This site is an oasis for migrant songbirds in urban Miami. Bypass the recreational fields/swimming pool and head to the nature center and woods on the park’s north side. A paved path and wheelchair-accessible canopy platform wind through oak hammock, where over 20 species of wood-warbler have been spotted. This site has produced several rarities over the years including a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher in September 2015.
This 220-acre preserve offers trail loops through scrubby oak and pine flatwoods, with an open water marsh. Here you can find many of the species associated with the scrub and flatwood community: woodpeckers, resident warblers such as pine, palm, and yellow-rumped, and many gnatcatchers and towhees. The central wetland area offers wading birds, both pelicans, both teal, and a collection of other water-associated birds such as Red-winged Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat and Eastern Phoebe. Least Sandpipers have also been found at the wetland, and the northern loop trail is home to a family of Florida Scrub-Jays, so look closely!
This small site is worth stopping by quickly to check a few specific areas. Offering patches of hardwood hammock, a 1.5-acre lake, and a small reclaimed swamp within one of the most densely developed parts of the city, there is no telling what may stop in here briefly or might even decide to nest. The 0.7-mile paved walkway through this urban park provides a low-stress option to other more strenuous sites.
This premier birding site is a gateway with good reason: year-round, there’s something to see. After stopping at the fee station, the Visitor Center will be on the right, with a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk through a cypress swamp. Pick up a map and bird the boardwalk and even the parking lot, for songbird migrants like wood thrush and American Redstart. If instead of turning right (north) at the Visitor Center you continue west on the entrance road, you’ll encounter a parking area on the left (south) at the Marsh Trail trailhead leading to the impoundments.
This site offers the best of Keys birding habitats: tropical hardwood hammock, coastal berm and beach/dune communities. Walk the two short nature trails at either end of the park, and drive or bike the roadway slowly watching the sea grape and poisonwood trees for White-crowned Pigeons and warblers feeding on the fruits. Low tide along the beach offers shorebirds and waders in the wrackline.
This expansive preserve is a good place to spend the whole day (or several days) exploring what the Everglades ecosystem and Big Cypress Swamp have to offer. Stop at either the Oasis Visitor Center or Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center for a map and in-depth information. Loop Road (CR 94) is a 24.5-mile scenic drive with roadside, deep-swamp views of wading birds, Barred Owls and the occasional Swallow-tailed Kite flyover.
This premier site occupies the southern tip of Key Biscayne and is critical stopover habitat for migratory birds. In summer, Gray Kingbirds breed here and Magnificent Frigatebirds soar overhead. During migration, late March to May and again in September and October, the nature trails and even parking lot trees are alive with songbird migrants like Swainson’s, Cape May and Blackpoll Warblers. Rarities such as Key West Quail Dove (1999), Thick-billed Vireo (2013) and Bananaquit (2013) have been recorded here .
This small mainland component of the larger National Park is the most easily accessed portion. On the drive in, listen carefully in the summer for Mangrove Cuckoos and Black-whiskered Vireos calling from the mangrove edge. At the parking area, walk the brief waterfront trail to the point, watching for winter/spring Spotted Sandpipers on the rocks, Magnificent Frigatebirds overhead and Yellow-crowned Night Herons skulking at the water’s edge.
Encompassing a mile of relatively unvisited Gulf shore, this is the perfect site in this county for uninterrupted beach birding. Across the street is a short trail through mangrove swamp that leads to a lagoon off of Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve. Scan the mudflats at low tide for more shorebirds and watch the mangrove edges for wading birds, including reddish egret.
This preserve at the northwest tip of Estero Island may be small (only 18 acres), but its location and habitat diversity make it a must-see on any birding loop that includes the island. Trails along the Gulf beach yield views of Snowy, Piping and Wilson’s plovers, in addition to the myriad terns and gulls that cruise the beach.
At first glance, this is an unlikely birding spot, with its assortment of baseball, football, soccer and cricket fields. Look a little closer though, and you’ll notice posts with flagging tape roping off holes in the middle of fields. Believe it or not, this is one of the best sites to easily see Florida Burrowing Owls in the state. The owl population here is doing quite well, and they’re the pride and joy of park staff, who accommodate the birds’ sometimes inconvenient choices of burrow locations. Respect their space, and you’ll get excellent views. They even hunt on game nights, when insects are attracted to the ball fields’ lights!
Two trails at this 75-acre park lead you through floodplain forest and hardwood hammocks along the Peace River. The short, 0.25-mile nature trail in the southwest corner of the park begins at the campground; walk south along the river and an idyllic, cypress-lined stream in search of songbirds, dragonflies and butterflies.
Offering pine flatwoods, scrub and bottomland hardwood forest along 1.3 miles of the Caloosahatchee River, the diversity of habitats in this park guarantees an impressive species list. Walk the trails on the south side of CR 78 (River Rd.), passing through dense hardwoods to the river overlooks and canoe launch (look for swallows). Put in a canoe or kayak here and tool along the shore or cross the river (carefully!) and visit Hickey’s Creek Mitigation Park on the south side of the river.
Depending on the scale of the experience you are looking for, this site offers a little bit of everything. The main public use area is a little more than 100 acres and offers trails through hardwood hammock and pine flatwoods (listen for Bachman’s sparrows), and around freshwater marsh and forested swamp (hotspots for migrating warblers). For the more adventurous, the full 24,500 acres of the preserve borders the huge Myakka River State Park and offer continuous trails and power line rights-of-way that can be hiked or biked as far as you care to go.
This county park boasts 2 miles of Gulf coast beach, replete with all the gulls, terns and shorebirds one might expect. Walk the beach or through the coastal hammock, which offers sanctuary for warblers during migration. Canoe or kayak into Red Lake and skim the mangrove edges for close-up views of waders such as reddish egrets and night-herons during high tide, or scan the mudflats from the boat ramp at low tide for more shorebirds. One of the biggest draws of this site, along with neighboring Shamrock Park, is an island of remnant scrub habitat that hosts two families of Florida scrub-jays; slowly walk the trails and watch and listen carefully.
