Florida bird and animal identification books (1 Viewer)

Tony Knight · Sep 17, 2010

Hi

spending 2 weeks in florida in January.
There's some excellent info on sites on the florida forum so I'm putting together an itinerary, the only issue being which sites to leave out! 3 days in the keys, 4 around Miami and 3 around Orlando (catching Green Cay/Wakod...while travelling from Miami to Orlando ....and making a special trip to Marco island/Ding Darling).

What's the best bird identification book to take? The Alsop "Birds of Florida" book ? ...or would a more general Eastern North America book such as sibley be adequate and a better bet?

Also can anyone recommend a good mammal/reptile identification book to take?

thanks
Tony

Phil Carter · Sep 17, 2010

I found the Sibley guide for Eastern North America more than adequate, excellent in fact. Can't help with mammals and reptiles though, although any I did see I managed to ID afterwards on the net.

Phil

Tony Knight · Sep 17, 2010

Thanks Phil - presume there's nothing in the Florida book that's not covered by Sibley? In which case I'll probably take Sibley as I'm already planning to take the Rapoza "Birding Florida" book so only want to take one identification book.

Probably go with the "travellers wildlife guide to Florida" for all other wildlife unless anyone suggests otherwise as this looks the best on Amazon.

Tony

Jim M. · Sep 17, 2010

Tony Knight said:
or would a more general Eastern North America book such as sibley be adequate and a better bet?

For IDing birds, guides to Eastern/Western NA (or all of NA) are superior to state-specific guides just because they tend to be of higher quality and more effort is put into them. However, state specific guides sometimes have detailed info on status and distribution that's not in the broader guides. But the Rapoza book has good info on local status and distribution, so I think an Eastern Sibley and Rapoza will be all you'll need. (If you want even more ID info you could get both the Eastern and big Sibleys--each has info the other doesn't and the Eastern is nice and compact for taking in the field).

Best,
Jim

csanchez7 · Sep 17, 2010

I would go with the Eastern Sibley's for identification, and Brian Rapoza's book for specific locations to bird. January is a great time to bird in Florida.

Carlos

Tony Knight · Sep 17, 2010

Thanks Jim/Carlos.

Sibley and Rapoza it is !

One quick question - my wife isn't a birder but loves burrowing owls after we saw them at a bird of prey centre in the uk. There are a number of sites mentioned here for possible sightings but, silly question, are they nocturnal? Do you have to visit these sites at crack of dawn or dusk to see the birds or are they visible at any time of the day?

I'm trying to build as much birding into the itinerary alongside the usual Florida tourist sites eg disney, kennedy centre, the keys....

thanks
Tony

Phil Carter · Sep 17, 2010

I'm pretty sure that Burrowing Owls hunt at night although they can be seen perched up during the day. The only one I saw was sitting on a fence post at about 11 o'clock in the morning.

Phil

csanchez7 · Sep 17, 2010

I have most luck with Burrowing Owls early in the morning (7-8AM). I find them more hit and miss at noon/midday, but I do sometimes get lucky and see them at that time of day.

Carlos

Jim M. · Sep 17, 2010

Tony Knight said:
One quick question - my wife isn't a birder but loves burrowing owls after we saw them at a bird of prey centre in the uk. There are a number of sites mentioned here for possible sightings but, silly question, are they nocturnal? Do you have to visit these sites at crack of dawn or dusk to see the birds or are they visible at any time of the day?

From BNA online:

Known to be diurnal, crepuscular, and nocturnal, depending on time of year. Breeding owls observed foraging for insects at all hours of the day. Radio-tagged males known to fly long distances (range 50–2700 m from the nest burrow) between 20:00 and 06:30 h (Haug and Oliphant 1990). Primarily nocturnal other times of the year, spending daylight hours in burrows or other roosts (Martin 1973a, Butts 1976).

Carlos has more experience with them in Florida, but elsewhere I've found that if you're near their burrow, they are not difficult to see. Most recently saw them in Florida at the Sombrero Key Golf Course (which is near Marathon IIRC) c. 4:30 in the afternoon in early July.

