New Years birding in the sunshine state - USA
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USA
New Years birding
in the sunshine state
Florida is widely known as the sunshine state with year round good weather and a
reputation for excellent winter birding. During December many birds visit the
varied habitats of the state including several species of warblers and sparrows.
Several resident species are of interest to visiting birders notably Snail Kite,
Short-tailed Hawk, Limpkin, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, White-crowned Pigeon
and Florida Scrub Jay. The following itinerary takes in all the major wintering sites
for birds including a day visit to the Dry Tortugas off Key West.
Day 1: Fly to Orlando in Florida and trans-
fer to Cocoa Beach. On the way to our Dates
base we should connect with the com-
moner species of Florida - Mourning Dove, Wednesday December 27th 2023 –
Killdeer, Northern Mockingbird, Laughing Tuesday January 9th 2024
Gull, Boat-tailed Grackle and the shore- Leader: Mark Finn
loving Fish Crow. Two nights stay in Cocoa Birds: 170-200
Beach. Group size: 8
Day 2: Today we head for Merritt Island
near the city of Titusville where the various and Prairie Warblers, Broad-winged and
lagoons, shore, marshes and pinewoods Cooper's Hawk and resident Pileated
attract a wide-range of species. Herons, Woodpeckers. Transfer to Coral Springs
egrets and ibis occur in high numbers. for the night.
Wintering ducks from further north include
Lesser Scaup, Canvasback, Bufflehead, Day 4: Today we continue our travels
Common Goldeneye and Hooded towards the sprawling city of Miami and
Mergansers. Shorebirds include American make a visit to Matheson Country Park and
Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Hudsonian Kendall. Along the beach groups of
Whimbrel and Black-necked Stilt. Patches Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper,
of scrub often have Wild Turkey, Florida and Ruddy Turnstones are likely along with
Scrub Jay and Smooth-billed Ani. Later in visiting Ring-billed Gulls. Wintertime brings
the day, we check a campground for win- warblers, vireos, Ruby-throated
tering Yellow Warblers. Hummingbird, Summer Tanager, Painted
Bunting, Baltimore Oriole, and Great
Day 3: Travel south to visit the Viera Crested Flycatcher plus a chance of
Wetlands. Crested Caracara is often seen Pileated Woodpeckers in the older trees.
in the sable palms and pines. A check of Transfer to Homestead, our base for the
the lagoons may reveal American Coot, next three nights.
Wood Duck, Northern Pintail and Hooded
Merganser and scarcer species - Least Day 5: Homestead is a handy base having
Bittern, King Rail, Limpkin, Glossy Ibis, almost been totally rebuilt since the hurri-
Roseate Spoonbill, Black-necked Stilt and canes in the late 1990s. Before we reach
American Purple Gallinule. Raptors using Key Largo, we visit Castellow Hammock
the area include Bald Eagle, Northern Park where the feeders regularly attract
Harrier and Cooper’s Hawk. In the after- Painted Buntings and White-winged Dove.
noon, we visit two parks where we should Once on Key Largo, we check the beaches
find Snail Kite, and in stands of oaks, win- for Reddish Egret, Sandwich and Royal
tering Northern Parula and Black and White Terns and Wilson's Plover. In the remaining
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USA
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher Photo: Alan Kydd
forest patches we may find White-crowned records of recent sightings. At low tide we
Pigeon and wintering warblers with regular may see American White and Brown
sightings of Ovenbird and Black-throated Pelicans, shorebirds, waders and Black
Blue Warblers. On our return to Homestead, Skimmers. In December we may see
a check of roadside wires may produce Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Western
sightings of Red-shouldered Hawk and, Kingbird. Eco Pond hosts large numbers of
with luck, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. wading birds in winter including Wood
Stork and Black-necked Stilt.