This 112-acre park has a bird and butterfly garden that sports multicolored Painted Buntings in winter and migrants such as Worm-eating Warblers and American Redstarts in spring and fall. Its hardwood hammock is a remnant of a once more widespread South Florida habitat and includes an invitingly shady trail great for songbirds. Approach the nature center slowly from the parking lot to avoid flushing birds in the garden; nature trail departs from the back side of the nature center.
This barrier island park is a unique experience. Board one of the commercial ferries that service the park and expect a day of birding in relatively undisturbed tranquility. As an island, this park is predominately coastal with species like American Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers, Snowy Plovers and Least Terns to occupy your day.
Situated on a small protected peninsula that juts into Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve, this site offers a green haven within the rapidly developing communities around Englewood. A trail system through flatwoods and coastal marsh will lead you past everything from white and glossy ibises to great horned owls and down to the bay, where you will find common loons and bay ducks in winter and a variety of herons and egrets all year long.
This county-owned flood mitigation area was built in the 1990s on a former agricultural site, and it has proven to be one of the premier birding hotspots on the southwest coast with 206 species seen. An open landscape offers long-range vistas of flooded fields, freshwater marsh and open water. As a result, birders scoping from the gazebo or walking the berm trail system around the retention ponds can spot waders such as herons and egrets, ducks and grebes on the water, and everything from sparrows to harriers over the grassy fields.
Adjacent to the much larger Babcock/Webb WMA, this site is also dominated by pine flatwoods and can offer a similar experience on a much smaller scale. Trails around the perimeter through the flatwoods offer sparrows and warblers, vireos and flycatchers.
Three loop trails offer almost 5 miles of possibilities, not including a longer spur trail into the buffer preserve itself. They will take you through very different habitat types: one through pine flatwoods that harbor Red-shouldered Hawks and Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and the other around freshwater marsh and through remnant tropical hammock where you will see wrens and vireos. You may hear or actually catch sight of an Eastern Screech-Owl.
Florida’s third-largest state park spans over 45,000 acres and 100 miles of shoreline, featuring diverse habitats like mangroves, marshes, scrub, and pine flatwoods. The park’s shallow, mangrove fringed waters are best explored by kayak or canoe along two paddle trails, perfect for spotting wading birds, manatees, dolphins, and other wildlife. Hikers and birdwatchers can enjoy … Read more
The temperate zone meets the subtropics here, and this site offersmany ways to explore the habitats that result. A short nature trail passes through native royal palms and offers boardwalks and a marsh overlook platform where ibises and spoonbills congregate. A 3.5-mile unpaved bike trail winds through marsh, hammock and pine flatwoods, taking you close to sparrows, warblers and Summer Tanagers. For the restless, 6.5 miles of backcountry hiking trails will take you through oak scrub, flatwoods and even recent burn regeneration – keep an eye out for Wild Turkeys.
Just south of the Naples Zoo, this 21-acre oasis in downtown Naples provides habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Short nature trails and boardwalks through native landscaping, mangroves, scrub, pines, and hardwood/palm hammocks offer woodpeckers, hawks, owls, and many warblers, thrushes and vireos during migration. The Ecotone Trail is both educational and a good place to look for plant, butterfly and bird species.
This Audubon Society keystone site encompasses the largest remaining stand of old-growth bald cypress on the continent, and the birds love it! Boasting a 200+ species list, the 2.25-mile boardwalk through this rare habitat is an easy walk where wildlife viewing and the appreciation of nature is paramount.
This park occupies the north end of Key Biscayne and spans both sides of Crandon Blvd. The preserve is at the northeast end, behind the Crandon Visitors and Nature Center, and includes a boardwalk through mangroves good for breeding Mangrove Cuckoos, Prairie Warblers and Black-whiskered Vireos. Coastal hammock trails have White-crowned Pigeons and migrants like Cape May Warblers.
This 63-acre site is a tropical oasis amidst the development in the middle Keys. Thatch palm and tropical hardwood hammock, along with occasional freshwater ponds, provide habitat for both resident and migrating warblers, vireos, tanagers and thrushes. White-crowned Pigeons can be found in the canopies looking for poisonwood berries. A trail loop system with educational signage takes you through four hammock types.
Besides just being an excellent place to hike, this site offers a great introduction to the myriad habitats of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW). Trail loops ranging from 0.3 to 3.0 miles wind through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, popash slough and sawgrass marsh. Observation decks offer elevated views into the marsh.
This site contains more than 2 miles of trails through five native habitats (pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, freshwater marsh and swamp, and riverine areas) and includes a 2000-foot boardwalk terminating at an observation tower overlooking the marsh.Call ahead to find out the schedules for the Saturday workshop series and other educational programs that occur throughout the year.
This site is the Peregrine Falcon capital of the World! Between mid-September and early November and you can join in the official raptor count for the Keys! Hawkwatch staff interpret the migration to visitors, while counting off the thousands of raptors that pass by the viewing area each fall. This site offers a one-of-a-kind experience during this particular season.
This site is home to 217 animal species and over 500 plant species. Florida Sandhill Cranes, Swallow-tailed Kites, multiple kinds of herons, numerous species of waterfowl various raptor species can be seen. Visitors can hike, paddle, cycle or horseback ride on designated trails in this beautiful natural area.
This park’s 2,500 acres encompass the largest remaining tracts of rockland hammock in the continental U.S. A 0.75-mile paved walking/biking trail takes you into the main public part of the habitat, where you can find breeding populations of Black-whiskered Vireos, Mangrove Cuckoos and White-crowned Pigeons; warblers drip from the trees during migration.This beautiful park suffers only from lack of birder use. Rarities such as La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Thick-billed Vireo and Zenaida Dove have been found here in the past.
