Posted by Alex on May 06, 2004 at 21:55:09:
A number of out-of-town birders have e-mailed me recently regarding info on where to find "Miami Specialties", especially on my White-winged Parakeets and Spot-breasted Orioles. I usually tell them that birding in South Florida in the summer can be a bust. But here are ideas for those visiting in the summer, or those who are local but don't know what to do or where to go bird-wise during the hot, buggy, south Florida days:
Tamiami Trail/Loop Road- Loop Road has a great variety of breeding birds which are at the tip of their breeding ranges. Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Red-eyed and White-eyed Vireos, Eastern Bluebirds, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Prothonotary Warblers (!), Tufted Titmouse, and Barred Owls are the usual stars of the show. Limpkin and both night-herons are added bonus's.
The Keys- many great birds live in the Keys. The vireo, cuckoo, pigeon, nighthawk, and kingbirds there are the biggest hits. The Cuban race of the Yellow Warbler is a must, as well. Many waders and Clapper Rails hang out around the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, too. A few Pelagic Trips leave from Islamorada in the summer, and are great ways to find Sooty and Bridled Terns, as well as Brown Noddys, without heading to the expensive Tortugas. However, at the Dry Tortugas in the summer, Masked and Brown Boobies are found a little easier. Roseate Tern and Short-eared Owl should be watched for.
Miami Exotics- Miami is home to almost 30 psittacids breeding in the city area. Mynas, orioles, and bulbuls are great too. One can spend days looking for all those parakeets and parrots. When you have found them all, head to Naples to find the Rose-ringed Parakeets!
Everglades National Park and Homestead- ENP may have a few owl species around, Cuck-wills-widows, and waders. Usually water levels are very high, so birds like Purple Gallinule and Wood Storks are hit-or-miss.
Seaside Sparrows should be looked for. Back in Homestead, look for Cave Swallows and the occasional Shiny Cowbird.
John U. Lloyd State Recreation area- at about this time of year, if weather heading west is strong enough, Artic Terns, gannets, and storm-petrels can be seen from the beach of the park in Broward. From there, you are not far from Ft. Lauderdale Airport, where SB Anis claim one of their last homes in the U.S.
Hope this all helps for you out-of-towners. If you pack enough sun-block or bug spray, you can make the best of a summer trip down in South Florida.
Alex