A Florida Scrub-Jay being its normal curious and entertaining self. Photo: Gavin Bieber
While the rest of the country can already be shrouded in the wet, cold, and generally disagreeable tones of early winter, in South Florida the days are usually still full of sunshine with temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees. Our getaway will explore some of Florida’s best birding destinations, including Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Everglades National Park, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, as well as bits of the southeast coast rich in exotic birds and an interior region known for the endemic Florida Scrub-Jay.
Although this is a serious bird tour, it’s also relaxed, as there’s not that much daylight. There is only one hotel change, with the last three nights spent on lovely Sanibel Island.
Day 1: The trip begins at 6:00 p.m. at our Fort Lauderdale hotel. Night in Fort Lauderdale.
Day 2: We’ll spend the morning at wonderful Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The secretive Least Bittern skulks in the reedbeds, Purple Gallinules are remarkably common, and we’ll be surrounded by herons, egrets, ibis, and anhingas. In the afternoon we’ll return to Fort Lauderdale. If Smooth-billed Ani are present this year, we’ll make a special effort to locate them, as they seem to be fast disappearing from North America as a breeding bird. We’ll finish the day watching flocks of parrots coming to roost. Night in Fort Lauderdale.
Day 3: This morning we’ll search the suburban areas of Kendall for the established Monk Parakeet, Red-whiskered Bulbul, and Spot-breasted Oriole, and the likely soon-to-be-established Common Myna. Depending on current birding conditions, we’ll either head south to investigate the upper and middle Florida Keys or visit several of the many attractive parks around South Miami, seeking some of the less common wintering warblers and maybe finding a true rarity such as Western Spindalis. Southern Florida now has an incredible diversity of parrots, and we should see several species not currently considered established in the state. Although not “countable,” the free-flying macaws and swarms of parakeets are always a treat. Night in Fort Lauderdale.
Day 4: We’ll spend a full day in the Everglades, where we’ll have ample time to explore the park’s road and trail system. Birds seem to be everywhere, and many have become accustomed to the flow of human visitors, allowing excellent opportunities for photography. The mudflats off Flamingo support hordes of American White Pelicans, Reddish Egrets, and many shorebirds, gulls, and terns. We’ll look carefully through this assemblage for uncommon or rare species; a Black-tailed Godwit once spent much of the winter here, proving that almost anything can turn up. Scrubby trees support numbers of wintering hummingbirds, flycatchers, warblers (nearly 15 species winter in the park each year), and orioles. Blackbird flocks here could contain a few Shiny Cowbirds, a species that seems to be declining in Florida. White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbills are a common sight in the park, providing a dramatic contrast to the mainly green backdrop. If Greater Flamingos are present this year, we’ll make the pilgrimage out Snake Bight Trail to look for this regal bird. Although very hard to locate in winter, both Mangrove Cuckoo and White-crowned Pigeon are possible in the park’s hardwood hammocks. Night in Fort Lauderdale.
Day 5: We’ll leave early today, driving west toward Sanibel Island. Although the trip would take a mere three hours if driven straight through, we’ll take virtually the whole day, crossing extensive swaths of fine habitat along the Tamiami Trail and enjoying a seemingly never-ending procession of bird-rich vistas. The Tamiami Trail cuts through the Big Cypress Preserve and through the famed “river of grass” that forms the northern reaches of the Everglades. At Big Cypress, the Spanish moss-draped trees tower over a maze of ferns and orchids, lending a truly primeval feel to the landscape. As we pass through the expanse of sawgrass marshes, we’ll see countless numbers of wading birds, Anhingas, Boat-tailed Grackles, and with luck and vigilance Short-tailed Hawk and Snail Kite. In the early afternoon we’ll visit Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, managed by the National Audubon Society. A long boardwalk winds through a marvelous stand of large Bald Cypresses and mixed grassy marshes. On this walk we should see breeding Wood Storks, as this sanctuary regularly hosts the largest breeding colony in the country (numbers fluctuate from year to year). Here too we may see Limpkins lurching around in the marshy undergrowth, or maybe even a pair of inquisitive Barred Owls. Night on Sanibel Island.
Day 6: This morning we’ll explore the sandy beaches and tidal flats of Sanibel Island, looking especially for species such as Long-billed Curlew and Snowy and Piping Plovers. We’ll spend most of the morning on the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge loop drive, where large numbers of shorebirds and other waders gather. It’s an ideal place to watch birds, as they’re always abundant and normally quite unconcerned by human presence. Sanibel, though a famous watering hole, has a surprising amount of land in public hands, and some of these areas are easily accessed by good trails. We’ll walk the best of them, as well as some of the trails near the nature museum. There’s no shortage of things to do on Sanibel. We’ll conclude the day with dinner near the beach. Night on Sanibel Island.
Day 7: We’ll venture off Sanibel today for the sandy soils, pines, and scrubby oaks of the near interior. It’s a habitat endemic to Florida and home to the state’s one endemic bird species, the confiding Florida Scrub-Jay. After communing with the jays, we’ll visit the residential community of Cape Coral, home to a large concentration of the comical and often almost tame Burrowing Owl. We’ll return to Sanibel in the afternoon and investigate the roosting flocks of shorebirds, gulls, and terns on the causeway. Night on Sanibel Island.
Day 8: The tour concludes this morning at the Fort Myers airport.
Updated: 09 May 2008
Prices
- 2008 price about $2,780
- Single Occupancy Supplement $560
Notes
This tour is limited to seven participants and one leader; 14 with two leaders.