This once-private historic estate, including its surrounding mangrove forests, towering tropical hardwoods and remnant pine rockland, is now a public park. You can freely bird the immediate area around the historic buildings and grounds for migratory songbirds, and white-crowned pigeons. Rarities such as Key West Quail Dove (2015) and Brown Crested Flycatcher (2014) have been recorded here.
This small barrier island park offers mostly mangrove habitat with Turkey Bay on one side and a nice stretch of sea grape-lined beach on the other for variety. Low tide on the bay is great for waders and shorebirds (look for the resident Yellow-crowned Night Herons). Wiggins Pass is the best spot for shorebirds including loafing Least Terns, and Bald Eagles occasionally hunt there.
Follow the paved ADA trail through the palm-oak hammock to a strand swamp and observation platform at the end, watching along the way for Gray Catbirds, Palm Warblers and other songbirds in spring/fall. The dirt path hiking trail can be worth checking for similar species. This small property is a quick visit in migration if you’re in the area.
This over 21,000-acre WMA and ranch has a little bit of everything: hardwood hammock, freshwater swamp, prairie and pine flatwoods. Drive or bike Hilliard Grade and walk the reclaimed cattle penning lanes watching for Burrowing Owls, Sandhill Cranes (both resident and migrant), Wild Turkey and Crested Caracara.
(This park was renamed on 7/1/2016) Once overrun with invasive Australian pines, ongoing management is returning this park to its original, native condition. Check the beaches via the boardwalk accesses for wintering shorebirds like Black-bellied Plovers. The regenerating Barrier Island Nature Trail and the sea grape trees lining most of the parking lots are worth checking in migration for Prairie Warblers, Ovenbirds and others.
Avid birders know the incredible possibilities that exist on this remote island oasis. The southernmost point in the continental U.S., this park offers the seagoing birder opportunities to view species that occur nowhere else in the country. Bush Key hosts the only significant breeding colony of Sooty Terns in the U.S., and from February through August there are literally tens of thousands of these birds loudly claiming their territories.
This vast property has mesic oak hammock, pine flatwoods and wetland habitats. Stop at the visitor center (look for spring/fall migrants plus buntings in winter) for a map and then drive the auto tour route (15 miles roundtrip) south along Jim Lake Grade, checking wetlands for Eastern Phoebes and pines for Wild Turkeys. At DuPuis Grade, turn left (S) and go several miles to the fishing pier area. Along the way, bird the roadside; Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are here.
This park is turning out to be a local hotspot, and is often overlooked by traveling birders. Behind the ball fields, track, and eutrophic holding pond, you will find a berm system around two very productive water reclamation ponds which host wading birds, bitterns, gallinules, swallows, terns and gulls, and many ducks during winter. Native plantings surrounding these ponds encourage the presence of everything from blackbirds to warblers to sparrows.
This small urban park is comprised mostly of campsites and a disc golf course, but is surrounded by a stand of cypress and a thick hardwood hammock. Upon entering the park, turn right at the office and park at the end of the road, where the nature trail begins. Like many small urban refugia, this hammock is good for migrants like Worm-eating Warblers, Cedar Waxwings and Yellow-billed Cuckoos in migratory months.
Bring lots of water and let the 9.5 miles of trails at this site take you through many habitats, including pine flatwoods, oak scrub, mangrove swamp, coastal dunes and isolated cypress domes. The Estero River borders this property on its south end (bring your canoe!) and the trails wind through protected land leading out to Estero Bay. Swallow-tailed Kites cruise over during spring, and Bald Eagles are a known breeding species.
The interior of this over 670,000-acre Wildlife Management Area, with its freshwater swamp and wet prairie, is inaccessible without an airboat. A drivable levee system on its northern boundary (see Holey Land and Rotenberger WMAs), boat ramps along both US 41 in the south, and I-75 across its middle offer glimpses into this huge ecosystem. True Everglades at its best, the views from the boat ramps include egrets, herons and most other wading birds, plus clouds of swallows and occasional sightings of Bald Eagles and Swallow-tailed Kites.
The Everglades is the largest sub-topical wilderness in the USA and the preeminent birding destination of South Florida with some of the largest wading bird populations in the U.S. There are many hotspots, but for the best birding experience we recommend three access points: the Main Entrance, the Gulf Coast Visitor Center and the Shark … Read more
The preeminent birding destination of South Florida, with many hotspots and some of the most abundant wading bird populations in the U.S. First, stop at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center for maps/ checklists; check native plants here for hummingbirds. Next, stop at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, where two excellent trails begin. The Anhinga Trail is a photographer’s paradise, with stunning views of herons (American bitterns on occasion) and purple gallinules.
This park protects more than 85,000 acres of slowly moving fresh water that constitutes the largest strand swamp in Florida, contains the second largest tract of old-growth bald cypress, and harbors 38 species of ferns, 14 species of bromeliads and 44 species of native orchids. Road conditions can be affected by heavy rains, so watch for signs posted by park staff or call ahead.
This 244-acre natural area is a birder’s delight with freshwater swamps, prairies and hardwood hammocks to explore. Part of the historical Cypress Creek Transverse glade, it is home to a whopping 34 species of fern, and shelters myriad birds. Painted Buntings winter here and migrants like Black-throated Blue Warblers and both waterthrushes migrate through.
An outstanding experience awaits you at this WMA. Parking, restrooms and a viewing platform along Fisheating Creek are available. As you walk along the 1.5-mile trail to Fort Center, scan the pastures on both sides for Crested Caracara. Also keep watch for meadowlarks, sparrows and Wild Turkey, plus Red-shouldered and Short-tailed Hawks above.