Best,
Jim

Tony Knight · Sep 19, 2010

thanks guys - will be much easier to justify trudging round a number of other reserves (corkscrew, green cay, wakod...,merritt, tigertail beach, +the everglades) if my wife sees at least one burrowing owl !!

Tony

Zackiedawg · Sep 21, 2010

The Florida burrowing owls are up throughout the day, and at some of the more common sighting areas (FAU campus, Brian Piccolo park) they can be fairly reliably spotted anytime of day, though certain times of year are better than others.

And don't worry too much on reptile/amphibian IDs - you can probably get an easy ID from most any Floridian wandering around the nature centers or wetlands areas with a camera, and also many of the parks/reserves you're visiting have either signs posted or offer various ID cards or sheets for different things - usually plaques or signs are posted throughout boardwalk and walkway areas which describe alligators, various types of turtles, and some have lizard/frog/snake IDs too.

merryslug · Sep 21, 2010

Don't go to FAU (unless I was directed to the wrong spot). Where I was sent they had erected a disc-golf course and there were no owls to be found. Of course I could've been lost...

Brian Piccolo is reliable even for bird novices such as myself :t:

Zackiedawg · Sep 21, 2010

Sounds strange...the areas where the owls are at FAU is protected land, so possibly someone guided you to the wrong area?! there's a triangular spot that sits along the back runway/parking area, along the airport on one side, parking on the other, and buildings on the 3rd side...that's the protected area for the owls. There are trails that meander through there - just sand - and I've gone back there and spotted owls this spring. It's not as wide-open and easy to find as Piccolo though...where the owls are all over the place, marked by orange tape and cones, and with people moving all around them!

merryslug · Sep 21, 2010

Well if you've been there as recently as this spring then I was def in the wrong spot. My avatar is a Burrowing Owl pic from Brian Piccolo

Tony, wherever you go, there's usually one keeping watch near the entrance of the burrow. Give them a little time and you should see them.

Tony Knight · Sep 22, 2010

thanks guys - will definately give brian piccolo park a try.

Justin you mention some times of year are better than others....is January a good time ??

thanks
Tony

Tony Knight · Sep 22, 2010

Having read the prior postings on the florida section of this website I picked up a few other things i'd like to get verified given how long ago the postings were made;

1 - Is it true that Brian Piccolo Park is closed on Tuesdays and wednesdays ?

2 - Is there still a "Brown-headed nuthatch colony just north of the research centre" ? where is "the research centre"?

3 - Is there still a "Snail Kite roost at the Miccosoukee rest area"

4 - Is Ding-Darling a shadow of its former self or is it back to being an "unmissable" site?

thanks
Tony

merryslug · Sep 22, 2010

I can't answer all of those (but I'm really curious about #2). I'll check into #1 when they open - the website isn't very clear.

I hit Ding Darling on Labor Day and had a great birding day. I was looking for Reddish Egrets and they were one of the first birds I saw

. I got irritated when a pink bird flew in front of my camera, then realized it was a bunch of Spoonbills. Best time is low tide and near sunrise if you can.

I had:

Reddish Egret
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
White Ibis
Little Blue Heron
Spoonbills
Laughing Gulls
Snowy Egrets
Ruddy Turnstone (on the causeway)
Cardinals
Red bellied Woodpeckers

There are plenty more, but those were the easy ones because I was in a hurry. Hope this helps a little.

Tony Knight · Sep 22, 2010

thanks - the nuthatch info was from a 12/2005 posting by Cassowary on a thread entitled "Florida Birding" by birdsperu so may be out of date now.....

merryslug · Sep 22, 2010

Okay, they ARE closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays now. However according to the recording I got, on Wednesdays the park will be open after 5PM. That seemed odd to me, but they are a sports complex as well, so it's probably for evening games.

They're also closed most holidays. I can't remember when you said you were coming and I'm too lazy too read back

Zackiedawg · Sep 22, 2010

Tony Knight said:
thanks guys - will definately give brian piccolo park a try.
Justin you mention some times of year are better than others....is January a good time ??

I think you'd be OK at Piccolo. Official nesting time for the burrowing owls usually doesn't start until mid-February, but Piccolo is a pretty reliable spot to see them and they're usually there even before they start making little owls. I've seen shots posted of the owls at Piccolo in January.

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