Florida sites for specialities (1 Viewer)

[Larry Sweetland]

I'll be visiting Florida in late March/early April, and would be grateful for any suggestions of sites (especially stake outs rather than general areas) in Florida for a few target species. Some of these birds are probably easier than others.

Any help to find the following species would be great!

Mottled Duck, Red-cockaded and Red-headed Woodpeckers, Florida Scrub Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Bachman's Sparrow.

I have other targets that I imagine are more easy to just bump into(?), like Fish Crow, Boat-tailed Grackle, and some other Eastern US birds, but figured knowing sites for these is less of a priority at this stage.

I'm really struggling with using ebird to work out exactly where to go, so any actual specific spots that are good for the birds mentioned would be really handy.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts folks 😊

 

[Owene]

I'm afraid don't have very specific sites but I had the two woodpeckers the nuthatch and heard multiple bachmans at the same site. I'll dig out what my guide told me about where it was but I'd imagine someone else will have told you by then. I had scrub jay about 40 minutes drive away if I recall correctly.

I was told that the bachmans were harder when I was there (mid August) than any other time as they were less territorial and wouldn't come to tape we definitely heard multiple. The other birds felt quite easy

My guide was Becky smith of archaeopteryx tours. I know she ebirds everything so the site is probably easily found

 

[lgonz1008]

Mottled Duck is really easy in Central Florida, if you want to see them for easy photos, then just visit Wakodahatchee or Green Cay Wetlands in Palm Beach.

Red-cockaded and Red-headed Woodpecker, Florida Scrub-Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Bachman's Sparrow are all possible possible in Jonathan Dickinson State Park. I'd do as far as to say that Scrub-Jay is guaranteed there in their trail and Bachman's Sparrow is singing at that time of year in the pinelands (all your other targets are in that area as well).

DuPuis WMA is also good for these species: Red-cockaded and Red-headed Woodpecker and Bachman's Sparrow.

If you do visit Everglades National Park, Long Pine Key campground is really good for Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Fish Crow is the urban crow in Florida, unless you're in the interior parts of the state or Everglades National Park, you are seeing Fish Crow, same thing with Boat-tailed Grackles.

If you have any other targets, let me know and I can give you some sites to try.

 

[Prestdj]

scrub jay seen at the closest state park to cape canaveral but that was 2002 so not sure now.......we had the car searched by a state trooper as the space shuttle was on the launch pad
south carolina for brown headed nuthatch quite easy
red headed woodpecker partial to golf courses
mottled duck common on most waters

 

[Owene]

Ocala NF--Paisley Woods Bike Trail--Alexander Springs Loop was where I had the two woodpeckers nuthatch and sparrow. This was august 2023

Very easy walking on obvious trails. Maybe 90 minutes walking. Plenty of other species too

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Ocala NF--Paisley Woods Bike Trail--Alexander Springs Loop was where I had the two woodpeckers nuthatch and sparrow. This was august 2023

Very easy walking on obvious trails. Maybe 90 minutes walking. Plenty of other species too

This is awesome! Just the kind of idea I'm looking for, as it really narrows down an actual spot to check out 👍

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Mottled Duck is really easy in Central Florida, if you want to see them for easy photos, then just visit Wakodahatchee or Green Cay Wetlands in Palm Beach.

Red-cockaded and Red-headed Woodpecker, Florida Scrub-Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Bachman's Sparrow are all possible possible in Jonathan Dickinson State Park. I'd do as far as to say that Scrub-Jay is guaranteed there in their trail and Bachman's Sparrow is singing at that time of year in the pinelands (all your other targets are in that area as well).

DuPuis WMA is also good for these species: Red-cockaded and Red-headed Woodpecker and Bachman's Sparrow.

If you do visit Everglades National Park, Long Pine Key campground is really good for Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Fish Crow is the urban crow in Florida, unless you're in the interior parts of the state or Everglades National Park, you are seeing Fish Crow, same thing with Boat-tailed Grackles.

If you have any other targets, let me know and I can give you some sites to try.

