South Florida Winter Weekend Dec 08—12, 2010
Posted by Brennan Mulrooney
Brennan Mulrooney
Brennan Mulrooney was born and raised in San Diego, California. Growing up, his heart and mind were captured by the ocean. He split his summer days between helping out behi...Related Trips
Winter birding in Florida is attractive for several reasons, not the least of which is the weather. Although our first day of birding coincided with the arrival of a cold front accompanied by some light rain, the rest of the Atlantic seaboard was entombed in snow. During the remainder of our trip we enjoyed fine mild weather, and even one moderately warm day! But, of course, the birding was the main reason for our visit to the Sunshine State, and we had a great trip from that perspective as well.
We began our exploration of South Florida by visiting two of the fanciest sewage ponds to be found anywhere. Green Cay Wetlands and Wakodahatchee Wetlands are so nice, in fact, that they look a lot more like wildlife refuges than wastewater treatment facilities. Boardwalks that span the ponds at each facility offer unparalleled viewing experiences, and we had quite a memorable visit to each. There were Soras and Purple Gallinules running around at our feet, a Least Bittern lurking in the bulrush, Mottled Ducks paddling by at close range, a Limpkin screaming in flight, and a glorious Roseate Spoonbill posing for excited photographers. The diversity of birds at these spots was overshadowed only by how amazingly close we were able to get to them.
As we headed south toward Florida City, we made a quick detour out the Tamiami Trail in search of the iconic symbol of the Everglades, the Snail Kite. It wasn't long before we were enjoying fantastic views at close range as both a male and female foraged low over the sawgrass prairies. A brief stop at the Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park produced a truly staggering flock of Tree Swallows that must have numbered in the tens of thousands. They flew in great synchronized swirling clouds, creating amazing visual images, and looking more like smoke or some bizarre underwater creature than a flock of birds.
Our next two days were spent in and around the incomparable Everglades National Park. We drove the length of the main park road, all the way down to Flamingo, making many stops along the way. We walked through a mangrove forest, a tropical hardwood hammock, and pine flatwoods; drove through miles of sawgrass prairies; and saw fresh and saltwater marshes, extensive mudflats, and the mangrove islands of Florida Bay. At the marina in Flamingo we saw a family group of manatees. At Anhinga Trail we had American alligators and American Bittern right at our feet. We saw several Short-tailed Hawks, both light and dark morphs, adult and immature. We saw all flavors of herons: Great Blue Heron, Great White Heron, "Würdemann's Heron," Little Blue Heron (adult and the white immature plumage), Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. We saw an amazing gathering of waterfowl at West Lake that contained more species than I've ever seen in one spot in South Florida. No, Everglades National Park did not disappoint.
We also spent some time birding around the suburbs of Miami. There were staggering numbers of birds near the Miami dump that included hundreds of White Ibis, Cattle Egrets, and Black Vultures. At a nearby marsh there were over a thousand gulls with at least 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls among them. In the town of Kendall we spotted some flashy exotics. The real show-stoppers were a pair of Spot-breasted Orioles that allowed close approach and sat out in perfect light, much to the photographers' delight. Red-whiskered Bulbuls were also cooperative, though they had a nasty habit of moving just before the shutters could click. Large flocks of noisy Mitred Parakeets gave the morning a tropical feel, but soon we had to pack away our binoculars and head for the airport.
It was a wonderful trip with a wonderful group, and I can't wait for my next opportunity to visit this unique and fascinating part of our country.