Our first stop on our Florida birding trip was The Celery Fields in Sarasota. It was also the stop that we counted the most species—45 of them. We started by the Nature Center where some of the birds we saw were boat-tailed grackle, painted bunting, Nanday parakeet, palm warbler, osprey, common ground-dove, red-bellied woodpecker, and osprey. Next, we walked across Palmer Blvd. to the boardwalk. From the boardwalk, we saw a pair of gray-headed swamphens. Here, we also saw white ibis, American anhinga, little blue heron, purple gallinule, common gallinule, killdeer, bald eagle, glossy ibis, blue-winged teal, common yellowthroat, snowy egret, and tricolored heron. We spent only a short time at the Central Cell where some of the birds we saw were great egret, blue jay, and white ibis. Along Raymond Road were two sandhill cranes and across the street were cattle egrets with the grazing livestock. Other birds seen along the boardwalk included glossy ibis, sora, yellow-rumped warbler, common gallinule, American coot, belted kingfisher, gray-headed swamphen, American anhinga, and red-winged blackbird. Birds we saw along Walker Tract included roseate spoonbill, limpkin, gray catbird, common gallinule, purple gallinule, sora, mallard, blue-winged teal, and palm warbler.
MY PHOTOS: roseate spoonbill, limpkin, sora, gray-headed swamphen, purple gallinule, American anhinga, painted bunting,
