April 25-May 4, 2026 with Doug Gochfeld & Chris Benesh
South Florida is a diverse kind of place. From the bustle of Miami to the relative tranquility of the waters nearing Fort Jefferson, there was so much to take in and appreciate. South Florida is clearly tropical in nature, more closely allied with the Caribbean than with much of the rest of the United States. And for this reason, birders and naturalists flock here to take in the special wildlife found here. This tour is designed to take in several important bird areas, and along with it, a variety of other wildlife both native and naturalized.
Our trip started off with a trip down from Miami to Black Point Marina for breakfast and birding before heading south to Key Largo and an extended stop. Then we began our journey down the keys, stopping for lunch at Keys Fisheries. While there was a decent mix of birds to be found here, the variety of fishes to be seen was impressive and included massive Atlantic Tarpon, Nurse Shark, and colorful Rainbow Parrotfish. After lunch we made a run up Big Pine Key in search of Key Deer, a tiny subspecies of White-tailed Deer restricted to just a few keys in Florida. After some good views, we continued to our destination, Key West. After checking in to the hotel, we picked up some food for a picnic dinner at Boca Chica Key for some shore-birding, and to watch and listen for Antillean Nighthawk. We enjoyed all that and a spectacular sunset.
The following morning was spent at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. There was a decent mix of birds along with a few surprises. We saw 50+ Roseate Terns streaming past while doing a sea watch. There were several raptors, including Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, and even a colorful Short-eared Owl. Gray Kingbird and Black-whiskered Vireo added Caribbean flair. We then spent time at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Gardens. The species causing the biggest buzz was a Purple Gallinule, of which we had good views.
The next morning, we were off to the Dry Tortugas. The boat ride was good for sightseeing, birding, and marveling at a few eccentric travelers sharing the ride over to Fort Jefferson. As we approached the Tortugas, we could see big numbers of Masked Boobies hanging out on East Key. Brown Noddies, Sooty Terns, Magnificent Frigatebirds built up in numbers as we arrived. Once off the boat, we headed straight away to enjoy some Bridled Terns, then we explored the fort. There were a few migrants around, though some had left the night before following the passage of a weather front. There were a couple of good Antillean Nighthawk candidates, nice comparisons of Black-whiskered and Red-eyed vireos, a distant Red-footed Booby, and some ever-so-cute, recently hatched tern chicks. All in all, a great experience.
The following morning found us once again traveling through the keys toward Everglades National Park. We spent some time watching shorebirds at Boca Chica, Ohio, and Grassy keys, as well as a stop on Key Largo before heading to Homestead and into Everglades National Park. We made a few stops on our way to Flamingo with a nice mix of birds and a great study of American Crocodile. At Flamingo we had a flyover Shiny Cowbird and some peeks at Manatee. After dinner we saw a Barred Owl right outside of the restaurant.
We explored the west coast of southern Florida over the next couple of days. A beautiful morning in the Everglades, a run down the Tamiami Trail, a visit to the Oasis Visitors Center at Big Cypress National Preserve, and Burrowing Owling at Marco Island. Another splendid morning at Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area, some wonderful piney-woods with Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bobwhite, and Brown-headed Nuthatch among the highlights. Then we were off to find Florida Scrub-Jays and spend time in the beautiful bald cypress forest at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Harns Marsh provided our first Snail Kites. A nearby stop for Red-headed Woodpecker also featured a distinctively patterned Sherman’s Fox Squirrel. Heading east back across the peninsula, we made a stop at Torry Island at the south end of the massive Lake Okeechobee. And perhaps the highlight of the day, a visit to Wakodahatchee Wetlands, where we saw so many wonderful waterbirds up close, many nesting with growing chicks.
A big storm front moved through overnight, which brought a mini fallout to the coast the following morning. We spent some time at the Lantana Nature Preserve at Palm Beach and enjoyed an exciting morning there. Among the migrants was remarkably, a singing Bicknell’s Thrush. Another nearby park had a terrific roosting Chuck-will’s-widow! Having missed a stakeout La Sagra’s Flycatcher at Key Largo, we were thrilled by the news that one had shown up near Miami at Highland Oaks Park. We headed over and soon after we arrived the bird appeared. We also connected with a pair of Spot-breasted Orioles here as well. A fitting ending to the tour.
Mammals seen on the Florida Tour:
Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris)
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Sherman’s Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger shermani)
Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Key White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)
Key (White-tailed) Deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)
Some of the other critters seen on the tour:
Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)
Peters's Rock Agama (Agama picticauda)
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
Brown Basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus)
Northern Curly-tailed Lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus)
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
Florida Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni)
Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)
Thanks to all of you for making the tour such a success. It was a great pleasure for me to get back to Florida after so many years, and with Doug's expert guidance. So many wonderful memories. Good birding to all of you. Look forward to catching up on future trips.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/507329
You can see my iNaturalist report of non-avian taxa at this link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/field-guides-florida-tour-2026
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/fla26TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Chris