F or international birders, Florida offers 
an accessible, comfortable introduction 
to subtropical birding. North American 
birders savor Florida as the place to see 
species not found elsewhere in the US or 
Canada, such as Snail Kite, Short-tailed 
Hawk, Black-hooded Parakeet, Mangrove 
Cuckoo, Black-whiskered Vireo, or Florida 
Scrub-Jay. These are but a few of the Florida 
specialties that make a trip to the Sunshine 
State such an exciting adventure for birders. 
Bill Pranty, with the help of dozens of the 
state’s birders, has now rewritten his 
acclaimed 4th edition. More than 330 birding 
sites are described, and more than 400 species 
accounts are now included. The introduction 
helps birders to understand seasonal bird dis- 
tribution in Florida’s various habitats. 
Available at 800-722-2460 
www.aba.org/siteguides 
FLORIDA 
Louisiana Waterlhrush at Boyd Hill Nature 
Preserve, Pinellas 4 Jul (RoS); and a Canada at 
Eglin A.EB,, Okaloosa 23 Jul (DaS). Yellow- 
breasted Chats, Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo and 
Painted Buntings, and Orchard Orioles are 
very rare and local breeders in the n.-cen. 
peninsula, except at L. Apopka, where HR 
counted up to 12 chats, 26 grosbeaks, 28 In- 
digo and 4 Painted Buntings, and 28 male Or- 
chard Orioles throughout the summer! A 
male Scarlet Tanager at Jacksonville 15 Jun 
Qamie Ross) was the latest in spring in Flori- 
da by 13 days! 
A late Bachmans Sparrow nest with eggs 
was discovered at Avon Park Air Force Range, 
Polk 24 Jul (DR). A Lark Sparrow at Gulf 
Breeze 10 Jul was the earliest in the panhan- 
dle by 15 days (RAD). Dickcissels have been 
verified breeding in Florida twice, each time 
at L. Apopka; this summer, up to 2 were seen 
there sporadically 12 Jun-19 Jul, but nesting 
was not detected (HR). Shiny Cowbirds were 
widespread, with a female inland at L. Apop- 
ka 22-26 Jul (HR) and at least 4 along the At- 
lantic coast at Boca Raton, Palm Beach 24 Jul 
(Linda McCandless). Shiny Cowbirds along 
the Gulf coast, where the species is most reg- 
ular, included single males at St. Petersburg, 
Pinellas (Don & Lorraine Margeson), Green 
Key and Gulf Harbors, Pasco (KT, Ray Smart 
et ah), Cedar Key (DH), and Alligator Pt., 
Franklin (JM). Occasionally, American 
Goldfinches appear in summer in n. Florida, 
where they are not known to breed. This sum- 
mer, lone birds were reported at two Wakulla 
locations, a male 7 Jun (Lyn Ronolds) and 
one 1 1 Jun (SMc; sex not specified) , as well as 
at Cedar Key 3 Jul (DH, Melissa Barbour). 
Contributors (and members of the Florida 
Ornithological Society Field Observations 
Committee, in boldface): Brian Ahern (BAh), 
Bruce H. Anderson, Lyn & Brooks Atherton, 
John H. Boyd, Michael Brothers (MBr), Stan 
Czaplicki, Robert & Lucy Duncan, Charlie 
Ewell, Paul Fellers, Melissa Forehand, David 
Freeland, David Gagne, Al & Bev Hansen, 
Dale Henderson, Mark & Selma Kiser, Patrick 
Leary (PtL), Sean McCool, Larry Manfredi 
(LaM), Gail Menk, John Murphy, Alan Mur- 
ray, Stephen Paez, Peggy Powell, Bill Pranty, 
David Rankin, Bryant Roberts (BRo), Harry 
Robinson, Rex Rowan, David Simpson 
(DaS), Stephen Small, Ron Smith (RoS), Paul 
& Joan Sykes, Roberto Torres (RoT), Ken 
Tracey, Kim Willis. O 
Bruce H. Anderson, 2917 Scarlet Road 
Winter Park, Florida 32792, (scizortail@aol.com) 
Andy Bankert, 365 Spoonbill Lane 
Melbourne Beach, Florida 32951, (abankert@fit.edu) 
588 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
