Florida
Hotspots

Photo copyright Eric Kleyheeg

 
....South Florida Birding Connection. The Places page
contains directions and maps to south Florida birding locations.
....The Great Florida Birding Trail (GFBT) is a collection of sites
throughout Florida selected for their excellent birdwatching or bird education opportunities. A 2000-mile trail designed to conserve and enhance Florida's bird habitat by promoting birdwatching activities, environmental education and economic opportunity is under development. Make sure if you're visiting Florida to see the birds, that the donwload the calling cards of this site to leave with local businesses. 
....The Audubon Society of the Everglades - Birding Hotspots
....Everglades National Park - The Everglades provides
a sanctuary as well as a breeding and feeding ground for many species of wading birds that depend on the climate's wet and dry cycle in order to reproduce.
....Corkscrew Swamp National Audubon Sanctuary - located near
Naples, Florida is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals, including the largest colony of endangered wood storks in the country. Swamps, marshes and pine forests bring this 11,000 acre sanctuary to life. See also the Broward County Audubon Society Outing photos of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. (Thumbnails do not work, but click through to the larger photos) as well as Bill Scholtz's Corkscrew Swamp Photo Journal.
....Birds of Sanibel Island - There are several places to see birds
here. Here's a map of Sanibel Island to help you follow along. See also Bill Scholtz's Sanibel and Captiva Island Photo Journals.
....Birding at the J.N. "Ding" Darling  National Wildlife Refuge on 
Sanibel Island, Florida. The Refuge is operated by the U.S. Fish  and Wildlife Service. See also Ross Warner's great Sanibel Island bird photos. 
....Pelican Trees and Sundial - Sanibel Island - by Peter Wallack. 
Sanibel Island is located off the Gulf shore across from Fort Myers, Florida. See also Peter's Birds of Sanibel Island and images of Great Blue Heron Courtship on Sanibel Island.
....Dry Tortugas National Parks, formerly Fort
Jefferson National Monument, lies at the extreme western end of the Florida Keys, 68 miles west of Key West.
....Merritt Island NWR, Florida - Since August of 1963,
Merritt Island NWR has shared a common boundary with the John F. Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida.
....St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge has a well-deserved
reputation for excellent birding. It is worth a visit at all seasons, but be aware that all sorts of biting insects may attack you anytime from March to November.
....Florida Keys - These tropical habitats draw several
species of West Indian birds which do not appear anywhere else in the Continental United States. During the spring and fall, waves of migratory birds pass through the Keys enroute between northern nesting areas and neo-tropical winter habitats.
....Where to go Birding in Florida - from the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Commission. 
....Florida National Wildlife Refuges - this site contains
links to 12 National Wildlife Refuges in Florida, including:
• Cedar Keys
• Crystal River
• Chassahowitzka
• Egmont Key
....  J. N. "Ding" Darling
....  Loxahatchee
• Hobe Sound
....  Merritt Island
• National Key Deer Refuge
• Pelican Island
....  St. Marks
• St. Vincents National Wildlife Refuge
....National Wildlife Refuges Index - Florida. Includes another
set of links  to information on: 
...   Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
• Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge
• Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
• Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge
• Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
. .   J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
• Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge
• Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
...   Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
• National Key Deer Refuge
...   St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
• St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge
...."Convention"al Birding in Texas and Florida - by Tina MacDonald. 
I was lucky enough to be taken along for the ride when my husband had to attend back-to-back conventions in Houston, Texas and Orlando, Florida. He went to work - I went to see what birds I could find. So, I played hookey, rented a car and went out to see some of the birding hotspots I had highlighted on my web-pages.
....Alachua County's Best Birding Sites - Gainsville, Florida. Information
is provided on local sanctuaries, as well as on several local preserves.
....Habitats in the Tallahassee Area - Presented by the Apalachee
Audubon Society. If you're looking for places to enjoy nature and wildlife in the Big Bend area of Florida, this site presents a number of great locations. 
....Birding Locations in the Volusia area - Deland, Florida - provided 
by the West Volusia Audubon Society.
....Martin County Bird Watching Areas - near Stuart, Florida. Provided by
the Martin County Audubon Society. 
....Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge - DeLeon Springs, FL - by
Peter May. This is a very good guide to wildlife viewing and photography opportunites at Lake Woodruff NWR. Sections of this website address Habitats, Species Accounts, Photographic Tips, and a Seasonal Calendar, as well as Maps. See also Peter's site on the Emerelda Marsh Journal: a Year in the Wetlands. 
....Birding Florida - by Mary Scott. This website contains
information on:
•  the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades
• Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
• Paynes Prairie in Gainesville, Florida
• Highlands Hammock State Park
• and More!
....Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary - Sarasota, Florida
....The Space Coast's Best Known Birding and Wildlife
Sites - The Space Coast Distinction - a unique combination of high tech space travel and an unmatched diverse, natural environment. An alternate location for this site is on the Indian River Audubon Society website.
....Birding Beaches - Shorebird Watching in Winter and in Migration -
provided by the Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society. 
....Birding Hot Spots - by Vince McGrath. This site lists hot spots
in the Lee, Charlotte, and Collier Co. areas (Fort Meyers) that covers most of SW Florida's habitats. 
....St. Johns Audubon Society Hot Spots - Northeast Florida (St.
Augustine) offers many areas which are outstanding birding sites. These areas extend from Fernandina Beach to Vero Beach and as far inland as Gainesville and Ocala. 
....Central Florida Birdwatchers Page - by Chuck Blakey. This site 
contains information on:
...   Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
...   "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
• Titusville's Blue Heron Wetlands
• Citrus County Birding
• Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge 
• Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge 
• Orlando Wetlands Park 
....Big Bend Birding Guide  - by Noel Warner. This birding guide covers
