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A friend of mine told me, she has been seeing small groups of Swallow-tailed Kites ( Elanoides furficatus ) in the general area; in south Florida. At one of the biggest migration roost in Florida, not far from where we live, kites begin to gather by mid June. Birders and raptor observers in south Florida and the Florida Keys report only small number of Swallow-tailed Kites during migration time. Swallow-tailed Kite near the Lake Okeechobee roost in Florida. MORE
Asides FloridaAmazingly, it was a visiting birder from New York who discovered Neotropic Cormorants breeding in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Congratulations to Ardith Bondi for the great find ! MORE
The period between May and September offer the best potential for an assortment of pelagic species (species which live most of their lives far from land) off the Atlantic coast of Florida. Finally, since Florida’s pelagic waters are relatively unexplored, there is always a high potential to see a state first such as a Trinidade Petrel – one can always hope! Cory’s Shearwater is regular in Florida’s pelagic waters. MORE
Wait, you probably are already going to do that… Anyway, here are the images, all taken when I was in Florida at the end of January for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival: Quiz Pic 1 Quiz Pic 2 Quiz Pic 3 Diabolical? You all know the drill. There are three images of birds or parts of birds below and your job is to figure out what they are. MORE
Of course, I contacted Carlos Sanchez , alleged south Florida birder extraordinaire, to maximize the returns on what time I could spend. From the bulbuls we went in search of another introduced species that has taken to south Florida like home. The Dolphin Mall to be precise, where ponds in front of the mall are the best spot around to see Gray-headed Swamphens , yet another introduced species that has proliferated to the point where they are countable in Florida. MORE
Within one week, I saw Bufflehead over 1,200 miles apart, first in Maine, and then along the Florida Panhandle. They breed in Canada and Alaska, but in the summer they can be found across the United States, as far south as Florida, Cuba, and into Mexico, and as far north as the Pacific coast of Alaska and the Atlantic coast of Maine. Birds Bufflehead Florida MaineFor my post this week, I wanted to take a moment to marvel at the impressive range of this super cool species. MORE
The southeast tip of the Florida peninsula is not well endowed with a wide variety of sparrows in winter like the rest of the southeastern United States. This is not the case in southern Florida, where a typical outing to such popular parks as A.D. Savannah Sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ) is the most widespread and abundant wintering sparrow in southeast Florida, occupying a wide variety of habitats that include mangrove edges, saltmarsh prairie, and weedy fields. MORE
You may not have heard about the Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus) , and that is fine, not many know this bat even existed. This bat is rare and range-restricted in South Florida, which are some of the reasons it was recently listed as an endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Florida Bonneted Bat is the largest of Florida’s bats weighing 1.2 Florida Bonneted Bat roosting in Palm Tree. MORE
As the cold fronts begin to sweep through the northern states ushering in a wave of seasonal change and color, South Florida becomes a gathering place for migratory birds far and wide across the country. There are three more features that make fall migration in South Florida extra special. MORE
It is also a good description of the birding in southernmost Florida. Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level. Few birders realize how many warblers actually do winter in southernmost Florida — even long time birders within the state. Shiny Cowbird is a newcomer to the avifauna of southeast Florida. Birding everglades Florida Keys Miami MORE
This migration season in Florida is fast coming to a close but it has not been without its high points. The Florida Keys Hawk-watch broke the world record for number of Peregrine Falcons recorded in a single day – a stunning 651 birds! And at the South Florida Birding Observatory we have been banding a few surprises over the past weeks. Birding bird banding bird observatory features Florida migration rare bird rarities Worldwide Birding Adventures MORE
Florida Caverns State Park is known for one, quite obvious thing: the caverns. This fall, I stopped at Florida Caverns with two friends who had never visited before. This tiny species breeds north of Florida but returns to spend the winter here as well as in Central and South America. Even the trees begged to be admired; in one spot, a National Champion Florida Elm stretches to the sky behind its identification placard. Trips Birding Florida MORE
The birding in Florida is so easy that a kid can do it. There are Double-crested Comorants , of course, but it’s not Florida unless you have Anhingas bellied up to the shoreline drying their wings like absurdly proportioned chickens. What sets Florida apart, besides the diversity, is the proximity. Birding Florida kids Ospreys Or so I planned to find out. MORE