Day 6: Everglades National Park is a
world famous destination. A walk along the Day 7: Today we journey down the keys to
Old Ingraham Highway can have Limpkin, Key West birding along the way. Big Pine
Snail Kite, Mottled Duck, shorebirds and Key often has wintering warblers with
waders and, occasionally, the scarce recent visits producing Black-and-White,
White-tailed Kite. The Long Pine Key area Orange-crowned, Cape May, Black-
offers us Eastern Bluebird, Brown-headed throated Green, Prairie, Palm and Yellow-
Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, owls and wood- rumped Warblers, American Redstart and
peckers. Walking along the boardwalk at Northern Waterthrush. There are many
Mahogany Hammock we should see the areas to stop at along the route to Key
resident Barred Owls and the possibility of West, our base for two nights.
wintering Blue-headed and Yellow-throated
Warblers. West Lake has waterfowl and Day 8: An early start today as we travel by
warblers along the boardwalk trail. The a fast catamaran to the Dry Tortugas and
Flamingo Visitor Centre lies at the end of the remote national monument of Fort
the road where we can catch up with Jefferson. The crumbling fort and its gar-
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USA
Cedar Waxwing Photo Jo Finn
dens often attract unusual birds even in the Common Yellowthroat. Afterwards we head
middle of December. Offshore we have a up the coast to visit Marco Island. Good
chance of Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown numbers of waders and terns winter on the
and Masked Boobies and, perhaps, an beaches including American Oystercatcher,
early returning Sooty Tern. Piping Plover, Willet, Western Sandpiper,
Forster's Tern and Belted Kingfisher.
Day 9: Before leaving Key West we visit a Predators include Merlin and Peregrine
habitat of tropical hardwood hammock and Falcon. We finish the day at Eagle Lake, a
the only freshwater ponds on Key West recently established reserve holding
and Stock Island. This reserve is a magnet among others Black-bellied Whistling
for resident species such as White-crowned Duck, American Bittern, Pine and Prairie
Pigeon and Black-whiskered Vireos. In the Warblers, Savannah Sparrow and both
larger trees we may find wintering Eastern Bronzed and Brown-headed Cowbirds.
and Western Kingbirds. Transfer to Transfer to the coastal resort of Fort Myers
Homestead for the night. for three nights.
Day 10: Today we join the famous Tamiami Day 11: Sanibel Island and Ding Darling
Trail and pass through the Everglades to are the major attractions today offering
Fakahatchee. A boardwalk through the some of the best winter birding in North
swamp may reveal Red-bellied America. A slow drive around Ding Darling
Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, with stops at its various viewing platforms
Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, and boardwalks should reveal huge num-
Tufted Titmouse, Grey Catbird and bers of wildfowl, herons, egrets and wad-
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Laughing Gull Photo: Jo Finn
ers including Short-billed Dowitcher. Stands
of mangrove and trees attract Common Day 14: Our last full day in Florida con-
Ground Dove, Eastern Screech Owl, White- centrating on the Three Lakes Management
eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Area with further chances of Central
Eastern Towhee and Swamp Sparrow. In Florida's pinewood species plus Brown
the afternoon we walk along the Bailey Thrasher, Carolina Wren and, in the open
Tract, another hotspot of the area. areas, White-tailed Kite. The wetlands hold
many species including an introduced flock
Day 12: Corkscrew Swamp is one of the of Whooping Cranes, Burrowing Owl,
premier reserves of the Audubon Society. Loggerhead Shrike, Grasshopper Sparrow
Before reaching the reserve we check out and Eastern Meadowlark.
the extensive grasslands for Crested
Caracara, Sandhill Crane, Loggerhead Day 15: Transfer to Orlando airport for
Shrike and American Pipit. The feeders flights back to the UK. Arrival is on the fol-
around the visitor centre often have lowing morning.
Northern Bobwhite, Northern Cardinal,
Northern Flicker, White-throated Sparrow,
Indigo and Painted Buntings. We walk Prices
along the boardwalk which meanders Ground Price: £4,595
through the swamp giving us possibilities Single room: £450
of Limpkin, Wood Stork, King Rail and win-
tering Black-throated Green and Magnolia Deposit: £500
Warblers and Northern Waterthrush. Air Fare: £800
Day 13: An early departure to visit the This holiday is fully inclusive of
Babcock-Webb WMA, an extensive area of accommodation and meals, transport,
longleaf pines. We should see the three boat trips, permit fees, guidance, tips
species of interest including the declining and taxes.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown-
headed Nuthatch and Bachman's Sparrow. Not included: drinks, insurance,
During our visit we may also see Eastern
Bluebird and Eastern Towhee. In the after- baggage charges, items of a personal
noon, we visit Archbold Biological Station nature.
and its extensive grounds. Here we have
further opportunities of woodpeckers, war- *Please refer to our terms and
blers, sparrows and Florida Scrub Jay. conditions relating to flights
Transfer to Orlando for two nights
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