An outstanding experience awaits you at this WMA. Parking, restrooms and a viewing platform along Fisheating Creek are available. As you walk along the 1.5-mile trail to Fort Center, scan the pastures on both sides for Crested Caracara. Also keep watch for meadowlarks, sparrows and Wild Turkey, plus Red-shouldered and Short-tailed Hawks above.
This park is the first dry land that many migrants see on their northward journey, and the last opportunity to fuel up when heading south. Year-round, this site has hundreds of frigatebirds, shorebirds and seabirds that congregate on the seawall and breakwaters. Rarities occur here frequently, species recorded include Loggerhead Kingbird (2007), Lazuli Bunting (2014) and Bahama Mockingbird (2014).
With more than 65,000 acres of the finest intermixed pine flatwoods and freshwater marsh in the state (sprinkled with hardwood hammocks and dry prairie), this Wildlife Management Area (WMA) will keep you busy all day long. Drive or bike the roads (4WD not necessary), walk the trails, or take your canoe out onto Webb Lake.
This lovely site in busy Palm Beach Gardens is filled with big old live oaks and sabal palms, traversed by an old-growth cypress strand. This mosaic of habitats is excellent not only for migratory songbirds but also for residents like Great Horned Owls and Pileated Woodpeckers. The ADA trail offers good access, and the red trail also provides entrée to the hardwood swamp via boardwalk.
This water catchment area for West Palm Beach covers 20 square miles of glades-like wetlands. Snail Kites are common here, as are Glossy and White Ibises, Limpkins and more. Bald Eagles nest here as well. Several options for exploring the area include: (1) From the parking area, walk the 0.65-mile ADA boardwalk through a cypress swamp to the water, watching for songbirds like Blackburnian and Yellow-rumped Warblers on migration; (2) Call ahead to join a scheduled, guided “swamp tromp” or canoe/kayak trip of the area; (3) Hike or bike the 16.6-mile Owahee Trail, and hike the Apoxee (2.5 miles) and Eagle (0.5 miles) Trails.
This created wetland is Wakodahatchee’s newer, bigger sibling. Offering more than 1.5 miles of boardwalk across open water, vegetated wetlands and mudflats, this site is just as spectacular as Wakodahatchee, only bigger! Expect both yellowlegs and peeps like Least Sandpiper on flats and in the shallows. Purple Gallinule and Least Bittern will stick to the emergent vegetation.
This park includes a golf course, multi-use trails and extensive mangrove boardwalks. Like many urban oases, Neotropical migrants are thick in the patches of tropical hardwood hammock, most easily accessed from the hammock trail at the parking area opposite the Nature Center. Black-throated Blue Warblers, American Redstarts and Ovenbirds are all common visitors in April and October.
Although most birders know of the many possibilities in Everglades National Park, not many are aware of this remote access that will take you into the aquatic parts of the park and the adjoining “Ten Thousand Islands” area. Narrated boat tours explore the mangrove estuary ecosystem where waders are plentiful and Magnificent Frigatebirds join the gulls and terns overhead. Winter brings loons and American White Pelicans, and the possibility of Short-tailed Hawks as well.
This nature center has a boardwalk through tropical maritime hammock good for songbirds like waterthrushes on migration, continuing on to mangroves out to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW); don’t miss the observation tower! Check the ICW for plunging terns year-round and mergansers in winter, as well as the mangrove edge for waders like Yellow-crowned Night-herons.
At the back of this ballpark are nature trails winding through xeric oak hammock, down to the edge of the South Fork of the St. Lucie River. This site is worth checking in migration, as well as in winter, for roving mixed feeding flocks of songbirds like Northern Parulas and Black-and-white Warblers. The trail system is extensive, so stick to the river trails where birds are most likely to follow the ecotone between habitat types.
This rustic site offers miles of trails through pine flatwoods frequented by Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and along an extensive marsh used by Sandhill Cranes and endangered Wood Storks. At the parking area, check the canal for waterbirds and then explore the trail system, keeping an eye peeled for roaming flocks of songbirds like Pine Warblers. Eastern Phoebes and Great Crested Flycatchers ply their trade from fence posts and high perches, in season.
This site offers everything from open, scrubby flatwoods to lush hardwoods along Hickey’s Creek itself. Follow the Palmetto Pines Trail for your best chance to see the small population of Florida Scrub-Jays that calls this park home. The North Marsh Trail leads to overlooks on a wetland, good for a variety of waders and swallows.
This refuge has two very different access points for exploration. At the Headquarters on US 1, trails wind through coastal scrub down to a sugar sand beach, lined with mangroves at the Intracoastal Waterway, where you can watch for waders like Yellow-crowned Night Herons, soaring Osprey and foraging Least Terns overhead. In the scrub in October and April, listen for songbirds like Black-throated Blue Warblers foraging just prior to departing on, or just after returning from their long overwater migrations.
Levees along both sides of the canals that separate the properties provide opportunities to enjoy relatively uninterrupted viewing of Green Herons (among others), Black-necked Stilts, Purple and Common Gallinules, along with occasional sightings of American Bitterns and King Rails. Check out the viewing platform at Rotenberger for an elevated birding experience.
This is a pleasant site to bird in cooler months and its 2-mile circular drive through the park allows easy pedestrian, wheelchair or vehicular access to some of the park’s best birding. Watch the hammocks for songbird migrants like American Redstarts, the mangrove edge for Yellow-crowned Night-herons, and the freshwater lagoons for Anhingas and more.
Almost a true “postage stamp” park, this tiny site offers a place for either a quick scan of the bay or a comfortable spot to set up a scope for an hour while you have lunch. Only 7 acres in size, this site provides a vista over Lemon Bay, where you can see American oystercatchers, ruddy turnstones and western sandpipers, as well as a host of other shorebirds at low tide.
