So last day in Florida. I spent the first half of the day in and around Lake Apopka Restoration Area. This is/was one of the richest inland sites in Florida. It was all once farmland and has been converted back into wetlands. Thousands of waterbirds died in mass here a few years ago probably due to
bioaccumulation of pesticides. Most of the site is still off limits to visitors for this very reason. The Clay Island area is one of the few areas where you could access the site was a little frustrating as it consisted of flatland overgrown with tall vegetation which made it impossible to scan from the paths although I did have an Otter rolling around in the dirt here. There was at least one high tower which gave good views of the area. At one stage I did a very quick 360 scan and counted at least 13 Northern Harriers and 11 Ospreys in flight around the tower. There was hardly any open water on view which meant it wasn't great for waterfowl or waders. Plenty of rails and crakes were heard but as usual none were seen.
I also had a look at an area of farmland nearby where a Say's Phoebe has been wintering for a number of years. Unfortunately this Florida rarity wasn't on view while I was present.
Very last site of the trip were the Mead Gardens in Orlando city to twitch a two hummingbirds. I saw the rarer Rufous Hummingbird but failed to see the Ruby-throated Hummingbird here. I somehow managed to miss Ruby-throated Hummingbird completely over the last fortnight.
I had managed to see around 180 species during the fortnight, 124 of which were lifers for me which wasn't all that surprising given that it was my first trip to the States but hopefully not my last. Trip list below.
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| Painted Bunting |
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| Clay-coloured Sparrow |
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| Swamp Sparrow |
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| Downy Woodpecker |
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| Orange-crowned Warbler |
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| Ovenbird |
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| River Otter |
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| Osprey |
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| Female Eastern Bluebird |
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| Sandhill Crane |
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| Sandhill Crane |
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| Red-shouldered Hawk |
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| American Goldfinch |
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| Rufous Hummingbird |
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| Rufous Hummingbird |
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| Rufous Hummingbird |
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| Red Cardinal |
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Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
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Wilson's Plover
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House Wren
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Wood Duck
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Semipalmated Plover
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Sedge Wren
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Gadwall
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Piping Plover
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Marsh Wren
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American Wigeon
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Killdeer
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Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
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Mottled Duck
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American Oystercatcher
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Golden-crowned Kinglet
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Blue-winged Teal
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American Avocet
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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Northern Shoveler
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Greater Yellowlegs
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Eastern Bluebird
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Northern Pintail
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Willet
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Hermit Thrush
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Green-winged Teal
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Lesser Yellowlegs
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American Robin
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Redhead
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Long-billed Curlew
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Grey Catbird
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Ring-necked Duck
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Marbled Godwit
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Northern Mockingbird
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Greater Scaup
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Ruddy Turnstone
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Brown Thrasher
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Lesser Scaup
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Red Knot
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European Starling
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Surf Scoter
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Sanderling
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Ovenbird
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Bufflehead
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Western Sandpiper
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Northern Waterthrush
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Hooded Merganser
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Least Sandpiper
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Black-and-white Warbler
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Red-breasted Merganser
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Dunlin
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Orange-crowned Warbler
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Ruddy Duck
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Short-billed Dowitcher
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Common Yellowthroat
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Wild Turkey
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Long-billed Dowitcher
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American Redstart
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Great northern Diver
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Wilson's Snipe
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Northern Parula
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Pied-billed Grebe
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Laughing Gull
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Palm Warbler
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Slavonian Grebe
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Ring-billed Gull
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Pine Warbler
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Wood Stork
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American Herring Gull
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Magnificent Frigatebird
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Gull-billed Tern
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Yellow-throated Warbler
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Northern Gannet
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Caspian Tern
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Prairie Warbler
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American White Pelican
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Forster's Tern
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Black-throated Green Warbler
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Brown Pelican
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Royal Tern
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Eastern Towhee
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Double-crested Cormorant
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Sandwich Tern
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Chipping Sparrow
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Anhinga
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Black Skimmer
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Clay-colored Sparrow
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American Bittern
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Rock Pigeon
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Vesper Sparrow
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Great Blue Heron
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Eurasian Collared Dove
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Savannah Sparrow
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Great Egret
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White-winged Dove
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Grasshopper Sparrow
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Snowy Egret
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American Mourning Dove
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Swamp Sparrow
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Little Blue Heron
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Common Ground-Dove
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White-crowned Sparrow
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Tricolored Heron
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Barn Owl
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Summer Tanager
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Reddish Egret
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Burrowing Owl
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Northern Cardinal
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Cattle Egret
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Lesser Nighthawk
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Painted Bunting
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Green Heron
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Eastern Whip-poor-will
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Red-winged Blackbird
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Black-crowned Night-Heron
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Rufous Hummingbird
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Eastern Meadowlark
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Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
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Belted Kingfisher
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Common Grackle
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White Ibis
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Red-headed Woodpecker
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Boat-tailed Grackle
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Glossy Ibis
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
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Bronzed Cowbird
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Roseate Spoonbill
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
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Brown-headed Cowbird
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Black Vulture
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Downy Woodpecker
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Purple Finch
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Turkey Vulture
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Red-cockaded Woodpecker
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American Goldfinch
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Osprey
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Northern Flicker
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House Sparrow
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White-tailed Kite
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Pileated Woodpecker
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Snail Kite
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Eastern Phoebe
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Bald Eagle
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Vermilion Flycatcher
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Hen Harrier
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Ash-throated Flycatcher
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Sharp-shinned Hawk
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Great Crested Flycatcher
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Cooper's Hawk
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Tropical Kingbird
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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Western Kingbird
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Short-tailed Hawk
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Loggerhead Shrike
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Swainson's Hawk
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White-eyed Vireo
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Red-tailed Hawk
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Blue-headed Vireo
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American Kestrel
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Blue Jay
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Merlin
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Florida Scrub-Jay
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Peregrine Falcon
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American Crow
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Sora
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Fish Crow
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Purple Gallinule
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Northern Rough-winged Swallow
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Common Gallinule
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Tree Swallow
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American Coot
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Barn Swallow
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Limpkin
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Carolina Chickadee
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Sandhill Crane
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Tufted Titmouse
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Grey Plover
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Brown-headed Nuthatch
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Snowy Plover
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Carolina Wren
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