Thank you so much! My other targets for the trip might seem a bit odd for a US birder, as I've never been to the eastern USA but I have done lots of birding in CA and AZ, as well as the Caribbean and Central and South America. This trip itself is complicated too, as it's a 4 week road trip starting in Miami and ending in NYC late in April. Some target birds will be heading north ahead of us and some others won't have arrived from the south yet!

I'll take you up on the offer of mentioning my full target list of about 40 birds (which doubtless includes a few unrealistic hopefuls!) in a post below to make reading it easier. 🙂

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Targets for full road trip, Florida to New York state, late March to late April. Any help with sites for birds annotated as H or VH much appreciated!

Annotated with my assumptions:-

E - easy enough (I hope) to just bump into by stopping car when looks like good habitat within range, so no site required (?)

H- hard to find unless I know where to park the car and walk, so site location much appreciated

VH- very hard, either because rare, skulking, or very few around at the time of year, so actual stake out of known individuals desirable

Trumpeter Swan - H (VH?)
Mottled Duck - H(E?)
King Rail - H
Yellow Rail - VH
Piping Plover - H
American Woodcock - H
Ruffed Grouse - H
Wild Turkey - E
Barred Owl - H (E?)
Eastern Screech Owl - H
E. Whip-poor-will - VH
Red-bellied Woodpecker - E
Red-headed Woodpecker - H
Red-cockaded Woodpecker - H
Eastern Phoebe - E
Acadian Flycatcher (too early?)
Florida Scrub Jay - H
Blue Jay - E
Fish Crow - E
Tufted Titmouse - E
Carolina Chickadee - E(?)
Brown-headed Nuthatch - H
Sedge Wren - VH
Winter Wren - H
Veery - VH(?)
Bicknell's Thrush - VH
Northern Shrike - VH (lingering bird?)
Brown Thrasher - E
Blue-headed Vireo - H
Pine Warbler - E
Connecticut Warbler - VH (early?)
Eastern Towhee - E
Henslow's Sparrow - H (side trip?)
Le Conte's Sparrow - VH
Nelson's Sparrow - VH
Saltmarsh Sparrow - VH
Seaside Sparrow - H
Bachman's Sparrow - H
Field Sparrow - E(?)
Rusty Blackbird- H (too late?)
Common Grackle - E
Boat-tailed Grackle - E

 

[Owene]

Scrub Jay was just drive slowly along a park road until you heard them then get out and watch them. very easy at the actual site. Will try and dig out which park road it was. And yes Carolina chickadee was easy. Had them at the woodpecker site and at mead botanical garden which also has resident barred owl that a lot of people see in day.

I genuinely only had one days birding and 2 hours at the botanical gardens with my family so didn’t get many birds (also was August) but I think a few days dedicated birding would get loads. The actual birding was easy

 

[lgonz1008]

Only going to help with the species I've had good experience in Florida, I'm assuming you're starting in Florida and moving north? Not sure where in Florida you will start (Miami starting point is very different than Orlando starting point)

