Spring in southern Florida

Nicholas Turner
Apr 16, 2023
7 min read

Updated: Jan 31

31st March - 14th April 2023

Florida is another mecca for birdwatchers with amazing opportunities to get up close with a dazzling array of waterbirds in particular, but also passerines, birds of prey andgiven the time of year hopefully some butterflies.

Friday 31st March: Having spent the night in a hotel in Miami we picked up the rental car and then set off for Everglades City which would be our home for the next 7 days. On the way we stopped off at the Shark Valley Visitors Centre in the Everglades National Park. Here we got our first taste of the birds of the Florida swampland with the strange looking Anginga, Great White Egret, Green Heron, Tricoloured Heron and White Ibis. A Swallow-tailed Kite, Turkey Vulture and American Black Vulture flew over and we were treated to our first butterflies in the form of a Viceroy, Gulf Fritillary, White Peacock and Pearl Crescent. Alligators and Terrapins were easily visible in the ditches by the side of the path.

Saturday 1st April: There were many places to explore within driving distance of our Airbnb although we were mindful of the presence of mosquitoes and other biting insects anyway near the areas of swamp. We decided to start by visiting Tigertail Beach where we knew mosquitoes would not be a problem. Here we saw some Ospreys flying along the beach as well as Royal Tern, Magnificent Frigate Bird, Swallow-tailed Kite, White Ibis, Snowy Egret, Laughing Gull, Brown Pelican, Grey Plover and Willet. Another new butterfly was found in the form of a Monk Skipper.

Sunday 2nd April: The next day we started very early to avoid the heat and mosquitoes and visited the nearby Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail. This is an excellent location for American shorebirds and here we found some Stilt Sandpiper, a single American Avocet, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher (identified by its characteristic call), Black-necked Stilt, Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs. Several Roseate Spoonbill were feeding in the water alongside Blue-winged Teal, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron and Tricoloured Heron. A glorious Red-shouldered Hawk sat close by in a tree and a Gulf Fritillary posed perfectly for the camera.

Later in the afternoon as the temperature started to cool we visited Fakahatchee Strand State Park where there were more butterflies including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Antillean Daggerwing and Palamedes Swallowtail.

Monday 3rd April: South of Everglades City is a long bridge which leads to the small island of Chokoloskee. As one enters the town there is area frequented by waders where we saw a Spotted Sandpiper and ca. 30 Semipalmated Plovers as well as some Royal Terns. Walking around the leafy suburbs led to sightings of Northern Mockingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Prairie Warbler, Common Grackle, American Crow, Fish Crow and a new species for the trip, the diminutive Common Ground Dove.

Later we went in search of butterflies again, this time at Deep Lake Trail, and found Tropical Checkered Skipper, Cassius Blue, Fiery Skipper and Three-spotted Skipper.

Tuesday 4th April: The previous day we had met a local birder who told us about the Burrowing Owls that could be seen on Marco Island. Burrowing Owls nest and roost underground, often on the front lawns of suburban houses where the owners mark their presence with a wooden cross. We set off early and were fortunate to see one standing ‘sentry-like’ next to its hole. Thereafter we carried on to Tigertail Beach, this time finding Sanderling, Grey Plover; Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover, Tricoloured Heron, White Ibis and Willet.

Later in the day we drove further north to Eagle Lake Park where in addition to a Royal Tern there were some distant Glossy Ibis, a Palm Warbler and a Loggerhead Shrike. A Ceraunus Blue was a new butterfly in addition to a Cassius Blue.

Wednesday 5th April: Another early morning visit to Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail where a White-eyed Vireo was a very nice surprise. More excellent views of Short-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs and a single Prairie Warbler. Then on to Chokoloskee for coffee where a Royal Tern sat on a nearby post. Later in the afternoon we visited the HP Williams Roadside Park where a flock of Wood Stork flew over and a Viceroy flew by the roadside.

Thursday 6th April: Sugden Regional Park is a large municipal park near the old town of Naples. Arriving early to walk around the large lake we have excellent close-up views of a Broad-winged Hawk and Blue-headed Vireo. A Blue Heron was also very approachable and a Lesser Scaup came close to the side of the lake. We then moved on to the town of Naples itself to the area around the pier. Royal Tern, Ring-billed Gull, Laughing Gull and Great White Egret were seen but the clear winners were the Bottle-nosed Dolphins close to the beach.

