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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Florida Trip Report (1 Viewer)

Michael W

Mountain Chickadee
Hello,

My family and I just returned from Florida on December 22, but due to a virus on the computer, I haven't had a chance to report this until now. We saw 109 species of birds from December 12-22 and visited the Everglades, the Keys, and various other places mostly in southern FL. The first half of the trip was birding, the second half was Disney and visiting my parent's friends. The first half was my favorite part ;) . I took a good deal of pictures with my new camera and will post some of them in the gallery.

The following is my trip report. The birds with a star (*) after them were life birds.

GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe

FRIGATEBIRDS
Magnificent Frigatebird*

GANNETS AND BOOBIES
Northern Gannet*
Masked Booby*

CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant

ANHINGAS
Anhinga*

PELICANS
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican

DUCKS, SWANS, & GEESE
Wood Duck
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Mottled Duck*
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser

HERONS, EGRETS, & BITTERNS
Reddish Egret*
Tricolored Heron*
Little Blue Heron*
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Great White Heron (not a species at the moment)*
Great Egret
Cattle Egret*
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron*

IBIS AND SPOONBILLS
White Ibis*
Glossy Ibis*
Roseate Spoonbill*

STORKS
Wood Stork*

NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture

OSPREY
Osprey

HAWKS, EAGLES, & KITES
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk*

FALCONS & CARACARAS
Crested Caracara*
American Kestrel

RAILS & COOTS
Purple Gallinule*
Common Moorhen
American Coot

CRANES
Sandhill Crane

SANDPIPERS
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs*
Willet
Ruddy Turnstone
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Red Knot*
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin

OYSTERCATCHERS
American Oystercatcher*

PLOVERS
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Wilson’s Plover*
Killdeer
Piping Plover*

GULLS & TERNS
Ring-billed Gull
Laughing Gull*
Royal Tern*
Sandwich Tern*
Common Tern*
Forster’s Tern

SKIMMERS
Black Skimmer

PIGEONS & DOVES
Rock Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeon*
Eurasian Collared-Dove*
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Common Ground-Dove*

PARROTS
Monk Parakeet*

KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher

WOODPECKERS
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher

CROWS & JAYS
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow*

SHRIKES
Loggerhead Shrike

THRUSHES
American Robin

MOCKINGBIRDS
Northern Mockingbird

STARLINGS
European Starling
Common Myna (not accepted as an established species)

WRENS
Carolina Wren

GNATCATCHERS
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

SWALLOWS
Tree Swallow

KINGLETS
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

BULBULS
Red-whiskered Bulbul

CHICKADEES, TITS
Tufted Titmouse

OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow

NEW WORLD WARBLERS
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler*
Yellow-throated Warbler*
Prairie Warbler*
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat

BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES
Northern Cardinal

BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Boat-tailed Grackle*
Common Grackle



Good birding!

Michael W
 
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Michael, what a great list! Would you be so kind and give me more details about places you stayed when birding in Florida. Every year we have family reunion in November in Florida and my husband and I are always looking for new places to stay. Did you hire a bird guide when birding there? Do you know any excellent bird guides in Florida? You may send me e-mail if this way is easier for you. Thanks
 
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That is a wonderful accumulation of life birds. Heading down there in February for a long weekend and hope to come across a few new ones.
 
Hi Wildflower,

We flew into Fort Lauderdale and drove down to the Best Western Inn in Homestead. From there it was about 20 minutes or so to the Everglades. We didn't hire any guides in any part of the trip and I don't know any good ones, sorry. The next morning, we drove down earlier than before to catch some that we missed. Afterwards, we drove back to the hotel and then headed down into the keys. After stopping at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, we arrived at Holiday Inn on Marathon Key. The next day we drove down to Key West and back, stopping at Bahia Honda State Park on the way down.

The following day, December 15, we decided to make it half way up to Orlando instead of driving the entire way in one day. So we went back up through Homestead and across and up to Fort Myers. We stayed at the Best Western Inn there. After a morning of birding in that area, the birding was over for the trip. For the remainder, we stayed in Homewood Suites at Orlando and with friends.

Hope this helps,
Michael
 
Thank you Michael. I am printing out your itinerary and will keep those places in mind when planning our November 2004 family reunion.
 
Wildflower said:
Thank you Michael. I am printing out your itinerary and will keep those places in mind when planning our November 2004 family reunion.
Wildflower : Have you come across this site ??

http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/usflorida.htm

There's some really useful information in there that I used a while back - although I wasn't particularly into birding at the time. We're planning on trying to make it back to Florida this year so will be checking it out again well in advance.

Annie
 
Hi Glen,
I saw the Booby at Playalinda Beach, near Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merrit Island just before sunset. The wing pattern was unmistakable - both my brother and I saw it alongside a Gannet. It was in a fairly steady stream of Gannets heading north.

Michael
 
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Nice list Michael.

LOL. I stay at the same hotel in Homestead! Very good location.

As far as Masked Boobies go...I think you got real lucky. Most of the time you must take the daily ferry to Fort Jefferson.

Short-tailed Hawk is a real bugger for me. Hope I can get it next time.

Congrates on all those lifers!!!

dennis
 
I agree with Dennis, of the birds on your list, Masked Booby is probably the hardest to find outside of the Dry Tortugas. And it's reportedly more likely on the Gulf side than the Atlantic. Short-tailed Hawk and Red-wiskered Bulbul aren't easy either. I've managed to miss all three in three trips to Florida. Congratulations. Glen
 
Michael W said:
Hi Glen,
I saw the Booby at Playalinda Beach, near Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merrit Island just before sunset. The wing pattern was unmistakable - both my brother and I saw it alongside a Gannet. It was in a fairly steady stream of Gannets heading north.

Michael
Nice report,Michael and a good list of birds.
I've made 3 trips to Merritt Island recently,but never did any sea-watching,hence my lack of a masked Booby!
 
Well, I guess I lucked out on the Booby, then. I noticed that Merrit Island wasn't in the range, but the Florida Birdfinding Guide said that Boobies (I'm not sure if that's Masked or Brown) could be seen there.

Thanks for all the comments!
Michael
 
Florida Birding Resource

Anyone planning to visit Florida for birding should make use of the Great Florida Birding Trail which can be found at www.floridabirdingtrail.com . Hard copy maps and guides are also available.

Not only is this a great resource but it is also in need of moral support from visiting birders to help in the protection of these various sites.

I especially recommend visits to the various wetlands treatment facilities where you will be made very welcome and get great views on many species.
 
sounds like a great winter destination Michael,which month would offer most wintering species,what's the weather like and is there plenty of accom available?
 
Hi Tonygee,

Since this was the only time I have been in Florida, I can't tell you too much. But it did seem like a lot of wintering the species were there.

The weather was about 75 degrees F when we arrived and when we left, but during most of the trip, there was a cold front. I think it got below freezing temperature one night. The weather was pretty nice, though. It rained some but not too much.

I believe there was plenty of accomodation available.

I hope this helps, but if you want more information, why not try contacting Janine13, who lives in the area.

Michael
 
Thanks Michael,will do.I was there in May/2000 had a great time.I must dig my diary out from the attic.I do remember breaking the landspeed record fleeing from mozzies in Corkscrew Swamp and being surrounded by alligaters at Paynes Prairie along an innocent looking nature trail.Looking forward to revisiting this winter , Tonygee
 
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