• Mottled Duck - Urban restoration wetlands in Central Florida and they are easy, pure (no Mallard hybrids) and easy to see
• King Rail - Relatively easy to hear in a few places that are freshwater wetlands, including Loxahatchee NWR, Miami-Dade portion of Everglades NP, etc. Seeing is a different story, I have only seen the species twice in my life and have 0 pictures of them.
• Piping Plover - South beach section of Crandon Park is a wintering site for these birds, I've had up to 6 of them in a sand bar, even when the beach had hundreds of people around it
• American Woodcock - More reliable the further north you go in the Eastern US, they breed in small numbers in South Florida, but you need to know the exact sites for them
• Wild Turkey - More reliable the further north you go since they are hunted by a variety of predators in Florida. Good site for them in South Florida is Government Road in Broward/Hendry county (but the birds here can be really skittish)
• Barred Owl - Tougher to find during the day in places like Everglades NP (Pa-hay-Okee Overlook), CREW Swamp Sanctuary and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. If you do proper owling, any place with decent cypress forest is good for them
• Eastern Screech Owl - Easy to hear at night in most wooded places in Florida, but seeing them during the day requires knowing where the roost is
• E. Whip-poor-will - Bend of Research Road in Everglades NP just after sunset, have a good spotlight
• Red-bellied Woodpecker - Impossible to miss in any place with more than 2 trees
• Red-headed Woodpecker - More common the further north you go, pineland species
• Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Jonathan Dickinson State Park and DuPuis WMA, pineland species
• Eastern Phoebe - Any place that's close to water with a few trees and a field you will have at least one
• Florida Scrub Jay - Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Merritt Island NWR is a good back up but the birds have a marked trail in Jonathan Dickinson
• Blue Jay - Impossible to miss in any place with more than 2 trees
• Fish Crow - Impossible to miss in the urban areas
• Tufted Titmouse - Possible from Central Florida moving north, but it's impossible miss in Georgia
• Carolina Chickadee - Possible from Central Florida moving north, but it's impossible miss in Georgia
• Brown-headed Nuthatch - Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Everglades NP (Long Pine Key) are good for them, but they are really common in Georgia in pineland habitat
• Sedge Wren - Bend of Research Road in Everglades NP just after sunrise or before sunset. St. Marks NWR is also good, just find good , open marshy habitat and play the song/pish
• Brown Thrasher - Possible in a few parks from the Florida Keys moving north, but it's impossible miss in Georgia
• Blue-headed Vireo - Common winter resident in urban Miami, just go to any of the city parks like AD Barnes, Kendale Lakes or Matheson Hammock Park and do a bit of pishing
• Pine Warbler - Impossible to miss in any pineland habitat
• Connecticut Warbler - They don't arrive in South Florida until the first week of May
• Eastern Towhee - Possible in a few parks from South Florida moving north (subspecies in Florida is white eyed), but it's more reliable outside of Florida
• Nelson's Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow - both winter in small numbers in the Coastal Prairie trail of Everglades NP, but it's a needle in the haystack situation. Nelson's is more reliable in St. Marks NWR and Saltmarsh winters there in small numbers
• Seaside Sparrow - Reliable in St. Marks NWR
• Bachman's Sparrow - Jonathan Dickinson State Park and DuPuis WMA, pineland species
• Field Sparrow - Rarity south of the Florida panhandle but more common as you go north
• Rusty Blackbird- Rarity in Florida but could be possible further north, just look at recent reports close marsh habitats
• Common Grackle - Common sight in most places, in Florida is told apart from BTGR by the white eye, smaller tail and lack of brown in the females
• Boat-tailed Grackle - Parking lot bird in Florida, the further north you go, the more they become a specialized marsh species

 

[Jim M.]

• Red-headed Woodpecker - More common the further north you go, pineland species

Not sure about Florida, but NOT a pineland specialist in the mid-atlantic region (Maryland, Virginia, etc.). Rather, often associated with deciduous freshwater swamps and wetlands where there are lots of dead snags. But can also be found away from water in some open areas. Have never seen them in or near conifers.

eBird would help the OP find when and where his targets are most likely. Too early for Bicknell's Thrush or Connecticutt Warbler anywhere in the Eastern U.S.

 

[Jim M.]

I'm really struggling with using ebird to work out exactly where to go, so any actual specific spots that are good for the birds mentioned would be really handy.

What are you struggling with? Here's a barchart including eBird sightings for Florida in March-April over the last two years: click on the map icon [edit: next to a species of interest] to see the locations [edit: for a particular species]. And then click on the point markers to see details of the sighting.

https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=2022&eyr=2024&bmo=3&emo=4&r=US-FL

 

[lgonz1008]

Not sure about Florida, but NOT a pineland specialist in the mid-atlantic region (Maryland, Virginia, etc.). Rather, often associated with deciduous freshwater swamps and wetlands where there are lots of dead snags. But can also be found away from water in some open areas. Have never seen them in or near conifers.

eBird would help the OP find when and where his targets are most likely. Too early for Bicknell's Thrush or Connecticutt Warbler anywhere in the Eastern U.S.