Back in January I finally completed the North American scrub jay trifecta – Western Scrub Jay , Island Scrub Jay , and Florida Scrub Jay. Florida Scrub Jays are having a hard time of it, what with habitat fragmentation, degradation, and eradication. Florida Scrub Jays are aptly named, as they are scrub jays and they are found only in Florida, and development in that state has run amuck, taking habitat from the birds. MORE
Its debatable which one is a better bird for Florida. Although the books show it occurring in Florida throughout April and a number of reports had indeed been posted for a couple of weeks, I came to learn that most individuals don’t arrive or become entrenched on territory until about three weeks into April. Birding florida flycatchers raritiesSteve Walter is a New York nature photographer, birder, and long-time member of the New York City Butterfly Club. MORE
If you have been out birding in southeast Florida there is a good chance that you have run into him in the field. After a very brief respite in June, Neotropical migrant passerines are on the move again throughout the state of Florida, and I find myself already getting ahead of myself – pining for winter birding in search of wood-warblers, vireos, orioles, and tanagers. During the winter, southeast Florida becomes the wood-warbler capital of the ABA area. MORE
Before January I had come across the very red birds of the western United States and the “normal” birds in the eastern part of the country but when I first laid eyes on the pale form of Florida I felt like I was seeing a whole new bird. The pale Red-shouldered Hawks of Florida are, to use just one word, beautiful. The paler form of Red-shouldered Hawk is one of two subspecies, both, so far as I can figure out, confined to Florida, and mostly south Florida at that. MORE
An Alachua County Circuit Court judge has ordered the University of Florida to provide an animal rights activist with records on primates involved in research. university of florida animal research primates medical researchThis is good news, at least in my opinion. Full article in the Gainesville Sun. Camille Marino of Wildwood, who founded the group Negotiation is Over, received the records last week. MORE
It was a hot and sunny Labor Day along Florida’s Gulf Coast, and my husband Brian and I were heading home from a friends and family weekend on the Suwannee River, stopping at state parks along the road-trip home. These vireos live in Florida throughout the year, preferring deciduous scrub or fields that have grown over or “streamside thickets.” Trips Florida State Park nature travel MORE
Even in the Brazilian Amazon, I’ve never seen this many whistling ducks together–there were sixty at a manmade lake behind the Brevard Community College near Titusville, Florida. I don’t get a lot of life birds in North America any more, but this confiding little gent offered himself up to the list: a Florida Scrub-Jay. Parking lot Black Skimmers , patiently enduring our foibles…just another wonderful thing about Florida. Destinations florida MORE
Interestingly, they made their own way to the Florida panhandle, colonizing from the Texas population, but they were also introduced further south in Florida for some unknown reason. Mammals armadillos Florida Nine-banded Armadillo Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival One of the wonderful experiences when birding away from your home turf is the potential to come across creatures other than birds with which you may not be familiar. MORE
Razorbills ( Alca torda ) have invaded the coastal waters of Florida on an unprecedented scale this December of 2012. The only unusual event that occurred this year that seems to match up nicely with the Florida invasion is Hurricane Sandy, an incredibly large and nearly unprecedented storm that hit the mid-Atlantic and New England in late October. For the time being, Florida birders are being treated to a (hopefully) once in a life time event. Birds Florida seabirds MORE
I was at the Blue Heron Wetlands in Titusville, Florida, during the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival hoping to connect with a Purple Gallinule that the field trip I co-led with Laura Erickson failed to find. The birds in Florida, on the other hand, are of domestic stock gone feral. They would never be roaming around Florida frightening people with their fleshy faces if not for their repeated release and escape from captivity. MORE
Fast becoming one of my all time “Go To” spots, Florida Canyon, just a few miles north of Madera Canyon has yielded yet another great bird. I was shut out on the cuckoo, but discovered a group of Bushtits , which made them a first time for Florida Canyon for me. The post Another surprise bird out of Florida Canyon appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Birding Black-eared Bushtit Bushtit Florida Canyon MORE
