Florida bird watching

State Checklists:
  Thayer Birding Software
  NPWRC Bird Checklists - Florida
  

Species Seen in Florida: 485

State Ornithological Society:
Florida Ornithological Society

Rare Bird Alerts:
(941) 242-9338   Statewide
(305) 667-7337   Miami
(305) 294-3438   Lower Keys 
(912) 244-9190   Northern Florida 
(850) 934-6974   Northwest       
Transcripts    

Electronic Mailing Lists:
BIRDBRAINS: St. Petersburg, Tampa Florida area.
Subscription: go to web site at http://birdbrains.listbot.com

SWFLBirdline: Ft. Myers/Naples area. Go to http://SWFLBirdline.listbot.com You can opt to have messages come individually into your e-mail mailbox or you can view them on the web.

FLORIDABIRDS-L: http://bkpass.tripod.com/

Florida Statewide Rare Bird Alert.
Go to http://FLRBA.listbot.com to subscribe.

Maps:
Florida
State Map
Florida Wildlife Viewing Regions
National Parks Map - Florida
Florida Maps
Map of Counties

Retail Birding Stores
Travel Guide by City

Birding Links for Florida:
Birding Festivals
Christmas Bird Count Database
Florida Birding Trip Reports
Space Coast Birding Festival
Great Florida Birding Trail
Citrus Section - GFBT
South Florida Birding
Florida's Birds
90 Florida Bird Songs
Florida Birds
FloridaBirds -L Member photos
Birds of the Everglades
Cape Canaveral Area
Everglades National Park
Wood Stork: Everglades National Park
Birds of the Florida Everglades
Naples, Florida Hot Spots
Hot Spots around St. Augustine
Birding Florida
Central Florida Birdwatcher's page
Florida Keys Raptor Migration Project
Polk County Birds
Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary (Sarasota)
Florida Keys Wild Bird Sanctuary
Florida State Parks
Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
South Florida Birding Connection
Florida Nature Tours
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours - Florida

Florida Organizations:
Collier's Reserve Natural Resources Group Audubon Chapters in Florida
Florida Audubon Society
   Local Audubon Chapters
The Nature Conservancy in Florida
Conservancy of SW Florida
International Osprey Foundation
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society
Caloosa Bird Club Ft. Myers
Naples Bird Club

Important Birding Locations in Florida:
Birds of Sanibel Island
Hot Spots
Important Bird Areas
US Fish & Wildlife Service Refuges - Florida
 
South:
   Everglades National Park
   Florida Keys
   Dry Tortugas National Park
   Loxahatchee NWR 
Southwest:
   "Ding" Darling NWR
   Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
   Fort Myers (Estero) Beach
   Biggs Nature Center
   Myakka River State Park
   Oscar Scherer State Park 
East:
   Apalachicola National Forest
   Paynes Prairie State Preserve
   Merritt Island NWR
   Space Coast Hot Spots 
Panhandle: 
   St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
   Wakulla Springs

Pete Thayer's Favorite Hot Spots:
Corkscrew Swamp
26.25 N   81.34 W
A boardwalk through the swamp will let you get up close and personal with birds and other critters. Watch for Wood Stork and Limpkin.

Dry Tortugas
24.38 N   82.55 W
Fantastic in late April. Almost anything can show up inside Fort Jefferson during spring migration. Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Noddies nest nearby. Watch for Black Noddies. Bridled Terns are likely on the boat trip back to Key West.

Everglades National Park
25.15 N   80.50 W
Anhinga Trail, Snake Bight Trail, and Eco Pond. Watch for Roseate Spoonbill, Purple Gallinule and Short-tailed Hawk. Mosquitoes over 6 inches in length may be counted on your bird life list.

Florida Keys
24.42 N   81.23 W
Look for White-crowned Pigeon, Gray Kingbird and Mangrove Cuckoo as you bird your way down to Key West. Try the airport there at dusk for Antillean Nighthawk.

Fort Myers Beach/Estero
26.43 N   81.91 W
In back of the Holiday Inn is one of the best spots to photograph shorebirds in Florida. The lagoon and mudflats are full of interesting birds during migration and all winter long. Wade out to the Gulf beach. If the traffic to Sanibel Island makes you crazy, try visiting here instead. Go early before the sunbathers show up.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
26.28 N   80.13 W
Purple Gallinule, Smooth-billed Ani and Limpkin are possible here. Try landfill at west end of 45th street in West Palm Beach for Snail Kite. Swing by Jonathan Dickinson State Park to see Florida Scrub-Jay.

Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge
28.38 N   80.43 W
Where else can you see space shuttle launches and Mottled Duck at the same time? Over 150 species on the Christmas Bird Count including over 20 species of Ducks. Snowbirds welcome!

"Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
26.46 N   82.06 W
Drive the loop to see Herons, Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and alligators! BIG BIRDS that are RIGHT THERE! One of the top birding spots in North America. Take the kids and grandma. Eat lunch at the Mucky Duck. The causeway to Sanibel and roads on the island are a nightmare in winter. Get there early. (Check the woods around the lighthouse for passerines before you leave Sanibel.)

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
30.08 N   84.12 W
Red-cockaded Woodpecker country. Lots of waterfowl in the winter. Look for Wood Stork, Least Tern, Piping Plover and Budgerigar, too.