This refuge on Sanibel Island is an internationally renowned birding destination, and for good reason – it is one of the finest wildlife refuges in the country. The Wildlife Drive will take visitors on an introductory tour of the impoundment system that makes the refuge famous, with incredible views of herons, egrets, ibises, storks and spoonbills, and shorebirds during draw downs in spring and fall.
Portions of this 60,000-plus-acre conservation area are quite rugged. The main route described below is generally passable in two wheel drive vehicles, though four wheel drive is necessary if venturing off onto other numbered trails and roads. From the south entrance, follow the signs to the Bald Cypress Boardwalk. This 1.3-mile walk through cypress domes and pine flatwoods is good for Wood Storks as well as upland species like turkeys, Common Yellowthroats, Barred Owls and more.
This 600-acre site consists of pine flatwoods and mesic hammocks with remnant wet prairie and freshwater swamp, all bordered by the hardwood-lined Myakka River. These sandy trails will take you through warbler and vireo habitat, under canopies of bromeliad-fringed hardwoods that are home to pileated woodpeckers and barred owls. At the river overlooks you will find ospreys and white ibises, egrets and herons, and sometimes wood storks.
Off the south side of Canal 6, appx. 1.3 miles inside the main entrance, bird the West Jupiter Wetlands Trail through wetlands and flatwoods where Bachman’s Sparrows, Snail Kites and Sandhill Cranes are possible. Be sure to travel to the covered viewing platform about one mile in. Along Canal 6, kingfishers and Red-shouldered Hawks are common. At the pond inside Gate 2, limpkins are likely.
At the northernmost parking area, bird the Satinleaf Trail for migratory songbirds in season like Kentucky Warblers and Ovenbirds, then walk or ride the long boardwalk across the lagoon to the beach overlooks. Here, look for raptors migrating and foraging along the dune line in October. At low tide, flats are exposed in the lagoon, so keep an eye peeled for waders like Roseate Spoonbills and shorebirds.
While much of the property lies underwater, this park contains 2,900 acres of magnificent mangrove swamps, hardwood hammocks, rivers, springs and coastal rocky areas. Birders will find three short walking trails and the coastal areas of interest for the variety of species they offer, including Gray Kingbirds, Short-tailed Hawks and such Keys specialties as Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-whiskered Vireo and White-crowned Pigeon.
There are birds to see year-round at this extensive property, but the experience is most comfortable in the cooler weather months. Regardless, the site offers miles of trails through flatwoods and scrub (ask at the ranger station for Florida Scrub-Jay locations). It also includes a boat concession at the Loxahatchee River, where you can take a guided motorboat tour, or rent a canoe for yourself. The upper reaches of the river are intimate and secluded, offering good opportunities for good looks at Little Blue Herons, Least Bitterns and wintering Northern Waterthrushes.
his property has two tracts, Oceanfront and West; the latter is the most rewarding to bird. The Oceanfront Tract’s 0.3-mile wheelchair-friendly trail leads through a hammock to an observation platform with an ocean view. From there, a 0.2-mile foot trail runs to the beach where sea turtles nest. The West Tract’s paved trail leads west from the parking lot to a boardwalk and observation platform by a restored wetland; check here for waders and skulking migrants.
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area offers excellent year-round birding and wildlife viewing, including twenty-four species of wood warblers, five species of vireos, Clapper Rails and Magnificent Frigatebirds. Sightings of Bobcats, Gopher Tortoises and West Indian Manatees may also be possible.
This scrub habitat site has some serious topography for Florida, with very hilly sections on its south loop. For birding purposes, follow the paved trail to the wetland overlook (and check for vagrants and migrants; a Black-faced Grassquit was present here in 2004). From the overlook, pick up the sand trail to Ski Beach. The scrub surrounding this trail and Ski Beach are the most likely locations on the property to view threatened Florida Scrub-Jays.
This 15-acre site offers one of the richest birding experiences in the lower Keys, with 160+ species recorded. Containing tropical hardwood hammock and the only freshwater ponds on Key West and Stock Island, this property is a magnet for resident species such as White-crowned Pigeons and Black-whiskered Vireos. Check the large trees at the entrance for eastern and Western Kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers.
This Martin County Environmental Land offers a nice mosaic of habitats like scrub and wet prairie, punctuated with bayheads. These ecotones between habitat types can be particularly productive birding for wintering songbirds. Be sure to check the pine snags in the eastern scrub area for woodpeckers and hawks, and the mangrove edge along the North Trail for waders.
This unconventional conservation site is a narrow strip of tropical hardwood hammock with a 6-mile trail sandwiched between expansive sugar cane fields to the east and the cleared area of the Herbert Hoover Dike to the west. This small forested ridge is thought to be the historic shoreline of Lake Okeechobee before the dike’s construction, and contains large, old trees that offer a glimpse of what this area might have looked like 100 years ago.
Although mainly recreation-oriented, this park offers boardwalks and trails around the lake that provide great views of herons and egrets, anhingas and ibises (White and Glossy). A short nature trail is worth the trip to check the quieter hammock area for skulkers such as vireos and warblers, particularly during spring and fall migrations.
Situated on the shore of Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve, this park offers a mile of coastal trail as well as 2.2 miles of trails into pine flatwoods. Be sure to ask about nesting bald eagles, and keep an eye out for wood ducks, which have also nested on the property.
This small site at the eastern tip of Sanibel Island is a known hotspot during migration. Be here at sunrise after weather patterns produce a large migration event and you could witness one of the most phenomenal fallouts anywhere on Florida’s coastline.
Walk south on the beach from the parking area and you will find a mangrove- and sea grape-lined lagoon, which hosts waders such as Reddish Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and Clapper Rails. Palm Warblers forage in the sand near the vegetation (an unusual sight) and Merlins and Peregrine Falcons utilize the cover to stage hunting forays.