Down here they are associated with pines, hence my comment, I haven't had a chance to bird that part of the US, so your comment shows how adaptable they are like the Red-bellied Woodpecker down here.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Not sure about Florida, but NOT a pineland specialist in the mid-atlantic region (Maryland, Virginia, etc.). Rather, often associated with deciduous freshwater swamps and wetlands where there are lots of dead snags. But can also be found away from water in some open areas. Have never seen them in or near conifers.

eBird would help the OP find when and where his targets are most likely. Too early for Bicknell's Thrush or Connecticutt Warbler anywhere in the Eastern U.S.

Thanks Jim. I'll scrub Connecticut and Bicknell's off my hit list then 👍

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Thanks Jim. I'll scrub Connecticut and Bicknell's off my hit list then 👍

Just a note that the best way to check timings on Ebird is to use the 'Bar Chart' feature. You can do this for regions (e.g. Florida) and for hotspots. These are the bar charts for Florida:

https://ebird.org/barchart?r=US-FL&yr=all&m=

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Only going to help with the species I've had good experience in Florida, I'm assuming you're starting in Florida and moving north? Not sure where in Florida you will start (Miami starting point is very different than Orlando starting point)

• Mottled Duck - Urban restoration wetlands in Central Florida and they are easy, pure (no Mallard hybrids) and easy to see
• King Rail - Relatively easy to hear in a few places that are freshwater wetlands, including Loxahatchee NWR, Miami-Dade portion of Everglades NP, etc. Seeing is a different story, I have only seen the species twice in my life and have 0 pictures of them.
• Piping Plover - South beach section of Crandon Park is a wintering site for these birds, I've had up to 6 of them in a sand bar, even when the beach had hundreds of people around it
• American Woodcock - More reliable the further north you go in the Eastern US, they breed in small numbers in South Florida, but you need to know the exact sites for them
• Wild Turkey - More reliable the further north you go since they are hunted by a variety of predators in Florida. Good site for them in South Florida is Government Road in Broward/Hendry county (but the birds here can be really skittish)
• Barred Owl - Tougher to find during the day in places like Everglades NP (Pa-hay-Okee Overlook), CREW Swamp Sanctuary and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. If you do proper owling, any place with decent cypress forest is good for them
• Eastern Screech Owl - Easy to hear at night in most wooded places in Florida, but seeing them during the day requires knowing where the roost is
• E. Whip-poor-will - Bend of Research Road in Everglades NP just after sunset, have a good spotlight
• Red-bellied Woodpecker - Impossible to miss in any place with more than 2 trees
• Red-headed Woodpecker - More common the further north you go, pineland species
• Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Jonathan Dickinson State Park and DuPuis WMA, pineland species
• Eastern Phoebe - Any place that's close to water with a few trees and a field you will have at least one
• Florida Scrub Jay - Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Merritt Island NWR is a good back up but the birds have a marked trail in Jonathan Dickinson
• Blue Jay - Impossible to miss in any place with more than 2 trees
• Fish Crow - Impossible to miss in the urban areas
• Tufted Titmouse - Possible from Central Florida moving north, but it's impossible miss in Georgia
• Carolina Chickadee - Possible from Central Florida moving north, but it's impossible miss in Georgia
• Brown-headed Nuthatch - Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Everglades NP (Long Pine Key) are good for them, but they are really common in Georgia in pineland habitat
• Sedge Wren - Bend of Research Road in Everglades NP just after sunrise or before sunset. St. Marks NWR is also good, just find good , open marshy habitat and play the song/pish
• Brown Thrasher - Possible in a few parks from the Florida Keys moving north, but it's impossible miss in Georgia
• Blue-headed Vireo - Common winter resident in urban Miami, just go to any of the city parks like AD Barnes, Kendale Lakes or Matheson Hammock Park and do a bit of pishing
• Pine Warbler - Impossible to miss in any pineland habitat
• Connecticut Warbler - They don't arrive in South Florida until the first week of May
• Eastern Towhee - Possible in a few parks from South Florida moving north (subspecies in Florida is white eyed), but it's more reliable outside of Florida
• Nelson's Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow - both winter in small numbers in the Coastal Prairie trail of Everglades NP, but it's a needle in the haystack situation. Nelson's is more reliable in St. Marks NWR and Saltmarsh winters there in small numbers
• Seaside Sparrow - Reliable in St. Marks NWR
• Bachman's Sparrow - Jonathan Dickinson State Park and DuPuis WMA, pineland species
• Field Sparrow - Rarity south of the Florida panhandle but more common as you go north
• Rusty Blackbird- Rarity in Florida but could be possible further north, just look at recent reports close marsh habitats
• Common Grackle - Common sight in most places, in Florida is told apart from BTGR by the white eye, smaller tail and lack of brown in the females
• Boat-tailed Grackle - Parking lot bird in Florida, the further north you go, the more they become a specialized marsh species