Florida is one of America’s great avian hot spots, renowned for its impressive bird diversity. The official Florida checklist counts over 500 species, and thus Florida citizens had a wealth of State Bird candidates to choose from when they named the Florida state bird in 1927. The brilliantly blue and endemic Florida Scrub Jay? Florida went with the Northern Mockingbird , found in all lower 48 states. MORE
I always like to see the look of surprise on a visiting birder’s face when I tell them that the Prairie Warblers and Yellow Warblers in southern Florida are restricted to mangrove habitats. Everyone, I would like you to meet the ‘Florida’ Prairie Warbler ( S. However, the bulk of the population breeds in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties at the southern tip of the state, particularly around the mangrove fringed coasts and islets of Florida and Biscayne Bay. MORE
I was birding one of my favorite places yesterday, Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach County, Florida, and, as generally happens, people were asking me about the birds they were admiring. ” But, I was wishing that I could also hand over to each curious person a copy of the American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Florida by Bill Pranty. It works well in Florida , in which most species are allocated one page each and 20 species get two-page spreads. MORE
Lake Apopka Restoration Area in Lake County Florida is fast-becoming one of the best bird magnets in all of Florida. Situated pretty much slap-bang in the center of the state north of Lake Okeechobee, this massive wetland was once the Florida’s most polluted body of water. This is Florida’s second largest lake and was once one of the most productive fishing lakes in the entire country. MORE
Florida is known as the Sunshine State. Exotic species are animals that did not historically occur in Florida. Most were introduced, meaning they were brought to Florida by humans. Resident mallards are considered an “exotic duck” in Florida and have the potential to drive the native mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) to extinction through hybridization. However, captive-reared mallards are being unlawfully released by humans in large numbers in Florida. MORE
Note: Erika is the Communications Director for Audubon Florida. During a chilly Florida day (yes, we have those) a few months ago, I drove thirty minutes outside of Tallahassee to a co-worker’s house for the singular purpose of checking out her bird feeders. MORE
Lying just a few miles north of the entrance to Madera Canyon, is Florida Canyon. Soon, many of these birds will be gone, headed north with the spring migration, but I am very excited to see who comes along to replace them, in what is becoming one of my all time favorites birding locations, Florida Canyon. The post Florida Canyon, A not so secret hotspot! Birding Florida Canyon Madera Canyon Rufous-capped Warbler Southeast Arizona Birding MORE
But as of right now there is nowhere in the United States where a birder can see a chicken and count it on his or her list despite the fact that there is a well established and long lasting Feral Chicken population in the Florida Keys. It is time for the Florida Ornithological Society to allow for the counting of Feral Chickens. Thus, the placement of the House Finch on the State List, for example, does not require that it be evaluated for Establishment within Florida. MORE
In 2012, for the third straight year, wading birds in south Florida had poor nesting success. Asides Florida herons and egretsOnly 26,395 nests were started in 2012, a 39 percent decline compared to the decadal average. Most hard-hit were federally endangered Wood Storks , which saw all 820 nests fail or be abandoned. MORE
Animal rights activists are targeting a University of Florida researcher for his role in experiments on primates — even though he says he doesn't personally conduct animal research. Tags: university of florida animal research activism primates Things are getting a little tense. Not sure I agree with posting the researcher's photo. Wonder if that could get activists into trouble under AETA (Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.) This is a long article from the Gainesville Sun. MORE
My husband and I hooked up our boat to the trailer and set off to the Santa Rosa Sound in Florida’s Panhandle around 3 p.m., The post A Relaxing Big Day in Florida appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Birding eBird Florida natureOriginally, I had big plans for the October Big Day. I would wake up in darkness, gather my camera and binoculars and drive to Alabama for a birding tour along a river. MORE
On my first day in Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival I landed at Orlando International Airport at about 9 AM, deplaned, waited for my luggage, got my rental car, and drove west. Observant readers who are familiar both with the geography of Florida and the location of the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival know that the festival is in Titusville, which is east of Orlando. … Birds Bird Behavior Florida Nanday Parakeet parakeets MORE
