We traveled 6,083 miles through 10 states for almost 6 weeks on a spectacular trip!  We went to 6 National Parks, 3 National Wildlife Refuges, 2 National Recreation Areas, 1 National Forest, 1 National Preserve, 18 state parks, 4 county parks, and 1 research station.  We camped on 31 nights, 26 at public campgrounds.  We were in Florida for 26 nights, with 3 nights in the Merritt Island region, 5 nights in the Keys, 3 nights in the Everglades/ Big Cypress region, 7 nights along the Gulf coast, and 6 nights in the central region.    We took 2 boat trips:  one to the protected coral reef in Key Largo and one to the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of Key West.   Traveling to Florida, we camped in 3 states (Delaware, S. Carolina, and N. Carolina) and stopped at the Okefenokee NWR in Georgia for a couple of nights.  We returned in 9 days, enjoying the Smoky Mountains  in N. Carolina, the Shanendoahs in Virginia, and Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania.

Never having birded Florida before, we had many targeted bird species and a few targeted reptiles.   We were looking for Snail Kite, Short-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Limpkin, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Wilson’s and Snowy Plovers, Smooth-billed Ani, and several more birds, as well as alligators and crocodiles. We missed the Ani and Antillean Nighthawk, cottonmouth and introduced pythons, but had good looks at all other targets and decent photos of some. 

Of the 208 bird species that we saw, 20 were lifers for Trudy and 16 for Drew.  The most notable was the Snail Kite.  We drove the Tamiami Trail looking for the best place to watch for the Snail Kite while having lunch.  Drew picked the spot, and didn’t even get the emergency brake on when we saw the Kite.  What a gorgeous sight!  We were thrilled to watch the Kite slowly glide over the habitat looking for snails – a bit of a distance away, but easily seen with binocs.  Video.

The Wilson’s Plover was much more difficult to find.  We looked everywhere we went from Merritt Island down to the Keys and back up the Gulf coast – and we finally found two on May 14 at the end of a 3.5 mile long hike in hot temperatures at Stump Path Beach SP.  We did not see any nesting evidence, but it may have been too early.  The ghost crabs and gopher tortoises along the way added to the fun.

One of our favorite spots this trip was the Dry Tortugas, where we saw 3 lifers - Masked Booby, Brown Noddy, and Sooty Tern – along with the Magnificent Frigatebird (which we had seen all along the Keys), and many land migrants inside the fort.  What a special place!  The Noddys and Terns were flying over the vegetation outside the fort where they were nesting.  The Booby was only seen from the ferry.  Inside the fort was a fall-out of thrushes – Gray-cheeked, Swainson’s, Veery, and Wood Thrush.  And there were warblers, Dicksissel, Common Nighthawks, Cattle Egrets, Merlins, and more. 

Two of the 12 mammal species were lifers – manatees and Key deer, though the Key deer are actually a sub species of WT deer.  And we had a river otter splashing through the tropical hardwoods on the Bobcat Boardwalk Trail, Shark Valley, in the Everglades. 

Of the 24 herp species, 9 were lifers. The most notable was the beautiful, big E. diamondback rattlesnake as we left the Long Pine Key campground in the Everglades.  Video.  We saw alligators in almost every fresh water body that we encountered, but only saw one crocodile - at Flamingo, in the Everglades.   We saw gopher tortoises in many places with dry sandy uplands, including Marco Island, where Burrowing Owls use their burrows. 

Of the 23 butterfly species, the most common were Zebra, Gulf Fritillary, and Queen.  We also saw 5 other insect species, and 124 plants species (most in bloom).  The plants were amazing, from palms to mangroves to scrubland.

In addition to those mentioned above, several experiences stand out:

Ø  Prairie Warbler alarm clock at Jones Lake State Park in NC got us up early so we could enjoy the beauty and song of the Yellow-throated Warblers at the campground.

Ø  Great looks at the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers at Okefenokee NWR at dawn, too early for photos.  Habitat looks like Dr. Seuzz’ truffela trees in “The Lorax.”

Ø  Bachman Sparrows in Red-cockaded habitat at Okefenokee and elsewhere in full song, but only occasionally visible.