Fantastic info! I'll look into all that. Jonathan Dickinson Park looks to be a big place, is there a particular trail to try for the specialities? I see it (and other parks) has opening times too. Does this mean it's best to camp within the park to be able to bird early or late?

 

[Larry Sweetland]

To answer Igonz, I'll be arriving in Miami rather than Orlando.

And a question about the Whip-poor-wills: will they be calling in late March at that Bend in Research rd site?It sounds like a good place if Sedge Wren is possible there too. Great to have a specific site that has more than one of the tougher targets 👍

 

[lgonz1008]

To answer Igonz, I'll be arriving in Miami rather than Orlando.

And a question about the Whip-poor-wills: will they be calling in late March at that Bend in Research rd site?It sounds like a good place if Sedge Wren is possible there too. Great to have a specific site that has more than one of the tougher targets 👍

They are not calling, you just have to scan the fields and search for eye shine, sometimes they rest on the road.

The site is also good for King Rail, but never seen them there, just heard them at sunrise and sunset.

 

[lgonz1008]

Fantastic info! I'll look into all that. Jonathan Dickinson Park looks to be a big place, is there a particular trail to try for the specialities? I see it (and other parks) has opening times too. Does this mean it's best to camp within the park to be able to bird early or late?

Depends on how much you want to spend on the site, I've been lucky enough to see all of them in one morning after the park opened at 8, but it's best to spend more time within the park for the pineland species.

The Scrub-Jay trail is right by the campground, just be careful because it is an off-road bike trail, the area has 1 or 2 families of Scrub-Jays and depending on their mood they will either be far away from the road or tapping at your feet expecting handouts (don't feed them).

For the pineland species, you follow the main park road, past the train tracks until you reach the Wilson Creek Pavilion, from there, you will see a couple of trails, the best one to follow is the one that's parallel to the main park road, the Bachman's should be starting their breeding season then, so find them by their call. The Red-cockaded is a bit tougher since nobody knows where the nesting trees are, just walk around until you hear them foraging, same with Pine Warbler and Brown-headed Nuthatch. Red-headed Woodpecker can be found here or in the pine areas close to the Scrub-Jays and the train tracks, just need to be lucky to find them.

This is one of the few parks in Florida that you can get all 8 species of woodpeckers found in the state, so have fun memorizing their calls and behaviors, the rarest one of the species is Hairy Woodpecker, so if you find one, eBird will likely make you write it up.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Piping Plover - South beach section of Crandon Park is a wintering site for these birds, I've had up to 6 of them in a sand bar, even when the beach had hundreds of people around it

• Nelson's Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow - both winter in small numbers in the Coastal Prairie trail of Everglades NP, but it's a needle in the haystack situation. Nelson's is more reliable in St. Marks NWR and Saltmarsh winters there in small numbers
• Seaside Sparrow - Reliable in St. Marks NWR

Hi Igonz, I've been checking out your site recommendations on maps etc, and they'll certainly form the backbone of the Florida part of our trip. I can't thank you enough for this👍. I have a couple of questions on two of the sites, so I hope you don't mind me bothering you for some more information:

1. Do you have directions on where to go at St Marks NWR for the sparrows? Looks like a big area

2. I've found Crandon Park and it looks to be the northern part of an island. When you say the south beach section is good for Piping Plover, is that still within the north half of the island? And which side of the island (West or East) is it best to look for them? Also (more for family non-birding reasons) it looks like we'll do a drive down to the Keys. If I miss the plovers at Crandon Park is there a site you'd recommend for Piping Plover on the Keys?