With the recent addition of the Nanday Parakeet ( Nandayus nenday ) and Purple Swamphen ( Porphyrio porphyrio ) to the ABA list (it was not too long ago that Common Myna ( Acridotheres tristis ) was added as well), I thought an article discussing the potentially upcoming exotic bird species from Florida to be added to the ABA area list would be relevant to the times. I foresee these birds continuing to spread, gradually replacing other Aratinga species in southeast Florida. MORE
Tags: zoos jaguar florida MORE
The populations in the southern United States and northern Mexico are migratory, and it is presumed that the birds that show up annually in south Florida are derived from these populations. In Florida, the species shows up annually (and in multiples!) Elsewhere in the southern peninsula, the bird winters only sporadically (such as the two birds at Matheson Hammock of January-March 2010) and can only be described as occasional elsewhere in the Florida peninsula. MORE
Take the Florida Scrub-Jay. Photo above by Louise Hunt, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) At just about 5,000 individuals, Florida’s only exclusive endemic is Endangered. New research in Current Biology suggests that concentrating efforts on saving the remaining four large populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay isn’t all that’s needed. ” News endangered birds Florida Scrub-Jay genetics MORE
Formerly a common resident in the southern peninsula of Florida, these meerkats of the bird world have declined sharply in the ABA area to the point that they have almost certainly been extirpated as breeders with only occasional wanderers from the Caribbean showing up at coastal locations in southeast Florida — it is about as difficult to see a La Sagra’s Flycatcher or Western Spindalis in the ABA area as a Smooth-billed Ani now. Birds ani Florida MORE
Three evenings a week, I trek exactly 51 minutes from my house or 97 minutes from my office (depending on the day) to the University of West Florida campus in Pensacola for graduate classes in strategic communications. While they are normally present in Northwest Florida during the summer, Summer Tanagers are supposed to spend the winter months in southern Mexico, Central, and South America. Birding nature Summer Tanager University of West Florida MORE
As the Caribbean’s emerald waters fell away below our seaplane, I had no idea what to expect from my visit to the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. Destinations dry tortugas Florida Florida KeysDry Tortugas approximately 100 years ago. Sooties, noddies, and where to find them. MORE
I have now officially moved to the Emerald Coast of Florida, a beautiful region on the Florida Panhandle. I am within one of Florida’s sub-tropical zones, and my birding experiences have expanded, with life birds galore. The light markings themselves were a clue that I was looking at a Florida-listed Snowy Plover , a bird I had never seen before moving to Florida. Birding emerald coast Florida MORE
Florida Related Topics 
10,000 Birds
JULY 22, 2021
Note: Erika is the Communications Director for Audubon Florida. During a chilly Florida day (yes, we have those) a few months ago, I drove thirty minutes outside of Tallahassee to a co-worker’s house for the singular purpose of checking out her bird feeders.
10,000 Birds
MAY 10, 2020
As the cold fronts begin to sweep through the northern states ushering in a wave of seasonal change and color, South Florida becomes a gathering place for migratory birds far and wide across the country. There are three more features that make fall migration in South Florida extra special.
10,000 Birds
JUNE 9, 2018
As the Caribbean’s emerald waters fell away below our seaplane, I had no idea what to expect from my visit to the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. Destinations dry tortugas Florida Florida KeysDry Tortugas approximately 100 years ago. Sooties, noddies, and where to find them.
10,000 Birds
JUNE 19, 2019
Fast becoming one of my all time “Go To” spots, Florida Canyon, just a few miles north of Madera Canyon has yielded yet another great bird. I was shut out on the cuckoo, but discovered a group of Bushtits , which made them a first time for Florida Canyon for me. The post Another surprise bird out of Florida Canyon appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Birding Black-eared Bushtit Bushtit Florida Canyon
Critter News
JANUARY 9, 2012
An Alachua County Circuit Court judge has ordered the University of Florida to provide an animal rights activist with records on primates involved in research. university of florida animal research primates medical researchThis is good news, at least in my opinion. Full article in the Gainesville Sun. Camille Marino of Wildwood, who founded the group Negotiation is Over, received the records last week.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 18, 2014
The birding in Florida is so easy that a kid can do it. There are Double-crested Comorants , of course, but it’s not Florida unless you have Anhingas bellied up to the shoreline drying their wings like absurdly proportioned chickens. What sets Florida apart, besides the diversity, is the proximity. Birding Florida kids Ospreys Or so I planned to find out.