Two nature trails and a mile of natural shoreline provide easy access to mangrove swamp, rockland hammock, mudflat, beach and coastal berm habitats. The 1.25 mile Golden Orb Trail has enticed birders with rarities such as the Key West quail dove (2014-2016) and the zenaida dove (2016). The trail passes through mangrove swamps where mangrove cuckoos call, and hammocks which provide foraging areas for white-crowned pigeons. Even the parking lot edges can teem with warblers, vireos, and night heron. The shorter Layton Trail (.25 miles) leads to the Florida Bay through a healthy rockland hammock. Along the shoreline, keep an eye out for the reddish egret white morph and wintering piping plovers. Loaner optics and bird guides are available at the ranger station.
This park encompasses habitats ranging from Estero Bay mudflats to the Gulf of America beach, with the area in between including tidal creeks and lagoons, mangrove swamps and tropical hammock. Walk the trail loops on Black Island through the hammock for Red-shouldered Hawks, Bald Eagles and Osprey overhead. Low tide is best at the bay, where wading birds such as Roseate Spoonbills and Reddish Egrets will be seen.
You may not believe this site when you first drive up to it. Although the actual site encompasses a large stretch of land around it, the main birding spot is a small tropical hammock that covers only a quarter of an acre. Don’t be fooled – this hotspot is known to local birders and is a stop on any day-long birding tour of the county. An island of lush growth in the middle of agricultural fields, Lucky Hammock is a haven for migrants and rarities such as Townsend’s Warbler (2013), and Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (2004).
This site is a pocket of hammock and sand pine scrub surrounded by suburban development. Its shady live oak-hickory canopy is blanketed in resurrection fern, and one look is all you need to understand why migrants like Northern Parula, Black-and-white and Yellow-throated Warblers take refuge here. The understory is healthy, native and just open enough to tempt you to look for skulking thrushes and Ovenbirds.
This site encompasses not only the last remaining stand of maritime tropical hammock on Estero Island, but also supports all 3 species of mangrove (black, white and red) in close proximity, which is highly unusual. Boardwalk trails through this preserve lead through the mangroves (watch for Palm Warblers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers) to an overlook at Estero Bay.
This park can be thought of in three parts. The northernmost entrance offers two parking areas, the first of which is immediately after turning east off of Old Cutler. Here you can access the park-like portion of the property, comprised of grassy fields with tall hardwoods that occasionally host migratory songbirds and vagrants from the tropics. If you drive further east down the entrance road, you will be assessed an entrance fee in exchange for access to the water.
This 240-acre locale features 3 trail loops with more than 3.5 miles of interconnecting trails. The first 0.5 miles of the north trail are paved and are suitable for wheelchairs; motorized carts for disabled visitors are permitted on this section. Stately live oaks, bald cypresses and riparian woodlands shelter woodpeckers and a diversity of passerines such as Great Crested Flycatcher, Tufted Titmouse, House Wren, Northern Parula, Black-and-White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Painted Bunting.
This is one of the largest of Florida’s state parks, and it will easily keep you birding and exploring all day long. Take the 7-mile scenic drive through shady hammocks and grassy marshes and along the Upper Myakka lakeshore. From Oct.-Apr., ducks, wading birds, shorebirds, ospreys and eagles are seen from the lakeshore, the Birdwalk, or by canoeing along the river’s grassy edges. Don’t miss the elevated canopy walkway through an oak-palm hammock and the 74-foot-high observation tower.
Blue Hole Trail is 0.25 miles long and partially circles one of the few bodies of fresh water on Big Pine Key, a feature that not only attracts Green Herons and Belted Kingfishers, but also brings in migrating warblers, vireos and thrushes.
This site offers a 1.0-mile trail through predominately pine flatwoods that ends at Charlotte Harbor, where coastal berm and mudflats provide an end-of-hike treat. Plan your walk so that you arrive at low tide. The flatwoods give way to the harbor overlook, where you will see species like American Oystercatcher and White Ibis.
This 163-acre natural area is a fall and spring migratory waypoint. Explore the sensory-friendly 0.5-mile accessible trail loop or the 1.4-mile hiking trail. Look for songbirds such as Black-throated Blue Warblers, a variety of water birds including Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and native wildlife such as Gopher Tortoises, White-tailed Deer and Bobcats.
The over 35,000 acres of this jointly-managed property encompass many different habitat types: freshwater swamp offers wading birds such as Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, and many herons and egrets; pine flatwoods hold warblers and woodpeckers and Bachman’s Sparrows; and wet prairies provide views of Wild Turkey, Sandhill Cranes and hunting Northern Harriers.
In addition to two isolated wetlands, this site offers pine flatwoods mixed with oak/cabbage palm hammocks in an interesting example of habitat succession from agricultural fields to wild lands. A 1.75-mile loop trail gives you the chance to find White-eyed Vireos, screech-owls and Great Horned Owls, and Red-shouldered Hawks in the uplands.
More than 12 miles of hiking and biking trails within this park will introduce you to large areas of scrubby flatwoods, home to one of the densest populations of Florida scrub-jays in southwest Florida. This habitat, which is closely managed for these birds’ benefit, gives way at times to cooler walks beside South Creek, through the campground, and around Lake Osprey – all great places to be during migration as the warblers and vireos settle into the canopy to feed in this oasis. The scrub-jays share this park with nesting bald eagles, and sandhill cranes even raise their young in the northernmost part of the park. Call ahead for scheduled walks or to organize group trips.
An outstanding experience awaits you at this WMA. Parking, restrooms and a viewing platform along Fisheating Creek are available. As you walk along the 1.5-mile trail to Fort Center, scan the pastures on both sides for Crested Caracara. Also keep watch for meadowlarks, sparrows and Wild Turkey, plus Red-shouldered and Short-tailed Hawks above.