the area known as Florida's Big Bend. The Big Bend includes the area between the Apalachicola River on the west and the Suwanee River on the east. Site is organized by bird species with links to sites where that species is found.
....Birding Locations - North East Coast - also by Noel Warner. This
site provides text and map guides to eight birding locations near Jacksonville. Also check out the Osceola NF Red-cockaded Map to specifically locate this elusive US endemic bird. Noel has also developed a map and descriptions for the best sites for viewing pelagic birds in Northeast Florida as well as general seawatch information in North America.
....Florida Birding - check out the Florida link on John Girdley's site 
for information on 
• the Orlando -Disney - Merrit Island area - A birder's diary of  how to spend no less than eleven days around the Disney Resorts and yet still see almost a hundred species of birds with no prior knowledge of where to go!
• Other Recommended Sites in Florida - A compilation report based on the comments of experienced U.S. birders John J.Collins and Bill and Sue Nester. The Everglades and the Dry Tortugas are among the sites that they recommend. 
....Great places to see wildlife in the Kissimmee Valley
....Seawatching at Apollo Beach - part of Noel Warner's birding site.
....St. Johns Audubon Society Hot Spots - includes links to:
• Stokes Landing Conservation Area
• Lake Woodruff NWR
• Blue Springs SP
• Fort Matanzas NM
....Gulf Islands National Seashore - this is a place
of myriad riches. There are sparkling blue waters, magnificent snow-white beaches, and fertile coastal marshes. There are nineteenth century forts, shaded picnic areas, winding nature trails, and comfortable campgrounds. Diverse and abounding with wildlife, the park is not a single block of land but a mosaic. It includes 11 separate units stretching eastward 150 miles from West Ship Island, Mississippi, to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island, Florida.
    Tropical Audubon Society Presents South Florida Bird
Finding FAQ - this site is organized by target bird, and provides directions to the best place to find them in south Florida.
....Wildlife Viewing in Florida - the site provides information on: 
wildlife viewing by Region, by City, or by Species as well as an Index of Wildlife Viewing Sites and articles about Florida Wildlife. 
Florida Keys Raptor Migration Project - The Florida Keys may be 
the premier location in the world to observe the fall migration of Peregrine Falcons.  Each year over 23,000 raptors move through the Florida Keys, including over 1,700 Peregrines.  Several other species, such as Merlins, American Kestrels, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Ospreys, Northern Harriers, Turkey Vultures, and Broad-winged Hawks migrate into the Keys in large numbers. This is also the probably the best location east of the Mississippi to see both Swainson's Hawks and Short-tailed Hawks during migration.  Come visit the research and education staff of the Florida Keys Raptor Migration Project at Curry Hammock State Park (Mile Marker 56, Overseas Highway) between September 15 and November 13 each year to observe this exciting migration for yourself. 
  Florida's RAMSAR Sites - information on:
• Okefenokee Swamp
• Everglades
....The Nature Conservancy of Florida - preserve profiles
including:
• Tiger Creek Preserve
• Blowing Rocks Preserve
• Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve
• The Disney Wilderness Preserve
• Torchwood Hammock Preserve
....The Street/Audubon Nature Center - home of the Lake Region 
Audubon Society, in Winter Haven, Florida. The 42 acres of this center contain many fine examples of Florida flora and fauna. There are 143 species of birds, 15 mammals, 23 reptiles, 10 amphibians, 43 butterflies, 14 dragonflies, and 150 plants. This diversity makes a great outdoor classroom that everyone can enjoy.  The two walking trails are a primitive trail and the Norton Agey Nature Trail.
....Suncoast Bird Sanctuary - Indian Shores, Florida.
(just up the cost from St. Petersburg Beach) "They have a pretty large variety of Florida shore birds which they were rehabilitating or keeping, depending on the severity of their problem.  It's a small Sanctuary, and we were there less than an hour, but it was fun to see some of the shore birds up close and identified." Information from Mary Liponis, Derry, NH. 
....Pelican Harbour Seabird Station - a non-profit seabird rehabilitation
center dedicated to rehabilitating and releasing injured seabirds in the Biscayne Bay area. Visitors are welcome to visit and watch the many types of seabirds that frequent the area.
....Trip Report: Florida - by Mike Meyers. This is a trip report for central
and southern Florida, 12/24/03 through 12/30/03.  It is a combination of two reports posted previously on the Floridabirds-L list.
....Trip Report: Orlando, Florida "Birding with the Mouse", by Andy
Benson. In August 2001 and May 2003 our family holidays took us to that ultimate tourist destination, Orlando. Birding was not a high  priority in their minds but was uppermost in mine, especially as it was to be my first visits to the other side of the pond. What  follows will probably be of more help to a birder in a similar situation to myself, where holiday locations are based more on family requirements rather than species diversity!
....Trip Report: Florida, USA - January 2003, by Andy Wraithmell. 
This was our second trip to Florida. If like me you are a keen photographer then take plenty of film, to be honest I could have taken twice as many shots as I did. The best reserves for photography were J N Ding Darling NWR, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades NP and Wakodahatchee Wetlands Reserve (especially for Sora).
....Birding South Florida - March 13 - 19, 2001. By Stefan Tewinkel. 
This excellent trip report includes an illustrated species list. March is not the best season for birdwatching in Florida since some birds arrive much later, nevertheless I saw a lot of interesting birds and missed little. The weather was warm and excellent with absoultely no rain at the places I visited. On the other hand South Florida is suffering from a severe drought with only very few mosquitos but also less birds.
....Florida Trip Report: April - May 2004, by Paul Wetton. The year 2004
saw our first visit to the USA with a three week vacation in Florida on a Fly Drive with Virgin Atlantic. All in all I enjoyed the visit to Florida even though it involved a lot of travelling around. I didn't see as many birds as I had expected, mainly because of the lack of migrants. I think I would have been pretty disappointed without the visit to the Tortugas. My advice to anyone visiting Florida at the time that we did would be to spend as much time in the areas where you find a lot of birds such as the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Corkscrew Swamp and The Dry Tortugas, unless there are good falls of migrants.
....Florida Trip Reports - a number of Florida trip reports are available
from Blake Maybank's "Birding the Americas - Trip Report and Trip Planning Repository".

