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Birding Southern Florida in May (1 Viewer)

smyrna

smyrna

Well-known member
Hi Folks

I will be holidaying in Florida in Mid May driving down from Merritt Island to Key West birding where I can en route, so if any of you guys have been out birding lately in any of the following sites I would be interested to know what you saw - Merritt Island, 3 Lakes management area, Joe Overstreet, Key Largo & Key West:t: Birds on my ' Love to See list ' are Scrub Jay,Mangrove Cuckoo, Limpkin, Wild Turkey, Red Cockaded wpecker, Brown Headed Nuthatch, Mississippi Kite, Broad winged Hawk, Prairie Warbler, Any other Warblers, Black Whiskered Vireo......
Any info at all would be much appreciated

Thanks

Phil
 
Florida Scrub-Jay is present near the entrance booth to Lake Kissimmee State Park. Wild Turkey is present throughout the Three Lakes WMA/Lake Kissimmee State Park area in good numbers, sometimes right by the smaller side roads. Keep an eye out for Crested Caracara, Bald Eagle, and Sandhill Crane as they are thick in that part of Florida. Three Lakes WMA is good for Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Limpkin is very easy at either Green Cay or Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach county. Loxahatchee NWR is also a good place for them. You can also see Purple Gallinule, Least Bittern, and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks by doing this circuit of three locations.

Mangrove Cuckoo and Prairie Warbler (coastal race) are present in the mangroves from Miami-Dade down to Key West. I would try for the Mangrove Cuckoo at Black Point Marina (mangrove area) in Miami-Dade first. If you miss them there, Key Largo Botanical Site and Dynamite Trail are also good. The warbler (along with 'Cuban' Yellow Warbler) is easiest at Alabama Jacks on Card Sound Road. By checking all of the above areas, you should also pick up White-crowned Pigeon and Gray Kingbird.

Black-whiskered Vireo can be found singing throughout the tropical hardwood hammocks on Key Largo -- Key Largo Botanical Site, Long Key State Park, etc all have breeding pairs.

Don't forget to check the Marathon Airport at dusk/night fall for Antillean Nighthawks. The Government Center building on Marathon has a breeding colony of Least and Roseate Terns on the roof.

It sounds like you will be too far south to have a shot at Mississippi Kite and Broad-winged Hawk. However, keep an eye out for Swallow-tailed Kite and Short-tailed Hawk at Lake Kissimmee State Park, as both species breed there.

I'm not a fan of Joe Overstreet, particularly in May -- I don't think you will see anything there that you can't see more easily somewhere else.

Enjoy,

Carlos
 
Last edited:
csanchez7 said:
Florida Scrub-Jay is present near the entrance booth to Lake Kissimmee State Park. Wild Turkey is present throughout the Three Lakes WMA/Lake Kissimmee State Park area in good numbers, sometimes right by the smaller side roads. Keep an eye out for Crested Caracara, Bald Eagle, and Sandhill Crane as they are thick in that part of Florida. Three Lakes WMA is good for Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Limpkin is very easy at either Green Cay or Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach county. Loxahatchee NWR is also a good place for them. You can also see Purple Gallinule, Least Bittern, and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks by doing this circuit of three locations.

Mangrove Cuckoo and Prairie Warbler (coastal race) are present in the mangroves from Miami-Dade down to Key West. I would try for the Mangrove Cuckoo at Black Point Marina (mangrove area) in Miami-Dade first. If you miss them there, Key Largo Botanical Site and Dynamite Trail are also good. The warbler (along with 'Cuban' Yellow Warbler) is easiest at Alabama Jacks on Card Sound Road. By checking all of the above areas, you should also pick up White-crowned Pigeon and Gray Kingbird.

Black-whiskered Vireo can be found singing throughout the tropical hardwood hammocks on Key Largo -- Key Largo Botanical Site, Long Key State Park, etc all have breeding pairs.

Don't forget to check the Marathon Airport at dusk/night fall for Antillean Nighthawks. The Government Center building on Marathon has a breeding colony of Least and Roseate Terns on the roof.

It sounds like you will be too far south to have a shot at Mississippi Kite and Broad-winged Hawk. However, keep an eye out for Swallow-tailed Kite and Short-tailed Hawk at Lake Kissimmee State Park, as both species breed there.

I'm not a fan of Joe Overstreet, particularly in May -- I don't think you will see anything there that you can't see more easily somewhere else.

Enjoy,

Carlos
Click to expand...
Wow thanks very much Carlos for your speedy response, some of the sites you mention aren't in my Birders guide to Florida so they are particularly useful. We are staying in Palm Beach so I will certainly give Green Cay a try also Lake Kissimmee and the Key Largo & Miami sites.:t:
Thanks again
 
hi carlos,
im going to orlando late october this year. i went 2 years ago and saw plenty around the parks, but i would like to give the coast a visit to check out any u.s. waders and gulls. could you give me any tips on where to look. thanx in advance
mowla....u.k.
 
mowla:

Your best bet from Orlando is probably to visit Merritt Island NWR from Titusville. Waterfowl should be arriving (Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, etc). All of the herons/egrets should be represented there, as well as various sandpipers and plovers. Scoping off of Cape Canaveral National Seashore should produce Northern Gannets and maybe some jaegers (skuas). The bridge on the way into Merritt Island NWR can potentially have Black Skimmers, Bonaparte's Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull, along with more common species.

smyrna:

Don't hesitate to try the migrant hotspots in Miami-Dade county such as A.D. Barnes Park or Bill Baggs State Park, if you have the time. They can be excellent for migrant warblers (in mid-May, you will be at the tail end of spring migration for us this far south). In the May 10-15 time frame, I have had very good days with multiple Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Blackpoll Warbler, and Black-throated Blue Warbler at Bill Baggs SP. Other species to look out for that are found in lesser numbers include Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, and Connecticut Warbler.

Carlos
 
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