Margaret England of the Hendry-Glades Audubon Chapter coordinated the North American Migration Count on September 18 in both counties again this year, and Audubon staff member Dr. Paul Gray lead one of the count teams along the western side of Lake Okeechobee in Glades County.

The count is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and is conducted in spring and fall each year to give a snapshot of bird migrations.  This season, a total of 97 species were detected in Glades County from 5 survey teams, who covered the Fisheating Creek area, northwest Glades County, Muse, Lake Okeechobee by boat, and the western shores of Lake Okeechobee.

Paul Gray’s team covered the western Okeechobee survey, counting birds at the Harney Pond Canal, Curry Island, Banana Grove Road, Sportsman’s Village area, along Highway 78 in Indian Prairie, and the Brighton Indian Reservation.  In all, this team found 71 species of 1488 individuals (Final Tally).  Lake Okeechobee’s water level of about 14 feet made the Harney Pond Canal area particularly productive as the marshes were full of screaming Limpkins and virtually all possible wading birds.  Curry Island turned up Indigo and Painted Buntings, Ovenbirds and a Least Flycatcher, among other things.  Highway 78 had an Indian Prairie wetland holding Black-necked Stilts, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilts, Long-billed Dowitchers, Blue-winged-Teal and a few other wetland birds.  And after driving 100 miles through grasslands, the team was amazed to not have tallied one single Meadowlark.

Special thanks are due to Nancy Price, Nicole Ranalli, Brad Kolhoff, and Bobbie and Bill Parken for helping Paul conduct the west Okeechobee count.