South Florida, The Best of

Our first full day starts heading south into the heart of the Lake Wales Ridge ecosystem. The sandy soil provides an excellent habitat for the beautiful pine flatwoods found in central Florida. This fire dependent habitat is home to Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman’s Sparrow, and Brown-headed Nuthatch. Crested Caracara should be sitting in fields as we drive along. Joe Overstreet landing provides a chance for Snail Kites and other specialties in the area. Dixie Crossroads is a fan favorite for dinner near Merritt Island, our starting location for tomorrow. [Overnight in Titusville] (B, L, D)

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore provide miles and miles of outstanding birding. From brackish water, ponds, sandy beaches and riparian areas are sure to have plenty of birds for us to find. Florida Scrub-Jay is one of our targets plus King and Clapper Rails, Sedge Wren, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, and Swamp Sparrow. After lunch, the drive south ends at Wakodahatchee Wetlands. This 1-mile boardwalk has easy walking and amazing views of more target species like Gray-headed Swamphen, Purple Gallinule, parrots, and waders. [Overnight in Lantana for two nights] (B, L, D)

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge with 242 recorded species and 143,000 acres is the first stop on our busy day. With a boardwalk through a hardwood swamp and miles of impoundment trails managing Lake Okeechobee’s water level, we are in store for a great morning. Other locations today include Lake Ida that hosts Egyptian Goose, Boynton Beach Inlet Park with terns and other goodies, and Green Cay Nature Center, a trip favorite. This is the longest walking day of the tour with up to four miles. Targets species include Egyptian Goose, Mottled Duck, Royal, Least and Sandwich Terns, Limpkin, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magnificent Frigatebird, Northern Gannet, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers, Monk and Nanday Parakeet, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Savannah and Swamp Sparrows, and Warblers Black-and-white, Northern Parula, Palm and Prairie. [Lantana for second night] (B, L, D)

The birding spots in this part of Florida are numerous with exciting birds around every corner. Most of the Caribbean and range restricted unique species can be found around the Miami area. Expect multiple stops with one species in mind before dashing to the next one. We’ll focus on Red-whiskered Bulbul, Spot-breasted Oriole, Scaly-breasted Munia, White-tailed and Swallow-tailed Kite, Monk Parakeet, Mitered Parakeet, Cave Swallow, and Magnificent Frigatebird. Many other possibilities await in this area including shorebirds, migrating warblers, and there is always a possibly of a rare bird. [ two nights in Homestead] (B, L, D)

The morning will start early in the park for Seaside Sparrows and a few other goodies. Just outside of the park are multiple destinations that can fill out our south Florida list. We never know what could show up this time of year so checking the rare bird alert is essential. Targets include Seaside Sparrow, White-crowned Pigeon, Common Myna, and both Bronzed and Shiny Cowbirds. [second night in Homestead] (B, L, D)

We have several options on this last full day of birding. First choice, chase a rare bird somewhere in the central or southern part of the state. Some of the birds that have shown up during the spring over the last several years are Zenaida Dove, Eurasian Wigeon, White-cheeked Pintail, Common Eider, American Flamingo, Key West Quail-Dove, Thick-billed Vireo, Black-faced Grassquit, Purple Sandpiper, La Sagra’s, and Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Second option, bird our way up the gulf coast at some classic hotspots. Both options end the day near St. Petersburg, so we are near our spot for the following morning. No worries, we’ll have plenty of great birding spots to explore. [Overnight in St. Petersburg] (B, L, D)

Our last morning is spent at the famous Ft. De Soto County Park. Don’t let the name fool you. The species total for this magnificent hotspot is 352. Passerine migration can be extraordinary due to the location along the coast with shorter trees to see them. There’s an extensive shoreline and a quiet cove to entice shorebirds to stop along the way north. We will cover quite a lot of ground before leaving at 9:30 for Orlando. Plan on a noon arrival at Orlando International Airport for your 2:00 pm or later flight home. (B)