Ø  Our first alligators, at Okefenokee:  four 1-yr olds, one 4-yr old, and 2 large adults.

Ø  Swallow-tailed Kite flying within 20 feet as we watched from the top of the tower at Okefenokee.

Ø  Great-crested Flycatchers and White-eyed Vireos amazingly abundant everywhere.  American Robins and Canada Geese absent.

Ø  Anoles, starting at Okefenokee and then throughout Florida - many more brown than green.  At Fakahatchee Strand Preserve SP, 28 brown anoles to 1 green anole on a boardwalk trail.  At Myakka River SP, a green anole started a fight with a brown anole on his way down a tree trunk, and then turned brown before reaching the ground.

Ø  Broad-headed Skink inside the screened porch of the utility building at Stephen Foster SP.

Ø  A submarine refueling across the channel from our campground at Jetty Park on Cape Canaveral.

Ø  Cheap gas.

Ø  Our first Florida Scrub Jays at Merritt Island.  A wonderful day with manatees, a gopher tortoise, Reddish Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills.

Ø  Loggerhead Shrike in the suburbs west of Miami.

Ø  A Magnificent Frigatebird greeted us as we crossed the bridge to the Florida Keys.

Ø  Black-whiskered Vireo singing along Rte 905 on Key Largo.

Ø  Wonderful wake up calls from the Gray Kingbirds at our campground in Key Largo.  Also seen throughout the Keys.

Ø  Healthy coral in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef SP includes specimens of 1000+ yr-old brain coral and elk horn coral.

Ø  Mangrove Cuckoos calling at dawn at Key Largo Hammock State Botanical Site and a family seen at John Pennekamp later in the day.

Ø  Anhinga and a nesting Green Heron at Blue Hole on Big Pine Key. (We missed a gator eating an Anhinga the day before.)

Ø  White-crowned Pigeon and Red Junglefowl meandering through streets and homes at Key West.

Ø  Barred Owl at dawn in parking lot trees at Anhinga Trail, Everglades.  Wonderful calls heard on many nights of trip.

Ø  Black Vultures attacked weather stripping on car in parking lot at Anhinga Trail.

Ø  Swallow-tailed Kites all day at Everglades.

Ø  Red-shouldered Hawks everywhere, but especially at the Shark Valley in the Everglades, where juveniles were very vocal while searching for food.

Ø  Habitat at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve SP looks like a savannah.

Ø  A kettle of Magnificent Frigatebirds as we approached Marco Island.

Ø  Burrowing Owls in vacant lots on Marco Island.

Ø  3 sharks at the edge of shallow water at Bunche Beach Preserve while we searched for and did not find Wilson’s Plover.

Ø  Fun drive with Elsie to FL Scrub Jay SP and Lake June-in-Winter.  Saw 1 Scrub Jay and Sandhill Cranes.

Ø  Crested Caracara on prey near Archbold Biological Research Station.  “Green” buildings conserve water and have minimal ecological impact on Scrub Jay habitat.

Ø  Land that is flatter and sandier than Long Island.

Ø  Spectacular sunset views of Snowy Plover and Brown Pelican at Siesta Beach.

Ø  Black-necked Stilt chasing alongside an alligator at Myakka River SP - ? food kicked up from mud?.

Ø  Limpkin vocalizing in tree at Sarasota Celery Fields.

Ø  Walt's Fish Market - an instant favorite.

Ø  Wild Short-tailed-Hawk Chase at Oscar Scherer SP (ebird report of nest with young ended up being Bald Eagles) produced a beautiful scene of Yellow-crowned Night-heron in the stream, Bobwhite singing from a tree in the field, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers in the campground, and Common Nighthawks flying overhead.

Ø  Brown Pelicans, Loggershrike Shrike and and Osprey at Fort de Soto NP.

Ø  Least Bittern and King Rail at Crew Lake County Park.

Ø  Absolutely spectacular views at Clingman’s Dome in the Smokey Mountains at 6643 ft elevation.  Pinxter flowers in bloom on an 8 turkey day.

Ø  Vesper Sparrow at Big Meadow, Shenandoah NP

Ø  A 2 porcupine day at Hickory Run SP, PA

SUMMARY by DAY