janine13
Well-known member
I have compiled the following based on personal observations, the Tropical Audubon Society's website, http://www.tropicalaudubon.org/ and Bill Pranty's "Birders Guide to Florida."
Note: I have listed here only the sites that I have visited. The aforementioned references list many other birding destinations in the area. I will be adding to this thread as I visit more sites.
Although Miami Dade County is a sprawling urban development, there are many good spots for birding, especially if you want to see exotic species.
Miami Springs is a residential community north of Miami International Airport. Birding highlights include Spot-breasted Oriole, Burrowing Owl and a variety of parrots. To get there from the Palmetto Expressway (SR-826) exit east on NW 36th Street. Proceed about 2 miles east, going over the bridge over the railroad, to the light at Curtiss Parkway. Turn left (north) on Curtiss Parkway. You can park near the Fair Haven Nursing Home (about 1 mile). Yellow-chevroned Parakeets and Mitred Conures (Parakeets) can often be found near the nursing home. Parrots are generally noisy, and can often best be found by driving or walking around the neighborhood. Other parrots seen here include Red Masked Parakeets, Red Crowned, Blue Fronted, and Yellow Headed Parrots.
Baptist Hospital is located on Kendall Drive (SW 88th Street) just west of SW 87th Ave. (Galloway Road). The neighborhood across Kendall Drive is also good. Drive or walk the area. There are several south Florida specialities to look for here: Monk Parakeet, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, White-winged Parakeet, Red-whiskered Bulbul (most often seen in the neighborhood across Kendall Drive) and Spot-breasted Oriole.
A.D. Barnes Park is located on the northeast corner of SW 72nd Avenue and Bird Road (40th Street). The entrance is on SW 72nd Avenue, just north of Bird Road. Right after you enter the park you have the choice of going left or right. If you go right, you get to the picnic area. Here you should scan the trees and walk the paved path through the small hammock. Once you're done with the picnic area, go back and take the road to the left, which leads to the Sense of Wonder Nature Center and trails. If the gate at the end of the road is closed, you can enter by foot through a gate opposite the baseball fields. Many interesting sightings have been made here, including Macaws, Grassquit, Flycatchers, and many parrots and parakeets. Cuban Anole and Green Iguana are commonly seen.
Cape Florida Bill Baggs State Park is the south end of Key Biscayne. Take the Rickenbacker Causeway ($1) from the south end of I-95. Go through Virginia Key (home of the Seaquarium) to Key Biscayne. Continue on the main road through the village of Key Biscayne until you reach the park. You can get a park map and bird list at the entrance when you pay the entrance fee. Both the interior trail and bike path are good early in the morning. To reach these, take the first right after the entrance station and park in the lot at the end of the road. Both lead south. The interior trail goes up the hill. The bicycle path runs along the W side of the lot. Great for shorebirds, wintering warblers, and pelagics. Green Iguanas are also common.
Crandon Park is located on Key Biscayne. Take the Rickenbacker Causeway ($1) from the south end of I-95. Go through Virginia Key (home of the Seaquarium) to Key Biscayne. Western Stripe-headed Tanager (Western Spindalis) has been recorded here. The beach has gulls, terns, and shorebirds. Piping and Wilson's Plovers winter here. Green Iguanas and cuban rock iguanas are numerous.
Deering Estate. The park entrance is located just east of Old Cutler Rd. on SW 168th Street. The new visitor center is located one block east of the stoplight at the intersection of Old Cutler Road and SW 172nd Street. $6 entrance fee. Good for wintering warblers. Matheson Hammock is on Old Cutler Rd. about 1 mile south of Kendall Drive, immediately north of Fairchild Tropical Garden. Turn in the main entrance to Matheson (at the light) and park on the left. This is the north parking lot. Bird the picnic area and adjacent mangroves until you reach the south parking lot. Then cross Old Cutler Road and bird the service road. Return to the north parking lot via the nature trail. The way to the trail is marked by a double row of Royal Palms. If you are interested in shorebirds and waders, you might drive further into the park (fee). I have heard that American Crocodiles can be seen here. Fairchild Garden, which is next door, is good for exotics such as parrots, mynahs, and bubul, but I have not seen many native birds. Blue and Gold Macaws are often seen here, and supposedly have nested here. Occasionally American Alligator and Florida Softshell can be seen.