**..South Florida Birding with Larry Manfredi, Professional Bird Guide -
“Birding North America and the Caribbean”. We offer tours that cover the Dry Tortugas, Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.  New and exciting tours are being planned all the time.  By participating in one of our tours you can expand your horizons, birding in comfort and safety with an experienced guide.
....
**..Florida Birding with Neotropical Journeys - The tours and programs
offered by Neotropical Journeys are designed to visit destinations with rich avifaunas, outstanding wildlife, wilderness and cultural significance at their seasonal best. Neotropical Journeys is actively involved in regional and local conservation projects and organizes tours aimed to raise funds for bird and nature conservation. 


....Florida Nature Tours - Florida Nature Tours offers professionally

guided birding tours to Florida, the Dry Tortugas, and the Carribean. There are many specialty birds that occur in Florida regularly or as vagrants, these are targeted as part of these professional tours. In addition to many South Florida Tours, trips to the Dry Tortugas go twice a month between April 7 and the end of May, 2000. 
....South Florida with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) - South
Florida is the only true tropical region in the United States containing habitats, flora, and fauna found nowhere else in the country. Indeed, more than a dozen species of tropical and West Indian birds reach their northern limit here and are seldom seen elsewhere within our borders. 
• South Florida  April 18 - April 28, 2002 (10.0 days - Limit 16) with leaders Jeff Gordon & TBA
VENT offers nearly 140 tours to over 100 land-based destinations each year and is the largest tour company in the world specializing in birding and natural history.
....Dry Tortugas with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) - Seventy 
miles off Key West in the Gulf of Mexico is a chain of islands called the Dry Tortugas, the only tropical islands associated with the mainland United States. Here, on tiny Bush Key, birders can witness the breeding-season gathering of thousands of Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies, the largest concentration of these pelagic species in the northern hemisphere. 
• Dry Tortugas  April 27 - 30, 2002 (4 days - Limit 28) with leaders Jeff Gordon & TBA. 
 