10,000 Birds
AUGUST 11, 2015
I have now officially moved to the Emerald Coast of Florida, a beautiful region on the Florida Panhandle. I am within one of Florida’s sub-tropical zones, and my birding experiences have expanded, with life birds galore. The light markings themselves were a clue that I was looking at a Florida-listed Snowy Plover , a bird I had never seen before moving to Florida. Birding emerald coast Florida
10,000 Birds
MAY 2, 2016
Of course, I contacted Carlos Sanchez , alleged south Florida birder extraordinaire, to maximize the returns on what time I could spend. From the bulbuls we went in search of another introduced species that has taken to south Florida like home. The Dolphin Mall to be precise, where ponds in front of the mall are the best spot around to see Gray-headed Swamphens , yet another introduced species that has proliferated to the point where they are countable in Florida.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 8, 2018
My husband and I hooked up our boat to the trailer and set off to the Santa Rosa Sound in Florida’s Panhandle around 3 p.m., The post A Relaxing Big Day in Florida appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Birding eBird Florida natureOriginally, I had big plans for the October Big Day. I would wake up in darkness, gather my camera and binoculars and drive to Alabama for a birding tour along a river.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 2, 2015
Interestingly, they made their own way to the Florida panhandle, colonizing from the Texas population, but they were also introduced further south in Florida for some unknown reason. Mammals armadillos Florida Nine-banded Armadillo Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival One of the wonderful experiences when birding away from your home turf is the potential to come across creatures other than birds with which you may not be familiar.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 20, 2019
Lying just a few miles north of the entrance to Madera Canyon, is Florida Canyon. Soon, many of these birds will be gone, headed north with the spring migration, but I am very excited to see who comes along to replace them, in what is becoming one of my all time favorites birding locations, Florida Canyon. The post Florida Canyon, A not so secret hotspot! Birding Florida Canyon Madera Canyon Rufous-capped Warbler Southeast Arizona Birding
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 29, 2014
On my first day in Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival I landed at Orlando International Airport at about 9 AM, deplaned, waited for my luggage, got my rental car, and drove west. Observant readers who are familiar both with the geography of Florida and the location of the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival know that the festival is in Titusville, which is east of Orlando. … Birds Bird Behavior Florida Nanday Parakeet parakeets
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 23, 2016
Florida Caverns State Park is known for one, quite obvious thing: the caverns. This fall, I stopped at Florida Caverns with two friends who had never visited before. This tiny species breeds north of Florida but returns to spend the winter here as well as in Central and South America. Even the trees begged to be admired; in one spot, a National Champion Florida Elm stretches to the sky behind its identification placard. Trips Birding Florida
10,000 Birds
JUNE 18, 2015
You may not have heard about the Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus) , and that is fine, not many know this bat even existed. This bat is rare and range-restricted in South Florida, which are some of the reasons it was recently listed as an endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Florida Bonneted Bat is the largest of Florida’s bats weighing 1.2 Florida Bonneted Bat roosting in Palm Tree.
10,000 Birds
APRIL 14, 2015
Florida is one of America’s great avian hot spots, renowned for its impressive bird diversity. The official Florida checklist counts over 500 species, and thus Florida citizens had a wealth of State Bird candidates to choose from when they named the Florida state bird in 1927. The brilliantly blue and endemic Florida Scrub Jay? Florida went with the Northern Mockingbird , found in all lower 48 states.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 19, 2016
Take the Florida Scrub-Jay. Photo above by Louise Hunt, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) At just about 5,000 individuals, Florida’s only exclusive endemic is Endangered. New research in Current Biology suggests that concentrating efforts on saving the remaining four large populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay isn’t all that’s needed. ” News endangered birds Florida Scrub-Jay genetics
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 27, 2012
Razorbills ( Alca torda ) have invaded the coastal waters of Florida on an unprecedented scale this December of 2012. The only unusual event that occurred this year that seems to match up nicely with the Florida invasion is Hurricane Sandy, an incredibly large and nearly unprecedented storm that hit the mid-Atlantic and New England in late October. For the time being, Florida birders are being treated to a (hopefully) once in a life time event. Birds Florida seabirds
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 8, 2015
Within one week, I saw Bufflehead over 1,200 miles apart, first in Maine, and then along the Florida Panhandle. They breed in Canada and Alaska, but in the summer they can be found across the United States, as far south as Florida, Cuba, and into Mexico, and as far north as the Pacific coast of Alaska and the Atlantic coast of Maine. Birds Bufflehead Florida MaineFor my post this week, I wanted to take a moment to marvel at the impressive range of this super cool species.