A linear trail departs from the NE corner of the parking lot and crosses seven habitat types from mesic flatwoods all the way down to tidal swamp at the Intracoastal Waterway. This site is worth a quick look, especially in migration, for its ease of access and diversity of habitats. Watch for migrants like skulking Swainson’s Warblers, just-arrived in the spring, and solitary waterbirds like Spotted Sandpipers in winter at the water’s edge.
This 3.2-mile trail system winds through mostly pine flatwoods and freshwater swamp, and passes some reclaimed farm fields along the way. Thanks to careful management this site not only contains all the dry upland species such as Hairy Woodpeckers, Pine Warblers and Brown-headed Nuthatches, it also contains one of the southernmost populations of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in the country.
This wetland wonderland attracts colorful wading birds including Roseate Spoonbills, Tricolored Herons and Limpkins. Northern Bobwhite quail, and Eastern Meadowlarks, Florida Sandhill Cranes and Snail Kites are common year-round. Look for Blue-winged Teal and King Rail in fall and spring.
This small 15-acre site contains a mesic hammock habitat located at the south end of the park that is unique in south Florida. Its character feels much more northern with its high, dense canopy of elms, hickories and oaks. Visit during early spring and look and listen for thrushes, wrens, warblers, vireos, flycatchers – just about any small migratory species passing through will make a stopover in this oasis.
This site is an interesting mix of mangrove estuary, tidal swamps and uplands, all being restored to natural function. Walking from the parking area at Overlook Park, you pass under a bridge and onto a short trail system that leads along stretches of Sarasota Bay.
This site, part of the county’s environmental lands program, contains beautiful mesic hammock habitat that is just waiting for birders to document what lives there. Already known for fallouts of warblers during migration, this property also provides habitat for species such as belted kingfishers, green herons, limpkins, wood ducks and mottled ducks.
Start by visiting the Environmental Learning Center at the main entrance to view the interpretive exhibits. Pick up a bird list, and check the upland hammocks around the Center for warblers, woodpeckers and vireos. Shell Island Road, just a few miles from the main entrance, offers an opportunity to drive or bike through pine flatwoods and coastal scrub where you may find reintroduced Florida Scrub-Jays, Eastern Towhees and Pileated Woodpeckers.
This site is predominantly mangrove estuary with a series of man made wetlands, and is one of the only preserved green spaces in heavily-developed Cape Coral. As such, it is a magnet for species seeking out foraging areas during migration and even areas to nest during summer.
This 773-acre flatwoods site includes an extensive trail system that winds through flatwoods maintained with regular prescribed fire, punctuated by small ephemeral marshes. Cooler months are the best for exploring this tract, watching for Bald Eagle, Osprey and Great Horned Owls, as well as roving flocks of wintering songbirds such as Palm and Prairie Warblers, in the pines overhead.
This protected mangrove/beach system offers some of the best shorebirding in Lee County. Walk the beach for a mile either direction from the parking area, scanning the mangroves as well as the sand. Plovers abound – Wilson’s, Piping, Black-bellied and Semipalmated – and waders at low tide include Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egrets and White Ibises.
“Savannas” (also known as freshwater marshes) formerly stretched along much of Florida’s southeastern coastline. This park now protects the coast’s largest intact remnant of this ecosystem, second in size only to the Everglades. This location was originally a saltwater bay; today the depth is rarely more than 2 to 4 feet at any point.
This 54-acre remnant of sand pine scrub includes a brief ADA trail (Gopher Tortoise Nature Trail) and an additional 0.75-mile sandy trail (Sand Pine Hiking Trail). While not very big, it’s a pocket of green in the middle of an otherwise urban area and gets songbirds in migration and winter. A Black-throated Gray Warbler (rare) was seen here in February 2005, along with more common migrant species.
Nature, history and culture intersect at the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum Boardwalk on the Big Cypress reservation. Behind the museum, a 1.3-mile, wheelchair-friendly boardwalk loops through a cypress swamp, shrubby wetlands and open areas where you’ll see an interesting mix of Everglades flora and fauna. Wading birds, raptors, woodpeckers and songbirds are well-represented at this site.
This is one of the best sites in the area to spot Florida scrub-jays. The two closely monitored families of jays here (along with neighboring Caspersen Beach) are as likely to be seen along the ADA-accessible paved walkway as they are on the scrub trail system. The local Audubon chapter census for this park documented 118 bird species, but for scrub-jays, this one’s a sure bet.
Bike, walk or take the narrated tram tour down the 15-mile loop road that extends into this northern portion of the park’s marsh ecosystem and ends at an elevated, wheelchair-accessible viewing tower. Excellent opportunities to see all the wading birds that this national park is famous for, including Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, White and Glossy Ibis, and the uncommon Great White Heron. Also watch for Short-tailed Hawks, plus Snail, White-tailed and Swallow-tailed Kites.
Listed among the top 10 beaches in the world (for humans), this site is best birded early in the morning or later in the evening when it is quiet and less crowded. Walk 1.5 miles in either direction from the parking area, sharing the white sand with willets, dunlins and ruddy turnstones. Overhead, watch for least terns (among others) as they dive the surf with the pelicans and ospreys. Snowy egrets are sometimes found exploring the wrackline, with hosts of gulls waiting to snatch any worthwhile treasures.
If you have been looking for an astounding birding experience within a major metropolitan area in South Florida, this is it. With characteristics of much larger and more well-known sites nearby, this site offers some of the best birding around. The 1.2-mile boardwalk invites you to walk slowly and silently through the freshwater swamp and hardwood hammocks, watching at close range as everything from wading birds to warblers forage in the water and woodlands around you.
This 53-acre property is fully wheelchair-accessible and features paved trails winding between a series of wetlands. Acquired for its historical as well as its environmental value, this site hosts wintering Blue-winged Teal and Ring-necked Ducks, Belted Kingfishers, the full complement of South Florida wading birds, both yellowlegs and Wilson’s Snipe, as well as occasional nesting Killdeer in summer.
