Final Days in Florida, Now on to Arizona!

I had a little time to bird one last time in Florida for the year, before heading off Arizona for hopefully a few southwest Lifers.  I'm hoping for Blue-footed Booby, Mountain Chickadee and Juniper Titmouse.  My first stop on my way up from Miami was at Wakodahatchee Wetlands for a Neotropic Cormorant.  It didn't take long to find, as I had great directions to where it was, perched in a nest atop a tree full of Double Crested Cormorants.  It was a new bird for the year and a new bird for my Florida List. Afterward, I went looking for a Common Eider, at a marina south of Merrit Island, but after a long morning and early afternoon of searching, with two other birders, it just wouldn't show.

I continued up to Merritt Island to bag a Scrub Jay, as I hadn't seen one this year, and perhaps a Black Rail.  I discovered, at the Visitor's Center, that the rail was in a part of the refuge not easily driven to, and that every January at the Birding Festival, they have trips to see them.  I had hoped to go this coming January, but it overlaps with our trip to Costa Rica,  so I shall have to wait until January of 2015 for that Lifer.

Instead, I walked the Scrub Trail and found a gazillion Yellow-rumped Warblers,(please do not use this number for any CBC's, as it is a slight exaggeration).  I saw an American Kestrel, Osprey, Mocking Bird, but no Scrub Jay until I was on my way back to the car and the mosquitos were biting like I was on the Snake Bight Trail.  I got a good look and a photo, although the bird was about 100 yards away atop a tree, and moved along.  For some reason, the mosquitos only bit on the back of my knees,(is there a name for that area?), and the bridge of my nose.  Very odd.

Here is the rare for Florida Neotropic Cormorant :