Castellow Hammock is on SW 162nd Avenue, between SW 216th and 232nd Streets. From the Turnpike, exit west to Hainlin Mill Dr. (SW 216th St.). Proceed west for about 4.5 miles. Turn south on 162nd Ave. Castellow Hammock will be on your left a short way down the street. The park is open dawn to dusk, but the gate is sometimes closed. If the gate is locked, park on the grass (not blocking the gate) and walk in. For hummingbirds, check the flowering bushes and oak trees around the lawn. A rufous hummingbird has been seen there this winter. A trail into the hammock begins behind the headquaters. When filled, the feeders attract Painted Bunting in winter, and Cardinals year round.
For Cave swallows, these directions assume you are southbound on Florida's Turnpike. Take the 216th St. (Hainlin Mill Drive) exit. Go past the stoplight and proceed to 216th St. Turn left on 216th and go under the turnpike. Then immediately turn left again. Park on the right just before crossing the canal. There will be a canal ahead of you and another canal to the right. The Cave Swallows nest under the Turnpike bridge over the canal. They also often nest under the 216th Avenue canal bridge and other canal bridges in this general area.
The Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park is located on the Tamiami Trail (US-41) about 17 miles west of Krome Avenue (SR-997). Good for waders and raptors, as well as abundant alligators. The 15-mile bike trail is the best way to observe nature, as the tram tour can be noisy (and it doesnt stop and allow disembarking). The observation tower provides stunning views of the surrounding ecosystem.
Loop Road begins at the Tamiami Trail's forty-mile bend, approximately 3.7 miles west of Shark Valley. When the Tamiami Trail bears right into Big Cypress, turn left onto Loop Road. From there, it is about 23.5 miles to Monroe Station, where Loop Road returns to the Tamiami Trail. The road is paved until just past the Loop Road Education Center (on the south side) and Tree Snail Hammock Nature Trail (on the north side) at 7.9 miles. From here on, stop anywhere that seems interesting. Don't forget to check the pinelands for typical pineland birds such as Pine Warbler and Eastern Bluebird. At about 18.5 miles from Tamiami Trail you reach Sweetwater Strand. Although much of the road provides good birding, this is the best spot. It's well worth stopping and spending some time here. Pronthonotary Warblers nest here in summer. Look for River Otters. From here, it's another 5 miles to the Tamiami Trail at Monroe Station.
Note: I have listed here only the sites that I have visited. The aforementioned references list many other birding destinations in the area. I will be adding to this thread as I visit more sites.
Although Miami Dade County is a sprawling urban development, there are many good spots for birding, especially if you want to see exotic species.
Miami Springs is a residential community north of Miami International Airport. Birding highlights include Spot-breasted Oriole, Burrowing Owl and a variety of parrots. To get there from the Palmetto Expressway (SR-826) exit east on NW 36th Street. Proceed about 2 miles east, going over the bridge over the railroad, to the light at Curtiss Parkway. Turn left (north) on Curtiss Parkway. You can park near the Fair Haven Nursing Home (about 1 mile). Yellow-chevroned Parakeets and Mitred Conures (Parakeets) can often be found near the nursing home. Parrots are generally noisy, and can often best be found by driving or walking around the neighborhood. Other parrots seen here include Red Masked Parakeets, Red Crowned, Blue Fronted, and Yellow Headed Parrots.
Baptist Hospital is located on Kendall Drive (SW 88th Street) just west of SW 87th Ave. (Galloway Road). The neighborhood across Kendall Drive is also good. Drive or walk the area. There are several south Florida specialities to look for here: Monk Parakeet, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, White-winged Parakeet, Red-whiskered Bulbul (most often seen in the neighborhood across Kendall Drive) and Spot-breasted Oriole.
A.D. Barnes Park is located on the northeast corner of SW 72nd Avenue and Bird Road (40th Street). The entrance is on SW 72nd Avenue, just north of Bird Road. Right after you enter the park you have the choice of going left or right. If you go right, you get to the picnic area. Here you should scan the trees and walk the paved path through the small hammock. Once you're done with the picnic area, go back and take the road to the left, which leads to the Sense of Wonder Nature Center and trails. If the gate at the end of the road is closed, you can enter by foot through a gate opposite the baseball fields. Many interesting sightings have been made here, including Macaws, Grassquit, Flycatchers, and many parrots and parakeets. Cuban Anole and Green Iguana are commonly seen.
