South Florida Birding

A few weeks ago my friends and I went down to the Keys for a little birding weekend. We saw Antillean Nighthawks (Chordeiles gundlachii), Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii), and a plethora of other really great birds. Andy and Kim also saw their first Mangrove Cuckoo (Vireo altiloquus) and Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus). If you haven't birded the Keys in summer then you're missing out. It may be hot down here but the Keys are a must stop place. Now I'm waiting for the fall hawk migration for another excuse to visit.


At mile marker 93.6 in the you will find the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. This bird rehab center has been around since 1984. They have a variety of rehab birds ranging from ibis to hawks to a Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster). The owls are my favorite because I seldom see them in the wild. This Barred Owl (Strix varia) was especially cooperative when I stuck my camera through the fence. Even though some of these birds may never be released due to their injuries, I find solace in the fact that school children will benefit from them through educational programs.

The outside enclosures line a raised path down to the bay. Along this area you can see mangroves and wild birds. We even wandered the trail back to a dumping ground for the leftover fish. There were bones everywhere. And of course there were vultures as well.

Along the bay trail you will also find the Great White Heron, a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) morph. This bird is a specialty of South Florida and one was waiting for us on top of a rehab enclosure housing a Roseate Spoonbill. Not technically a new species for the weekend this bird was still exciting to see up close. Plus it was Kim's lifer morph, if you can even count those kinds of thing.

After our Florida Keys weekend we decided to hit the Miami/Kendall area for some exotics. We checked the Baptist Hospital area for bulbuls and parakeets. We picked up the Mitred Parakeet and of course the Muscovy Duck, which is EVERYWHERE down here. The wild Muscovy is an okay looking bird but these feral exotics in Florida are just ugly. The two I snapped in my picture below actually are better looking Muscovys than the average backyard canal bird. Now don't think I don't like "ugly" birds because the opposite is true, but it's hard for me to love a feral exotic like this one. I would much rather see some wild Black-bellied Whistling Ducks or Wood Ducks than these Muscovys. However, any bird is better than no bird.

This concludes my latest Keys birding trip. The next birding trip on the agenda will be to Virginia Key and Bill Baggs State Park in Miami/Dade County. Of course, this weekend I'm heading to South Carolina for some family time. And maybe if I'm lucky, I'll pick up some birds along the way.