| Saturday, 12 May 2001
Arrival at Miami International Airport before 3 p.m., but not inside our car
before 4:30 p.m. We left Miami a.s.a.p. on our way to our first twitch:
Cave Swallow, which we located under a couple of bridges
just north of Homestead. Immediately followed by driving to a site for
Smooth-billed Ani near Florida City, where the Florida
Turnpike ends and becomes the US 1. This site, which is known to be reliable,
did not render our target species and provided us with only a few common
ones. We went straight on to Key Largo where we only encountered our first
Common Nighthawks (fantastic birds!), due to the oncoming
darkness. The rest of the evening we drove to Marathon, where we spent
de night in a motel.
Sunday, 13 May 2001
Because the migration season for warblers was nearing its end, we had
planned our visit to Dry  Tortugas
as early as possible. Dry Tortugas is a group of small islands about 100
kilometers west of Key West and a hotspot for birds during spring migration.
The ferry transfer was booked up front by the internet (which is recommended
since it is very quickly fully booked). The Yankee Freedom II is a small
catamaran-like speedy vessel with the advantage of a sundeck (which most
other charters to Dry Tortugas lack), so that during our trip we could
scan the Gulf of Mexico that surrounded us on all sides. The point of
departure of the Yankee Freedom II to Dry Tortugas is mentioned in the
ABA Birdfinding Guide. The price for a return ticket is about $100 but
a visit to Dry Tortugas is a must for every birdwatcher visiting Florida.
Besides large colonies of Sooty Tern (> 40.000 pairs!),
Brown Noddy (2000 pairs) and Magnificent Frigatebird,
you can find breeding Masked Boobies and Bridled
Terns species like White-tailed Tropicbird (which
we missed, alas) and Red-footed Booby are reported annually.
And to top all that, the spring migration of passerines is simply phenomenal.
During the top season it is recommended to spend a night on garden Key
(camping is the only option). Those who decide to return the same day
have about three hours to investigate, which is enough to see the island
but not nearly enough to locate all birds on it.
Even before we boarded the Yankee Freedom II we caught our first glimpse
of migratory species in Key West: Black-throated Blue Warbler
was ticked even before we left the car and American Redstart
and Black-and-white Warbler were also easily
found. Gray Kingbird was more numerous than expected.
During the passage Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown
Pelican and Royal Tern were common. It wasn’t
until we came into the proximity of the islands that greater numbers of
terns showed up. Keep your eyes open for Bridled Tern,
it is easier to find just out of Key West and during the beginning of
the passage than when you have to search among the huge numbers of Sooty
Terns near the island.
On Garden Key (the only island that is visited by the Yankee Freedom II)
there was still some migration of warblers going on. An Ovenbird
was investigating the edibility of the contains in my backpack while Cape
May Warblers were skulking around in the bushes around the tents.
In the courtyard of the fort there were numerous warblers amongst which
we found species like Palm Warbler, Prairie Warbler,
many Northern Parula’s and American Redstarts.
We also found a Cedar Waxwing, some Bobolinks
and a handful of Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s.
A Bahama Mockingbird, a late Sharp-shinned Hawk
and a Conneticut Warbler were lucky shots. At
the only sweet water fountain on the entire island most of the birds can
be seen at a short distance. The present Cattle Egrets seem
to be hunting the warblers: there’s nothing else to be had there
for them. So when you realize that those herons that refuse to eat birds
or are not so good in catching them will die within days then their tameness
all of a sudden makes you sad.
From the higher viewpoints of the fort you can see the island Hospital
Key, which is no more than a pile of sand, but which houses a couple of
pairs of Masked Boobies (a telescope is essential!).
If you are willing to kiss up some butt with the captain of the Y.F. II
(he’s a nice guy) during the passage back to Key West then he might
be inclined to take his boat close to Hospital Key. He will then stop
there for a moment so you can watch the Masked boobies more closely. This
is highly recommended. 
Monday, 14 May 2001
The second day on Garden Key with mainly the same species if with a few
variations. There were a lot more Northern Waterthrushes and
Gray-cheeked Thrushes. The only Veery of
the entire vacation could not be relocated. A Black-whiskered
Vireo was the one giving the best views the entire vacation even
though the species is not rare at all on the Keys in late spring. There
was also a Gray Catbird and a Song Sparrow.
During the passage we saw clouds of flying fish (do the fly, swim or walk
on water?), dolphins (Bottle nosed), sea turtles and at least one juvenile
Red-footed Booby.
About 5:30 p.m. we were back in Key West harbor (Roseate Tern
and our only Black Tern). That same day we had
some trouble finding good birding sites on Key West. An ugly park (Little
Hamaka City Park) did, however, produce our first Reddish Egret
(white phase) and Tricolored Heron and our only
(!) Belted Kingfisher (where have they all gone?).