Critter News
OCTOBER 9, 2010
Animal rights activists are targeting a University of Florida researcher for his role in experiments on primates — even though he says he doesn't personally conduct animal research. Tags: university of florida animal research activism primates Things are getting a little tense. Not sure I agree with posting the researcher's photo. Wonder if that could get activists into trouble under AETA (Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.) This is a long article from the Gainesville Sun.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 10, 2014
I was at the Blue Heron Wetlands in Titusville, Florida, during the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival hoping to connect with a Purple Gallinule that the field trip I co-led with Laura Erickson failed to find. The birds in Florida, on the other hand, are of domestic stock gone feral. They would never be roaming around Florida frightening people with their fleshy faces if not for their repeated release and escape from captivity.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 13, 2014
But as of right now there is nowhere in the United States where a birder can see a chicken and count it on his or her list despite the fact that there is a well established and long lasting Feral Chicken population in the Florida Keys. It is time for the Florida Ornithological Society to allow for the counting of Feral Chickens. Thus, the placement of the House Finch on the State List, for example, does not require that it be evaluated for Establishment within Florida.
10,000 Birds
JULY 5, 2013
I always like to see the look of surprise on a visiting birder’s face when I tell them that the Prairie Warblers and Yellow Warblers in southern Florida are restricted to mangrove habitats. Everyone, I would like you to meet the ‘Florida’ Prairie Warbler ( S. However, the bulk of the population breeds in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties at the southern tip of the state, particularly around the mangrove fringed coasts and islets of Florida and Biscayne Bay.
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 6, 2015
I was birding one of my favorite places yesterday, Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach County, Florida, and, as generally happens, people were asking me about the birds they were admiring. ” But, I was wishing that I could also hand over to each curious person a copy of the American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Florida by Bill Pranty. It works well in Florida , in which most species are allocated one page each and 20 species get two-page spreads.
10,000 Birds
JUNE 6, 2015
Lake Apopka Restoration Area in Lake County Florida is fast-becoming one of the best bird magnets in all of Florida. Situated pretty much slap-bang in the center of the state north of Lake Okeechobee, this massive wetland was once the Florida’s most polluted body of water. This is Florida’s second largest lake and was once one of the most productive fishing lakes in the entire country.
10,000 Birds
APRIL 12, 2013
The populations in the southern United States and northern Mexico are migratory, and it is presumed that the birds that show up annually in south Florida are derived from these populations. In Florida, the species shows up annually (and in multiples!) Elsewhere in the southern peninsula, the bird winters only sporadically (such as the two birds at Matheson Hammock of January-March 2010) and can only be described as occasional elsewhere in the Florida peninsula.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 23, 2013
With the recent addition of the Nanday Parakeet ( Nandayus nenday ) and Purple Swamphen ( Porphyrio porphyrio ) to the ABA list (it was not too long ago that Common Myna ( Acridotheres tristis ) was added as well), I thought an article discussing the potentially upcoming exotic bird species from Florida to be added to the ABA area list would be relevant to the times. I foresee these birds continuing to spread, gradually replacing other Aratinga species in southeast Florida.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 23, 2013
Formerly a common resident in the southern peninsula of Florida, these meerkats of the bird world have declined sharply in the ABA area to the point that they have almost certainly been extirpated as breeders with only occasional wanderers from the Caribbean showing up at coastal locations in southeast Florida — it is about as difficult to see a La Sagra’s Flycatcher or Western Spindalis in the ABA area as a Smooth-billed Ani now. Birds ani Florida
10,000 Birds
MAY 24, 2013
The period between May and September offer the best potential for an assortment of pelagic species (species which live most of their lives far from land) off the Atlantic coast of Florida. Finally, since Florida’s pelagic waters are relatively unexplored, there is always a high potential to see a state first such as a Trinidade Petrel – one can always hope! Cory’s Shearwater is regular in Florida’s pelagic waters.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 23, 2012
This migration season in Florida is fast coming to a close but it has not been without its high points. The Florida Keys Hawk-watch broke the world record for number of Peregrine Falcons recorded in a single day – a stunning 651 birds! And at the South Florida Birding Observatory we have been banding a few surprises over the past weeks. Birding bird banding bird observatory features Florida migration rare bird rarities Worldwide Birding Adventures
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 6, 2018
Three evenings a week, I trek exactly 51 minutes from my house or 97 minutes from my office (depending on the day) to the University of West Florida campus in Pensacola for graduate classes in strategic communications. While they are normally present in Northwest Florida during the summer, Summer Tanagers are supposed to spend the winter months in southern Mexico, Central, and South America. Birding nature Summer Tanager University of West Florida
10,000 Birds
AUGUST 1, 2013
A friend of mine told me, she has been seeing small groups of Swallow-tailed Kites ( Elanoides furficatus ) in the general area; in south Florida. At one of the biggest migration roost in Florida, not far from where we live, kites begin to gather by mid June. Birders and raptor observers in south Florida and the Florida Keys report only small number of Swallow-tailed Kites during migration time. Swallow-tailed Kite near the Lake Okeechobee roost in Florida.
