Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival and Orientation
Our trip begins after dinner in Miami.

Days 2 & 3 - Miami and the Everglades
We spend the morning of Day 2 in south Miami and the Homestead area for specialties such as Spot-Breasted Oriole, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, White-Winged Parakeet, Yellow-Chevronned Parakeet, Monk Parakeet, Eurasian Collared Dove, Indian Hill Myna, Common Myna, and Burrowing Owl. At Castellow Hammock Park, Painted and Indigo Buntings and White-winged Doves frequent the feeders, and Cave Swallows nest under bridges close to the Florida turnpike.

We then head south into the marvelous Everglades National Park where we spend a day and a half exploring the many excellent trails that access this "River of Grass". Birds that we can expect to see today include Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, American and Least Bitterns, Purple Gallinule, Wood Stork, White-Crowned Pigeon, Florida Red-Shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, and with luck, Short-Tailed Hawk. We also have a chance of seeing the white morph of the Great Blue Heron, the "Great White Heron". "Cape Sable" Seaside Sparrows are present near Mahogany Hammock, but can be elusive. Mahogany Hammock is also a good spot for Barred Owl and Pileated Woodpecker, and overwintering warblers. American Flamingos can occur along the shoreline of Florida Bay at the end of Snakebight Trail; if they are being seen with regularity, then we may take a walk down the trail to find them (although mosquitoes can be quite bad here). We take in the appropriately named Anhinga Trail, where there are some superb photography opportunities for several wading birds and American Alligators. Nights In Florida City.

Day 4 - Florida Keys
We spend the morning looking for species we may have missed, and then we head across Card Sound Bridge onto Key Largo and the start of our exploration of the Florida Keys. The shallow mangrove-fringed ponds and inlets are good for Reddish Egrets, Wilson's Plovers, and Sandwich Terns, and also Cuban Yellow Warbler (also called Golden Warbler). Mangrove Cuckoo and Gray Kingbird are possible here. On Key Largo, there are a few of the very rare American Crocodile in the Crocodile Lake NWR, whilst John Pennekamp State Park is excellent for White-crowned Pigeons and Prairie Warblers.

Leaving Key Largo, we travel along the Upper and Middle Keys, stopping at various pull-offs to scan the shoreline for shorebirds such as Snowy, Piping and Wilson's Plovers, to the Lower Keys which are less crowded and have several good birding areas. Big Pine Key still has a variety of habitats including mangrove forests, pinelands and West Indian hardwood hammocks, and is the main refuge for Key Deer, a small endemic race of White-tailed Deer about the size of a large dog. Mangrove Cuckoos occur here, and there could be Swainson's Hawks wintering as well as Broad-winged Hawks. Wintering landbirds can be plentiful, and include several species of warblers such as Cape May. Night at Big Pine Key.

Day 5 - Key West
Key West is the last of the keys, and as such tends to be a gathering area for vagrants. We will search for any that have been reported; regulars include Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbirds, but just about anything can turn up. We then return leisurely back along the keys, stopping at spots not visited and looking for species we may have missed yesterday. Night in Florida City.

Day 6 - Tamiami Trail
We depart Florida City and head north to the Tamiami Trail, a superb birding road that traverses the north end of the Everglades and through the splendid Big Cypress National Preserve. Shark Valley is a road leading south into the Everglades, and has a diverse array of wildlife including Snail Kites, Limpkins and American Alligators. The Big Cypress region has impressive stands of Bald Cypress, which are readily seen on the boardwalk at Big Cypress Bend in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. Barred Owls and Red-shouldered Hawks are common here, and Limpkins and Wood Storks are widespread. There are also several rare species of mammals here including Mangrove Fox Squirrel and Florida Panther. Night in Naples.

Day 7 – Naples and Corkscrew Swamp
We spend our time today by first visiting Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Corkscrew Swamp is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society, and is worth a visit for the huge cypress trees alone. Wood Storks, Barred Owls, Pileated Woodpeckers, Little Blue Herons and other species are used to people and so can be very tame and easily approached. There are feeders close to the picnic areas that attract Painted Buntings.

We then spend the rest of the day exploring the Naples area. We visit the area’s spectacular beaches in search of shorebirds such as Wilson’s, Snowy and Piping Plover, and American Oystercatcher. A visit to the Briggs Nature Center may allow us to see Shiny Cowbird and, if we are very lucky, Mangrove Cuckoo. Night in Naples.

Days 8 & 9 - Lake Placid and Lake Okeechobee
We leave the west coast of Florida and travel inland to the Lake Placid/Venus/Avon Park area and Lake Okeechobee. This area is the most reliable in southern Florida for Red-cockaded Woodpecker, and there are several other target species here such as Short-tailed Hawk, Florida Scrub-Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Crested Caracara, Wild Turkey, Sandhill Crane, Burrowing Owl, and Bachman’s Sparrow. During our two days here, we visit several excellent wildlife localities, each with its own special complement of target species. Archbold Biological Station is renowned for its long term research on Florida Scrub-Jays, many well accustomed to humans. Avon Park holds several clusters of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and we make a special effort to find this endangered and highly local species. The Longleaf Pines here also host Brown-headed Nuthatches, Eastern Bluebirds and Bachman's Sparrow. Florida prairie areas on either side of the Lake Wales Ridge have Crested Caracaras and Sandhill Cranes, as well as Burrowing Owls and, in ponds, Mottled Ducks and possibly King Rails. The western shore of Lake Okeechobee has several access points for seeing a variety of wetland species. Nights in Lake Placid.