.

Cheers!

Roberto
Miami-Dade