Andy Wraithmell
aka Limeybirder
Due to the frequent request for information on where to bird in Florida I have taken the liberty of starting a thread devoted to that and providing some basic information for visiting birders.
The Great Florida Birding Trail is a great resource for planning your birding to the state. It's also completely free! Here is a link to the trail website.
http://floridabirdingtrail.com/
There are literally hundreds of great birding sites in Florida and it's almost impossible to list them all. Here is a list of my favorite sites and ones I would recommend to visiting birders.
Panhandle
Fort Pickens
St George Island State Park
Bald Point State Park
Apalachicola National Forest
St Marks National Wildlife Refuge
North Florida
Fort Clinch State Park
Paynes Prairie State Preserve
Ocala National Forest
Central Florida
Honeymoon Island State Park
Fort De Soto County Park
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Canaveral National Seashore
Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area
Joe Overstreet Landing Rd and Lake Kissimmee
Lake Kissimmee State Park
Zellwood and Lake Apopka
Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve
Wekiwa Springs State Park
South Florida
Sanibel Island & J N Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
STA-5 (need to join organized field trip www.sfwmd.gov)
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Everglades National Park
Bill Baggs State Park
Sebastian Inlet State Park
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Wakodahatchee Wetlands
A.D. Barnes Park
Lucky Hammock (Frog Pond Wildlife Management Area)
Keys
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Bahia Honda State Park
Curry Hammock State Park
Key West Tropical Forest & Gardens
I could have listed many, many more excellent sites but I didn't!
Other resources every birder visiting Florida should have include;
The DeLorme Florida Atlas and Gazetteer
Bill Pranty's Birding Guide to Florida
both the above publications are invaluable and not too expensive.
Other things you should bring with you
Bug repellent
plenty of high factor sunscreen. Florida isn't called the Sunshine State for nothing! Most Europeans are lobster red after 2 days!!!!
you'll need to carry lots of water. prepare to sweat, especially between April and October.
Wear loose fitting clothing and a wide brimmed hat to protect from the sun. Sunglasses are advisable to prevent eye strain.
Photographers should bring lots of memory cards and I mean lots!
Best times to visit
Mid to late April for the biggest species total. Migration is in full swing and all the tropical breeders should be back in South Florida.
Fall migration starts in August but late September early October is best. Beware though that this is peak hurricane season.
Summer (June, July and August) should be avoided, not worth suffering and fewer species.
Winter is great birding throughout the state, weather is fantastic!
Further Information
There are several websites where birders can glean more information. Jack Siler's Birding website is excellent and contains the Florida listservs. This is where Florida birders post their latest sightings.
BirdBrains (FL): http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/BRAN.html
Florida Birds: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/FLAB.html
Florida Rare Bird Alert: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/FLRB.html\
North Florida Birds: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFLB.html
For Florida State Parks: www.floridastateparks.org
National Wildlife Refuges
St Marks: http://www.fws.gov/saintmarks/
Merritt Island: http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/
Loxahatchee: http://www.fws.gov/loxahatchee/
J N Ding Darling: http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/
National Parks
Everglades: http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm
Dry Tortugas: http://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm
Other internet resources
Florida Ornithological Society: http://www.fosbirds.org/
Audubon of Florida: http://fl.audubon.org/
Birding Guides
David Simpson: http://homepage.mac.com/simpsondavid/
Larry Manfredi: http://southfloridabirding.com/
Andy Wraithmell: website to be constructed soon!
Of course there are many birders on Bird Forum who have plenty of experience of birding in Florida so if you have a question I am sure you will get a good answer.
Hope this helps the many birders visiting Florida.
The Great Florida Birding Trail is a great resource for planning your birding to the state. It's also completely free! Here is a link to the trail website.
http://floridabirdingtrail.com/
There are literally hundreds of great birding sites in Florida and it's almost impossible to list them all. Here is a list of my favorite sites and ones I would recommend to visiting birders.
Panhandle
Fort Pickens
St George Island State Park
Bald Point State Park
Apalachicola National Forest
St Marks National Wildlife Refuge
North Florida
Fort Clinch State Park
Paynes Prairie State Preserve
Ocala National Forest
Central Florida
Honeymoon Island State Park
Fort De Soto County Park
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Canaveral National Seashore
Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area
Joe Overstreet Landing Rd and Lake Kissimmee
Lake Kissimmee State Park
Zellwood and Lake Apopka
Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve
Wekiwa Springs State Park
South Florida
Sanibel Island & J N Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
STA-5 (need to join organized field trip www.sfwmd.gov)
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Everglades National Park
Bill Baggs State Park
Sebastian Inlet State Park
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Wakodahatchee Wetlands
A.D. Barnes Park
Lucky Hammock (Frog Pond Wildlife Management Area)
Keys
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Bahia Honda State Park
Curry Hammock State Park
Key West Tropical Forest & Gardens
I could have listed many, many more excellent sites but I didn't!
Other resources every birder visiting Florida should have include;
The DeLorme Florida Atlas and Gazetteer
Bill Pranty's Birding Guide to Florida
both the above publications are invaluable and not too expensive.
Other things you should bring with you
Bug repellent
plenty of high factor sunscreen. Florida isn't called the Sunshine State for nothing! Most Europeans are lobster red after 2 days!!!!
you'll need to carry lots of water. prepare to sweat, especially between April and October.
Wear loose fitting clothing and a wide brimmed hat to protect from the sun. Sunglasses are advisable to prevent eye strain.
Photographers should bring lots of memory cards and I mean lots!
Best times to visit
Mid to late April for the biggest species total. Migration is in full swing and all the tropical breeders should be back in South Florida.
Fall migration starts in August but late September early October is best. Beware though that this is peak hurricane season.
Summer (June, July and August) should be avoided, not worth suffering and fewer species.
Winter is great birding throughout the state, weather is fantastic!
Further Information
There are several websites where birders can glean more information. Jack Siler's Birding website is excellent and contains the Florida listservs. This is where Florida birders post their latest sightings.
BirdBrains (FL): http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/BRAN.html
Florida Birds: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/FLAB.html
Florida Rare Bird Alert: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/FLRB.html\
North Florida Birds: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFLB.html
For Florida State Parks: www.floridastateparks.org
National Wildlife Refuges
St Marks: http://www.fws.gov/saintmarks/
Merritt Island: http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/
Loxahatchee: http://www.fws.gov/loxahatchee/
J N Ding Darling: http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/
National Parks
Everglades: http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm
Dry Tortugas: http://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm
Other internet resources
Florida Ornithological Society: http://www.fosbirds.org/
Audubon of Florida: http://fl.audubon.org/
Birding Guides
David Simpson: http://homepage.mac.com/simpsondavid/
Larry Manfredi: http://southfloridabirding.com/
Andy Wraithmell: website to be constructed soon!
Of course there are many birders on Bird Forum who have plenty of experience of birding in Florida so if you have a question I am sure you will get a good answer.
Hope this helps the many birders visiting Florida.