10,000 Birds
SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
It was a hot and sunny Labor Day along Florida’s Gulf Coast, and my husband Brian and I were heading home from a friends and family weekend on the Suwannee River, stopping at state parks along the road-trip home. These vireos live in Florida throughout the year, preferring deciduous scrub or fields that have grown over or “streamside thickets.” Trips Florida State Park nature travel
10,000 Birds
APRIL 20, 2011
Even in the Brazilian Amazon, I’ve never seen this many whistling ducks together–there were sixty at a manmade lake behind the Brevard Community College near Titusville, Florida. I don’t get a lot of life birds in North America any more, but this confiding little gent offered himself up to the list: a Florida Scrub-Jay. Parking lot Black Skimmers , patiently enduring our foibles…just another wonderful thing about Florida. Destinations florida
10,000 Birds
MAY 2, 2014
It is also a good description of the birding in southernmost Florida. Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level. Few birders realize how many warblers actually do winter in southernmost Florida — even long time birders within the state. Shiny Cowbird is a newcomer to the avifauna of southeast Florida. Birding everglades Florida Keys Miami
10,000 Birds
JULY 24, 2012
If you have been out birding in southeast Florida there is a good chance that you have run into him in the field. After a very brief respite in June, Neotropical migrant passerines are on the move again throughout the state of Florida, and I find myself already getting ahead of myself – pining for winter birding in search of wood-warblers, vireos, orioles, and tanagers. During the winter, southeast Florida becomes the wood-warbler capital of the ABA area.
10,000 Birds
JUNE 28, 2012
Back in January I finally completed the North American scrub jay trifecta – Western Scrub Jay , Island Scrub Jay , and Florida Scrub Jay. Florida Scrub Jays are having a hard time of it, what with habitat fragmentation, degradation, and eradication. Florida Scrub Jays are aptly named, as they are scrub jays and they are found only in Florida, and development in that state has run amuck, taking habitat from the birds.
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 16, 2013
In 2012, for the third straight year, wading birds in south Florida had poor nesting success. Asides Florida herons and egretsOnly 26,395 nests were started in 2012, a 39 percent decline compared to the decadal average. Most hard-hit were federally endangered Wood Storks , which saw all 820 nests fail or be abandoned.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 1, 2012
The southeast tip of the Florida peninsula is not well endowed with a wide variety of sparrows in winter like the rest of the southeastern United States. This is not the case in southern Florida, where a typical outing to such popular parks as A.D. Savannah Sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ) is the most widespread and abundant wintering sparrow in southeast Florida, occupying a wide variety of habitats that include mangrove edges, saltmarsh prairie, and weedy fields.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 10, 2012
Wait, you probably are already going to do that… Anyway, here are the images, all taken when I was in Florida at the end of January for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival: Quiz Pic 1 Quiz Pic 2 Quiz Pic 3 Diabolical? You all know the drill. There are three images of birds or parts of birds below and your job is to figure out what they are.
10,000 Birds
FEBRUARY 4, 2012
Asides FloridaAmazingly, it was a visiting birder from New York who discovered Neotropic Cormorants breeding in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Congratulations to Ardith Bondi for the great find !
10,000 Birds
MARCH 27, 2014
Florida is known as the Sunshine State. Exotic species are animals that did not historically occur in Florida. Most were introduced, meaning they were brought to Florida by humans. Resident mallards are considered an “exotic duck” in Florida and have the potential to drive the native mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) to extinction through hybridization. However, captive-reared mallards are being unlawfully released by humans in large numbers in Florida.
10,000 Birds
APRIL 21, 2011
Its debatable which one is a better bird for Florida. Although the books show it occurring in Florida throughout April and a number of reports had indeed been posted for a couple of weeks, I came to learn that most individuals don’t arrive or become entrenched on territory until about three weeks into April. Birding florida flycatchers raritiesSteve Walter is a New York nature photographer, birder, and long-time member of the New York City Butterfly Club.
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