Natural History Wanderings

Yesterday  I went birding at the Green Cay Wetlands. It  is in Boynton Beach in Palm Beach County in southern Florida.  Green Cay Wetlands  is the old Green Cay Farm that was owned by Ted and Trudy Winsberg.  When the farms around them were being converted into housing developments they preferred to restore their land to open prairie with wetland similar to how it had been previous to farming.

There is a 1.5-mile elevated boardwalk through the wetland and a nature center.  It is an excellent area to see birds, alligators, turtles, and rabbits.  Here is the visitor’s center  Bird Checklist and Bird Counts links (which include monthly and often weekly bird counts starting on April 2007 and going through 2010).

22 birds species were observed. Also many dragonflies and one butterfly; none identified

Highlights were seeing at least 8 Wood Storks, 3 Roseate Spoonbill, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and one Limkin. According to eBird Reddish Egret is rare which surprised me as I have seen them in this habitat before. I am fairly confident on the identification as the Reddish Egrets looked exactly like field guide/id card pictures were also identified by one local birder as well. Several flybys were unidentified. Also unable to identify many birds sounds in this area.

Click Read More to see bird list

Bird List

Mottled Duck 8

Pied-billed Grebe 2

Wood Stork 8

Anhinga 2

Great Egret 5

Snowy Egret 11

Little Blue Heron 2

Tricolored Heron 14

Reddish Egret 2     Two seen by several observers

Cattle Egret 2

White Ibis 8

Glossy Ibis 10

Roseate Spoonbill 3

Turkey Vulture 2

Purple Gallinule 1

Common Gallinule X

Limpkin 1

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1

Northern Flicker 1

Blue Jay 3

Red-winged Blackbird X

Boat-tailed Grackle X