How to Watch Spring Migratory Birds in Florida

Florida is a big state with many good birding locations. By spring, the bugs are beginning to bite and the temperature is rising, but you may be rewarded with a pleasing list of birds you can't find anywhere else in the United States.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Hats Or Visors
• Birding Checklists
• Maps
• Insect Repellents
• Sunscreen
• Binoculars
• Spotting Scopes

1. Visit Everglades National Park. The birding is spectacular here year-round, and you'll see lots of wildlife besides birds.
2. Take a trip to the Dry Tortugas in late April. Migration is incredible here and you may see plenty of rarities, as well as nesting frigate birds and brown noddies.
3. Bird the Florida Keys. Mangrove cuckoo, great white heron and white-crowned pigeon can be spotted here, along with waves of migrating birds.
4. See the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded here, and spring passerines are a treat during migratory periods.
5. Check out St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge near Tallahassee. Wintering waterfowl may be on the way out in spring, but the areas around the fire tower and the lighthouse are migrant traps during migration.
6. Consider a stop at Corkscrew Swamp in southwest Florida. Walk the boardwalk and look for wood storks, American swallow-tailed kites and other migrants.
7. Check your birding guide for other spring Florida birding destinations, and call the Florida Rare Bird Alerts (RBAs) to find out where the rarities are.

Tips & Warnings

• You probably can't bird all of Florida in one trip. Concentrating on South Florida will probably provide all the state's specialties and a few surprises.
• Try to go to Florida in late winter and early spring rather than in late spring or summer, when the heat and insects are unbearable.
• The size and peskiness of mosquitoes and other biting bugs in Florida is legendary. Be well-prepared with long sleeves, long pants and a good supply of insect repellent containing DEET.