We spent the night searching for Antillean Nighthawk,
which is nowadays easy to find on the western Keys. At the car park of
the Junior College on Stock Island (a site mentioned in the ABA guide)
we heard at least two but this is not a good spot any longer due to some
new suburban buildings.
Tuesday, 15 May 2001
We woke up in the bush of Sugarloaf Key (salt-water midgets!) and were
almost immediately hit by an Antillean Nighthawk (the
only one we saw). After that we drove to a site for Mangrove Cuckoo,
which only showed itself flying over. At Big Pine Key (along Long Beach
Road) we saw a late pair of Blue-winged Teals (female
was crippled and the male very dedicated to her) and a late American
Pipit. White-eyed Vireo was also easily found
here. On the way back we saw another Mangrove Cuckoo flying
over the road. Other sites on Big Pine Key did not produce anything special.
Our first attempt for Burrowing Owl on the beach along
Sombrero Beach Road in Marathon did not produce this species but was good
for Henslow’s Sparrow. This is a species that winters
more northerly in Florida and is as far as I know never before recorded
on the Keys. We also saw quite a flock of White-crowned Pigeons.
The second attempt for Burrowing Owl was a success: two
birds were simply standing on the very busy Golf Course in Marathon.
In the afternoon we left the Keys for Everglades NP. The ABA guide had
already warned us that the Everglades might look differently from what
most people expect but it was nevertheless a surprise. Instead of continuous
marshes with Water Hyacinth, you drive the first 30 kilometers through
a grassy landscape with solitary pine trees, which can be almost called
boring were it not for the Bald Eagle. An exception is
the area around Anhinga Trail. Here we saw our first Swallow-tailed
Kites and a late Broad-winged Hawk came as a
surprise. Besides a Limpkin and a Gray Catbird
there was not much to be seen on the trails.
The ponds along the way to Flamingo were lively: besides large amounts
of herons at Paurotis pond we also saw large numbers of Wood Stork
and Roseate Spoonbill. The rest of the ponds,
including Eco Pond - the spot where many a rarity had been discovered
– looked very much the same with only one difference, namely huge
numbers of horseflies, mosquitoes and midgets that make birding impossible.
Caution all birders who visit this place between May and August! Take
many precautions, take with you any kind of insect repellant (even additional
mosquito nets although birding with those can be difficult as well) because
from May on some places in Florida will be swarmed by mosquitoes. This
also goes for the camping site at Flamingo, which was infested with them.
Before I forget, one of the biggest ticks this vacation was the sighting
of a Florida Panther sitting at the side of the road
and trotting away at its ease into the woods when we slowly approached
it.
Wednesday, 16 May 2001
After a bad night, due to mosquitoes, we got up early, which resulted
in another Antillean Nighthawk. Eco Pond was good for
our only Solitary Sandpiper but we had to leave running
because of all the blood-sucking insects! At one of the sites mentioned
in the ABA guide (p. 238) we found, without any difficulties I might say,
a few singing Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows. This species
is said to be hard to find because it only sings between 8 and 10 a.m.,
on days with good weather and no wind during the right season (between
March and June), but a bit of luck never harms anyone. The renowned (because
of the mosquitoes) Snake Bight Trail we didn’t even try. We had
another stroke of luck at Paurotis Pond: a Baird’s Sandpiper
amongst the Semipalmated Sandpipers.
Because of a busy schedule we left the park while birding. The route we
followed through the northern parts of the Everglades (Big Cypress NP)
looked more like what I had in mind about the Everglades. The dusty route
839 was very dry and was only good for our first Pileated Woodpecker.
Our next site on the agenda, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, was a feast to
the eye when it comes to landscapes but considering birds it only produced
some common species like Pine Warbler and Downy
Woodpecker. Exceptions, however, were 2 fanatically calling Barred
Owls, even though this big cousin of our Tawny owl did not show
itself. Those who are familiar by imitating Tawny Owls in Europe to lure
them into answering can try the same with these Barred Owls, given that
you adapt your call a bit to WHO-COOKS-FOR-YOU. The fact that the boardwalk
section of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was entirely dried out illustrates
the fact that we were too late in the season as well as the fact that
it has been very dry these last few years in southern Florida (especially
this year).
After Corkscrew we drove on toward the coast: Marco Island. Here you find
a interesting stretch of beach: Tiger Tail Beach. Here we found, among
many common waders, Wilson’s Plovers and, with
another stroke of luck, a late Piping Plover, which should
have been gone to its breeding grounds by now. Black Skimmers
were common. A ‘greater’ skua, flying over the beach,
was not identified alas, because of the fair chance that it might have
been a South Polar Skua.