Cape Florida Bill Baggs State Park is the south end of Key Biscayne. Take the Rickenbacker Causeway ($1) from the south end of I-95. Go through Virginia Key (home of the Seaquarium) to Key Biscayne. Continue on the main road through the village of Key Biscayne until you reach the park. You can get a park map and bird list at the entrance when you pay the entrance fee. Both the interior trail and bike path are good early in the morning. To reach these, take the first right after the entrance station and park in the lot at the end of the road. Both lead south. The interior trail goes up the hill. The bicycle path runs along the W side of the lot. Great for shorebirds, wintering warblers, and pelagics. Green Iguanas are also common.
Crandon Park is located on Key Biscayne. Take the Rickenbacker Causeway ($1) from the south end of I-95. Go through Virginia Key (home of the Seaquarium) to Key Biscayne. Western Stripe-headed Tanager (Western Spindalis) has been recorded here. The beach has gulls, terns, and shorebirds. Piping and Wilson's Plovers winter here. Green Iguanas and cuban rock iguanas are numerous.
Deering Estate. The park entrance is located just east of Old Cutler Rd. on SW 168th Street. The new visitor center is located one block east of the stoplight at the intersection of Old Cutler Road and SW 172nd Street. $6 entrance fee. Good for wintering warblers. Matheson Hammock is on Old Cutler Rd. about 1 mile south of Kendall Drive, immediately north of Fairchild Tropical Garden. Turn in the main entrance to Matheson (at the light) and park on the left. This is the north parking lot. Bird the picnic area and adjacent mangroves until you reach the south parking lot. Then cross Old Cutler Road and bird the service road. Return to the north parking lot via the nature trail. The way to the trail is marked by a double row of Royal Palms. If you are interested in shorebirds and waders, you might drive further into the park (fee). I have heard that American Crocodiles can be seen here. Fairchild Garden, which is next door, is good for exotics such as parrots, mynahs, and bubul, but I have not seen many native birds. Blue and Gold Macaws are often seen here, and supposedly have nested here. Occasionally American Alligator and Florida Softshell can be seen.
Castellow Hammock is on SW 162nd Avenue, between SW 216th and 232nd Streets. From the Turnpike, exit west to Hainlin Mill Dr. (SW 216th St.). Proceed west for about 4.5 miles. Turn south on 162nd Ave. Castellow Hammock will be on your left a short way down the street. The park is open dawn to dusk, but the gate is sometimes closed. If the gate is locked, park on the grass (not blocking the gate) and walk in. For hummingbirds, check the flowering bushes and oak trees around the lawn. A rufous hummingbird has been seen there this winter. A trail into the hammock begins behind the headquaters. When filled, the feeders attract Painted Bunting in winter, and Cardinals year round.
For Cave swallows, these directions assume you are southbound on Florida's Turnpike. Take the 216th St. (Hainlin Mill Drive) exit. Go past the stoplight and proceed to 216th St. Turn left on 216th and go under the turnpike. Then immediately turn left again. Park on the right just before crossing the canal. There will be a canal ahead of you and another canal to the right. The Cave Swallows nest under the Turnpike bridge over the canal. They also often nest under the 216th Avenue canal bridge and other canal bridges in this general area.
The Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park is located on the Tamiami Trail (US-41) about 17 miles west of Krome Avenue (SR-997). Good for waders and raptors, as well as abundant alligators. The 15-mile bike trail is the best way to observe nature, as the tram tour can be noisy (and it doesnt stop and allow disembarking). The observation tower provides stunning views of the surrounding ecosystem.
Loop Road begins at the Tamiami Trail's forty-mile bend, approximately 3.7 miles west of Shark Valley. When the Tamiami Trail bears right into Big Cypress, turn left onto Loop Road. From there, it is about 23.5 miles to Monroe Station, where Loop Road returns to the Tamiami Trail. The road is paved until just past the Loop Road Education Center (on the south side) and Tree Snail Hammock Nature Trail (on the north side) at 7.9 miles. From here on, stop anywhere that seems interesting. Don't forget to check the pinelands for typical pineland birds such as Pine Warbler and Eastern Bluebird. At about 18.5 miles from Tamiami Trail you reach Sweetwater Strand. Although much of the road provides good birding, this is the best spot. It's well worth stopping and spending some time here. Pronthonotary Warblers nest here in summer. Look for River Otters. From here, it's another 5 miles to the Tamiami Trail at Monroe Station.
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