Florida 
DryTortvgas NP h 
* Key West 
Bruce H. Anderson 
Andy Bankert 
F our major tropical weather systems 
tracked through, or near, Florida. Trop- 
ical Storm Fay (18-24 August) was 
unique, as it made landfall four times while 
zig-zagging through Florida. Fay brought 
storm warnings to the state’s entire coastline 
and temporary drought relief to parts of the 
east-central peninsula, with up to 63.5 cm of 
rain. This storm grounded many tropical terns 
along the Atlantic beaches of the northern and 
central peninsula and forced numbers of Sooty 
Terns as well as two jaegers and a Magnificent 
Frigatebird inland. Tropical Storm Hanna (5-6 
September) came out of the Bahamas and trav- 
eled northward in the Atlantic, the cen- 
ter coming to within 278 km of north- 
ern Florida. The storm eroded beaches 
and brought seabirds close to shore, as 
well as another Magnificent Frigatebird 
inland. Hurricanes Gustav (30 August-1 
September) and Ike (9-12 September) 
brought tropical-storm-force winds to 
the lower keys, southeastern peninsula, 
and panhandle, as the storms exited 
western Cuba and traveled through the 
Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana and Texas, 
respectively. Winds and turbulent wa- 
ters forced sand into lagoons and estu- 
aries in the southwestern peninsula, 
where the landscape was just beginning 
to show signs of recovery following 
Hurricanes Charlie (2004) and Wilma 
(2005). In the panhandle, Gustav pro- 
duced Sooty and Bridled Terns and was 
the probable transporter of an American 
Flamingo (on easterly and southeasterly 
winds of 20-35 knots), while Ike 
brought only a few Magnificent Frigate- 
birds to the same area. 
The only tropical land bird va- 
grants were a La Sagra’s Flycatch- 
er and a Bananaquit in the south- 
eastern peninsula. An early win- 
ter weather pattern commenced 
in October, bringing tempera- 
tures in the single digits Celsius 
as far south as Orlando and freez- 
ing temperatures to northern 
Florida by the end of that month. 
Early Red-breasted Nuthatches 
and higher-than-usual numbers 
of Golden-crowned Kinglets were 
noted during these waves of cold 
weather, which were possibly 
also responsible for bringing 
Florida’s second and third records 
of Northern Fulmar and third 
record of Thick-billed Murre. 
Abbreviations/definitions: FIT (Florida Insti- 
tute of Technology, Melbourne); Ft. Walton 
Beach S.E (Ft. Walton Beach Spray Fields, 
Okaloosa); L. Apopka (L. Apopka Restoration 
Area, Orange); record (only those reports veri- 
fiable from photograph, videotape, or specimen 
evidence); report (any observation); S.T.A. 5 
(Stormwater Treatment Area 5, Hendry); UCF 
(University of Central Florida, Orlando); UF 
(Florida State Museum, Gainesville). 
WATERFOWL THROUGH FALCONS 
In the big bend and peninsula, reports of 
geese included an early Greater White-front- 
ed at Tallahassee, Leon 31 Aug (AW); 25+ 
Snows, including one s. to Dump Marsh, Mi- 
ami-Dade 28 Nov+ (Stephen Paez); 2 Ross’s at 
Merritt Island N.W.R., Brevard 24 Nov+ (ph. 
DBa); and 2 Brant at Snake Bight, Everglades 
N.P., Monroe 30 Nov (Chris Newton, JT). Ca- 
sual in Florida, a Tundra Swan was pho- 
tographed at Oak Hill, Volusia 24 Nov (TD), 
and a probable Tundra visited Myakka River 
S.E, Sarasota 22 Nov (OC). Two Eurasian 
Wigeons at Merritt Island N.W.R., Brevard 21 
Nov+ (Adam Betuel), and single Cinnamon 
Teal at Brandon, Hillsborough 4 Oct+ (EK) 
and L. Apopka 29 Oct (HR) were rare for the 
state, while a Mottled Duck at Ft. Walton 
Beach S.E 22 Aug (DWa) was rare for the pan- 
handle. Unusual inland were a Surf Scoter 20 
Nov and a Long-tailed Duck 30 Oct-4 Nov at 
Ft. Walton Beach S.E (RAD et ah). 
Florida’s first breeding Least Grebes 
fledged 2 young at Yamato Scrub Natural 
Area, an 88-ha green space in heavily popu- 
lated Boca Raton, Palm Beach; furnishing only 
the 8th report for Florida, the ads. were dis- 
covered 21 Sep (Lee Hasse, ph. m.ob.) while 
still on eggs. Presumed wild American 
Flamingos included an ad. originally found at 
Destin, Okaloosa following Hurricane Gustav 
5 Sep that roamed the panhandle’s coast until 
1 Oct (fide LD), plus a brightly colored imm. 
at Halifax R., Volusia 11 Oct (DR ph. MBr) not 
directly associated with any specific tropical 
storm system but possibly displaced as a re- 
sult of the busy hurricane season. In Florida 
Bay, Monroe, where flamingos are rare and lo- 
cal, 2 were at Curry Hammock S.P. 3 Nov 
(JEa) and up to 14 at Snake Bight throughout 
the season (LaM). A drab-colored American 
Flamingo at Cutler Wetlands, Miami- 
Dade 13 Oct-9 Nov (Amy Roda) may 
have originated from the semi-captive 
population at Hialeah, Miami-Dade. 
Florida’s 2nd and 3rd Northern Ful- 
mars were a moribund light-morph 
bird at Boca Raton 6 Oct (ph. Greg 
Adler) and a depredated dark morph at 
Canaveral National Seashore, Brevard 
16 Oct (Mitchell Harris, *UCF). Cory’s 
Shearwaters are rarely seen from beach- 
es, so it was surprising to find a total of 
11 moribund on Volusia and Brevard 
beaches 22 Sep+ (MBr, *UCF, AB, *FIT, 
’^UF), possibly individuals exhausted 
by tropical storms. Casual in the pan- 
handle, 5 Greater and 8 Audubon’s 
Shearwaters flew past Pensacola Beach, 
Escambia 24 Aug (L&RAD), following 
Tropical Storm Fay, and another 
Greater was there 22 Sep (ph. Patrick 
James). Sooty Shearwaters were found 
at Ponce de Leon Inlet, Volusia 19-20 
Aug (1; MBr) during Tropical Storm 
Fay and off Crandon Park, Miami-Dade 
Table 1. Total numbers of displaced seabirds reported from Florida's coasts and 
interior during and after the passing of Tropical Storms Hanna and fo/and 
Hurricanes feteirarid Ike: 15 August-15 September. 
Species 
Gulf ceast 
Inland 
Atlantic coast 
Greater Shearwater 
5 
Sooty Shearwater 
4 
Audubon's Shearwater 
8 
2 
Leach's Storm-Petrel 
1 
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 
1 
White-tailed Tropicbird 
2 
Masked Booby 
2 
Brown Booby 
2 
3 
Magnificent Frigatebird 
V 
2 
V 
Red-necked Phalarope 
6 
205 
Red Phalarope 
65 
1 
Brown Noddy 
2 
29 
Sooty Tern 
21 
130+ 
135+ 
Bridled Tern 
6 
180+ 
Common Tern 
V 
52 
V 
Parasitic Jaeger 
2 
Long-tailed Jaeger 
1 (p.a.) 
2 
EglinAFB 
Fort 
brt Walton 
hens Bea^ 
66 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