Thursday, 17 May 2001
Sanibel Island is one of Florida’s top sites, where you can see
birds during every season. In the morning we started at the lighthouse
to search for some possible migrants. Besides a few American Redstarts
it was quite empty. J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
is a large mangrove tidal marshland with several hiking trails and a ‘drive-in’
bird route: a one-way road about 10 km long leading through the marshes
for the best sort of car-birding. There were fewer birds here also, according
to a local birder. Yellow-crowned Night Heron was hard
to find. White Ibis was very common though, as were some
heron species like Green Heron and Reddish Egret.
Top bird, however, was a Mangrove Cuckoo that showed
itself extensively (and was easily photographed) and which showed of by
feeding its partner. This all happened near a hide halfway along the route.
Due to the somewhat disappointing results (how easily we get used to new
species every day) we left early that day for Myakka River State Park.
Just like Corkscrew this park is really beautiful as well and it comes
highly recommended. Several Sandhill Cranes (3 pairs);
one single Wood Duck and our first Purple Gallinules
were found in the wet areas of the park. The ever-present herons
and ibises we already took for granted by then. Fort Myers Beach was good
for a few Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson’s
Plovers and several Dowitchers. For our evening excursion we
chose Oscar Scheren State Park, because we realized that we still had
to tick Florida Scrub Jay. I’ve got the sneaky
suspicion that they found us sooner than we found them because as soon
as we set foot on the sandy path at the end of the parking lot one flew
right at us to land just in front of us. Clearly they were out for food
which resulted in some photographs of jays perching on hands that contained
crumbs of bread. If only for one moment, I felt like David Attenborough!
Friday, 18 May 2001
Today our agenda took us to the island of Fort De Soto Park. Not a nature
park but a recreation park but renowned for the rarities found here. Alas,
no migratory birds here, the season is evidently coming to an end. Nevertheless
did we see Brown-headed Cowbird, American Oystercatcher,
more than one Forster’s Terns and a Common
Loon at less than 5 meter.
We especially drove to Lettuce Lake Regional Park for the very charming
Prothonotary Warbler where we were gifted with stunning
views of this beauty among the New World warblers. It and we were chased
away though by a wild horde of school children on a biology fieldtrip
(the lesson on ‘How to find a Prothonotary Warbler’ they had
evidently not been taught yet).
Because we were only a few hours away from northern Florida and quite
some new species that could be found there we decided to use the hottest
part of the day to drive to Gainesville. The first park, Paynes Prairie
State Preserve, was infested with rove beetles, which were almost as inconvenient
as mosquitoes with the important difference that they did not bite. Blue
Grosbeak was common but Mississippi Kite would
only cooperate after we had left the park and were driving into town.
Several birds were flying over different parts of the town. The woods
near San Felasco Hammock State Preserve brought us back to the always
difficult birding-between-the-leaves which was however a welcome relief
from the herons. Acadian Flycatcher showed itself well
but even after continuous attempts, including luring it with a tape and
risking a hernia by staring straight up all the time, we were only granted
flimsy glimpses of Yellow-throated Vireo. A species that,
considering the number of singing individuals, not at all rare. That America
is the home of many beautiful woodpeckers was proved convincingly by Red-headed
Woodpeckers. A Tennessee Warbler was a last,
but not least, stupor of warbler migration.
Saturday, 19 May 2001
Because there were some more species to be found we visited the woods
of San Felasco Hammock again in the early hours of the day (way before
its official opening time of 8 a.m.). A Hooded Warbler granted
us spectacular views but Eastern Wood Peewee only made
itself known to us by its song as did Northern Bobwhite.
A visit to a small park on the campus of the university of Gainesville,
Lake Alice, was good for Yellow-throated Warbler, Summer
Tanager and House Finch.
On our way to central (St. Cloud Area) the driver of our vehicle failed
to see a flock of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks beside a pond
along the Florida Turnpike. A trip to Southport Park was necessary for
our only Snail Kite (Kaliga Park near St. Cloud is not
recommended). While we saw our only Northern Caracara along
Canoe Creek Road. Via Joe Overstreet Road we drove to Lake Kissimmee where
we ticked of Whooping Cranes (probably the best site
for this species). Along this road we also saw lots of Turkeys
and Sandhill Cranes.
Three Lakes WMA is a consistent site for Red-cockaded Woodpecker
(check the trees with the painted white bands on it) and Bachman’s
Sparrow. We also saw our only Hairy Woodpecker here
(is becoming rare in Florida), but no Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Before
we left there we heard the only Chuck-Wills-Widow of
our vacation.
Sunday 20 May 2001
Also in Avon Park no trace of Florida Grasshopper Sparrow and only a
small group of Brown-headed Nuthatches added some color
to an otherwise colorless dry excursion. On our way back to Miami another
attempt to see the ugliest bird of the area (Smooth-billed Ani) at Loxahatchee
NWR, but again without results.
Monday, 21 May 2001
Although our flight left in the late afternoon we only gave Mr. Smooth-bill
one last try in Florida City (see Saturday 12 May) but this day turned
out to be the only one without new species.
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