On the way home we paid our last visit to Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail where a Semipalmated Sandpiper was a new addition to the list of waders seen there. The other highlight was our first Meadowlark and a Great Southern White.

Friday 7th April: Wednesday was moving day and en route from Everglades City to our next destination of Melbourne Beach we stopped off at Green Cay Wetlands. This nature preserve was constructed in 2003 and has excellent facilities and viewing opportunities provide by a boardwalk that weaves its way through the wetlands. We saw a number of new birds for the trip including some recently fledged Least Bitterns (sitting dangerously close to an Alligator!), Purple Gallinule, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron at the top of a tree, American Moorhen, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Pied-billed Grebe and a Limpkin. A bird feeder attracted a female Painted Bunting together with a Common Yellowthroat and Blue Jay.

We arrived early evening at our Airbnb on the beachfront at Melbourne Beach where a pre-dinner stroll along the sand produced a Willet, 2 Black Skimmers flying by, Sanderling, Brown Pelican, Ring-billed Gull, 2 Magnificent Frigate Birds and a Cattle Egret.

Saturday 8th April: Our first excursion was to the interesting Turkey Creek Sanctuary at Palm Bay north of Melbourne Beach. Once again a boardwalk gives excellent access to the pine forest and environs where we encountered a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Mottled Duck and Pileated Woodpecker as well as a Gopher Tortoise. On the edge of the wood an area of wildflowers held several types of butterfly including a magnificent Zebra Swallowtail, Great Southern White, Ceraunus Blue, Gulf Fritillary and Tropical Checkered Skipper.

Sunday 9th April: Florida is full of well-managed nature preserves and wetlands. Today’s excursion was to the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands in the hope of seeing a Sandhill Crane … and we were not disappointed as soon after arrival a pair of birds landed ca. 50 metres ahead of us on the path. Also present were Limpkin, Savannah Sparrow, Bald Eagle, Roseate Spoonbill flying overhead, Boat-tailed Grackle, Red-shouldered Hawk, a fleeting glimpse of an American Bittern, Glossy Ibis, White Ibis, Tricolored Heron and Great Blue Heron.

On the way home we visited the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw a distant Least Tern as well as some Royal Terns, a Common Buckeye and a Great Southern White.

Monday 10th April: To the south of Melbourne Beach is Sebastian Inlet State Park which can be accessed from either the north or south side with a bridge connecting the two sides that form an inlet for the Indian River. We decided to start on the north side although it is also a popular area for sunbathing so bird life was somewhat minimal. However, we saw good numbers of Royal Tern and on the beach were Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Wood Stork, Snowy Egret and White Ibis.

Tuesday 11th April: Merritt Island National Wildlife Reserve is part of the NASA Kennedy Space Center complex and is a large area of wetland that would take several days to explore properly. We decided to explore around Rotary Park and were delighted to quickly find the local speciality Florida Scrub Jay which is nationally a scarce and locally restricted bird. Also here was a very smart looking Oak Hairstreak. During the day we saw many birds including Northern Harrier, Glossy Ibis, Osprey and Northern Flicker. The butterflies were also excellent with Eastern Pygmy Blue, Salt Marsh Skipper, Great Southern White, Tropical Checkered Skipper, Ceraunus Blue and Common Buckeye.

Wednesday 12th April: A one hour drive to the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park where both an American Kestrel and 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers were new birds for the trip. Also Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture and Horace’s Duskywing and Twin-spot Skipper.

Thursday 13th April: An early morning visit to Sebastian Inlet SP made all the difference with plenty of birds before the crowds arrived. Finally we managed to find a Reddish Egret and a Black-crowned Night Heron together with 15 Black Skimmers on the beach.

In the afternoon we drove to Orlando stopping off at the Orlando Wetlands Park where there was a Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Parula, Red-shouldered Hawk, Purple Gallinule, another Reddish Egret, Northern Harrier, Cattle Egret, Tricoloured Heron, Great White Egret and Wood Stork.

Friday 14th April: While waiting for our evening flight at Orlando International Airport a quick exploration around the hotel produced some now familiar sightings with Tricoloured Heron, Cattle Egret, Northern Mockingbird, Fiery Skipper, Horace’s Duskywing, Dainty Sulphur, Common Buckeye, Gulf Fritillary, Ceraunus Blue and Tropical Checkered Skipper.