Wood Storks — Photo: Brian Gibbons

Experience subtropical settings and the special birds of the Florida Keys, the Everglades and Big Cypress, and both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, as we search for many species seldom seen elsewhere in the U.S.

South Florida is the most truly tropical region in the United States, with 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.

During the course of this tour, we search for "Great White" Heron, White-crowned Pigeon, Mangrove Cuckoo, Antillean Nighthawk, Gray Kingbird, and Black-whiskered Vireo in the mangrove swamps and hardwood hammocks of the Florida Keys. We range north as far as Lake Okeechobee and environs, where Limpkin, Short-tailed Hawk, Purple Gallinule, Florida Scrub-Jay, and Bachman's Sparrow are among the breeding specialties of the swamps, woodlands, and scrub.

We cover the urban and suburban landscapes of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, where Smooth-billed Anis (scarce), various parakeets and parrots, Common Mynas, Red-whiskered Bulbuls, and Spot-breasted Orioles are resident. On the Gulf Coast we search for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and other denizens of the pinewoods, as well as the Magnificent Frigatebirds and shorebirds of the coastal areas. And, between the coasts, we will visit Big Cypress National Preserve, Corkscrew Swamp, and the incomparable Everglades National Park seeking Snail Kites, Swallow-tailed Kites, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, and "Cape Sable" Seaside Sparrows.

Accommodations include nights at a historic hotel; birding both along roadsides and on short to moderate hikes; temperatures typically warm and humid, with afternoon showers possible.