....Florida Audubon Chapters - check out the local chapters to find their
field trip schedules. 
..
....Everglades BirdFest, January 17-19, 2004, is a 3-day birding and
ecology festival in Everglades National Park, including naturalist guided birdwatching in Main and Shark Valley sections of the park. Included is luxury coach transportation to sites and trails, 2 nights lodging at Flamingo Lodge, 7 meals, full use of park facilities,    exhibitors, evening seminars on birdlife, wildlife, habitats, comparative ecology, natural history, and conservation and restoration of the Everglades. 
....Weeki Wachee Swamp Festival - March 4-5 2000. Contact: Weeki
Watchee, Florida. TEL: (352) 596-4743.
....Suwannee River Naturefest - March 22, 2003. Gainsville, Florida. 
....Big "O" Birding Festival - April 11-13th, 2003. Headquarters are in
Moore Haven, FL. Tours take in Lake Okeechobee, Okeechobee county, Glades County, Fisheating Creek, Hendry County, Caloosahatchee River, OK Slough, and Big Cypress Reservation. Keynote Speaker this year is the CEO of Audubon of Florida, Stuart Strahl. Bird Artist and Craft show Sat the 12th. This link only works for Internet Explorer users. 
...."Welcome Back Songbirds" Festivals - April 26, 2003 - various dates
and locations. Come celebrate the mystery of migration at one of our Songbird Festivals. Guided birding tours, educational exhibits, landscaping for wildlife seminars, games and presentations. For more information on the above events, check this site closer to the scheduled dates. Sponsored by the Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Commission in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Park Service. 
....Florida Birding Festival - October 9-12, 2003. In its third year, the
Florida Birding Festival is one of the biggest birding affairs in the United States and one of the few urban festivals. Proceeds from the festival go toward the purchase of Shell Key, one of the state's last pristine barrier islands. The Festival will highlight the area's 19 "state-listed" species through field trips, seminars, keynote addresses and a festival marketplace. For more information, call 877-FLA-BIRD or 727-464-7200. 
....Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival - October 1-3, 2004. The 
Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival is an annual event during the fall bird migration in the Florida Keys. The Keys are a hot spot for raptor migration in North America. Visit the web site for current information on upcoming festival activities and more information about birding , wildlife observation, and eco-tours in the Keys.
....Space Coast Flyway Festival - November 12 - 16, 2003 - 
Titusville, Florida. Phone: 407-267-3036

     Florida (Statewide) Hotline: (561) 340-0079
     Miami Hotline: (305) 667-7337 
     Lower Keys Hotline: (305) 294-3438 
     S. Georgia/ N. Florida Hotline: (912) 244-9190 
     Francis M. Weston Audubon Society Informational Hotline - 
Coverage: Northwest Florida / South Alabama Hotline: (904) 934-6974 
     Check also Florida RBA Archives

....Florida's Birds : A Handbook and Reference - by Herbert W. II Kale,
et al. 1st Ed. edition (March 1990). 
....A Birder's Guide to Florida (Lane Aba Birdfinding Guides Series 
#175) - by Bill Pranty. Excellent guide to the birding sites of Florida, especially to those birders chasing local "specialties". 
....Exploring Wild South Florida : A Guide to Finding the Natural
Areas and Wildlife of the Southern Peninsula and the Florida Keys - by Susan D. Jewell. 
....Florida Wildlife Viewing Guide (The Watchable Wildlife Series) - 
by Susan Cerulean, Ann Morrow. From the dazzling beaches of Canaveral National Seashore to the subtropical sawgrass prairies of world-famous Everglades National Park, the Florida Wildlife Viewing Guide will lead you to 96 premier wildlife viewing areas and will better your chances of seeing wildlife once you get there. Included are detailed descriptions of each viewing site and its wildlife, maps, and access information, helpful viewing tips, and more than eighty color photographs featuring the incredibly diverse wildlife and natural areas of the Sunshine State.
....At Water's Edge : The Birds of Florida - by Roger Bansemer, Bill
Renc. A romantic and informative look at Florida's birds. This is more than a simple guide book. It combines handsome and artistic representations of birds along with interesting facts on these wonderful creatures 
....Florida Birds : An Introduction to Familiar Species (Pocket 
Naturalist) - The Pocket Naturalist card is a pocket-sized, folding card which provides simplified, easy-to-use reference to what everyone should know about familiar plants, animals, and natural history. Maps are included to highlight prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions.
....Adventures in Birdwatching: Vol. 1 - Florida Wading Birds - 
This 3-Volume Set is produced in association with the National Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy. Join nature enthusiast Ken Dial as he travels to several birding hot spots filled with the most spectacular species of birds imaginable.
....See also Florida Regional Guides from the American Birding
Association. 
....See also US Print Resources