This site is worth a quick stop as you are on your way to other sites in the area. Predominately marsh and marl prairie with a sprinkling of tree islands, this property provides habitat for a plethora of sparrows and blackbirds along the roadside, as well as wading birds typical of Everglades marshes. Watch skyward for soaring Short-tailed Hawks and Swallow-tailed Kites.
This city park has extensive parking areas and picnic pavilions under large, old ficus and gumbo limbo trees, and has a reputation as a good spot for migratory songbird fallouts as well as the occasional rarity (Cuban Pewee in 1995, a La Sagra’s Flycatcher in 2012 & 2014 and a Western Spindalis in 2013!). Best bets are birding the hiking trail that bounds the western edge of the park, checking the trees for migrants like Blue-winged Warblers and Swainson’s Thrushes (most years bring 25+ species of warbler!).
With thousands of acres of restored pastures and grasslands, plus flatwoods, wetlands and hardwood/palm hammocks, Spirit-of-the-Wild WMA is another vital component in the region’s mosaic of conservation lands benefitting the Florida Black Bear, Florida Panther and other protected species.
Only accessible by boat, this park offers one of the most remote beach experiences left in this part of the state. It occupies the northern end of the peninsula (Jupiter Island), which it shares with Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Boardwalks through the mangroves can be good for Mangrove Cuckoos in summer and migrants in fall and winter. The beach is pristine and offers a stark contrast to the development of Hutchinson Island to the north across the inlet.
STA 1 West is an integral part of the water-moving network from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, located at the northern tip of Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Despite the very precise technical purpose of these man-made filter marshes, this area has become an important refuge for clouds of waterbirds including American Coots, Roseate Spoonbills, Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, wintering shorebirds and American White Pelicans.
Stormwater Treatment Area 5/6 is one of the best birding and wildlife viewing locations in Florida. Constructed to filter agricultural runoff from water destined for the Everglades, this complex of four water impoundment cells is an impressive refuge for birds and a mecca for birders and photographers all year long. Look for ducks such as American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup and Fulvous Whistling-Duck, and small groups of Western Kingbird and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher roost near the western end of Deer Fence Canal Rd.
Access to this large property is limited to only a small segment, including a paved trail through thick pine flatwoods to a wetland overlook. Check the wetland for waders like Little Blue Herons, and be on the lookout for Pine Warblers and other flatwoods denizens. However, this site’s main strength is its reliable Bachman’s Sparrows.
One of the best all-around birding spots in southwest Florida. The tidal lagoon at the “beach” offers great views of shorebirds including Wilson’s, Piping and Snowy Plovers, as well as Least Terns, Roseate Spoonbills, Red Knots and a host of other sought-after species. Peregrine falcons ply their trade among the terns and gulls, while Osprey, Bald Eagles and pelicans dive offshore. This corner of Marco Island is a true “hotspot” during migrations, and rarities occur here often.
Don’t let the Minor League quality sports park fool you; this 380-acre preserve offers a variety of habitats including flatwoods, scrub, mangroves and tidal creeks, all surrounding a large central lake. Trail systems starting behind the ballfields lead you around the lake (look for Mottled Ducks, Common Gallinules and the occasional King Rail), then into well-maintained scrub and flatwoods where pine and prairie warblers are neighbors to an established family of Florida Scrub-Jays.
Tree Tops Park is the more developed of these two adjacent properties, with recreational fields, playgrounds, picnic shelters, restrooms and a visitor center. Nevertheless, its oaks can be worth checking for songbird migrants and its wetland boardwalk is reliable for Purple Gallinule all year, and occasional Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked and Wood Ducks in winter. Pine Island Ridge is accessed via a trail that begins behind the Tree Tops Visitor Center, and winds through towering oaks into the property.
An easily-accessible roosting and resting area for a variety of wading birds, this site is great for those who like to sit still and watch closely. Offering a covered pavilion for shade and plenty of pond-side grassy areas for lawn chairs, this small site has become a mecca for bird photography.
These constructed wetlands were designed to recycle highly-treated wastewater from the county’s Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility. In addition, they provide approximately 50 acres of freshwater marsh habitat for wetland bird species. A 0.75-mile elevated boardwalk offers unbelievable views of Purple Gallinule, Sora, Least Bittern, Limpkin, Black-bellied Whistling-ducks and more. Eye-candy birding at its best!
West Lake Park consists of the Anne Kolb Nature Center (N) and West Lake Park Recreation Area (S) located on Sheridan Street. West Lake has a north and south basin located west of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Many short trails are available. At Anne Kolb, bird the mangrove boardwalks for Yellow-crowned Night Herons, and check the vantages of the ICW for shorebirds, gulls and terns. Look for soaring Short-tailed Hawks in winter.
Bring your kayak or canoe to paddle at this urban wetland. This 548-acre urban oasis preserves freshwater wetlands, cypress swamps and slash pine forests in urban West Palm Beach. These diverse habitats attract abundant birdlife with Bald Eagles, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Loggerhead Shrikes, Anhingas and Belted Kingfishers making regular appearances.
Located less than two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Yamato Scrub is a rest sto” for warblers and other migratory birds during spring and fall. Expect to see American Redstarts, Palm Warblers and Common Yellowthroats. Exploration of the site is facilitated by the ADA-accessible 0.7-mile Cicada Nature Trail and the natural surface 2.8-mile Cicada Nature Trail. American Bittern have been observed foraging in the restored wetland.
The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a network of more than 500 premier wildlife viewing sites across the state. When you want to know where to go in Florida to see native birds, butterflies and more, head for the Trail.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Russell Office Park
1875 Orange Ave. East
Tallahassee, FL 32311