South Florida and Southeastern US Trip, January 6-16, 2025, Part 2 of 3

In November 2024 I started planning a mid-winter trip to south FL trip focused on specialties, exotics, and rarities.  And speaking of rarities, there were 3 mega rarities being seen – Bananaquit, Yellow-headed Caracara and Large-billed Tern.  I mentioned the upcoming trip to my good birding friend Bill Hooker, and he expressed interest in coming along.  Soon we were thinking about a trip for 4 of us –including Bill and his wife Anita, plus Bill’s friend Bob Cowan.  Not only were all of us looking for lifebirds and statebirds, but Bill was also working on his county lists, and Bob was embarking on a 2025 big year.  Plus, Anita was great at photographing our target birds.  So there were lots of potential targets for all of us.  And speaking of state and county birds, we decided to drive to south FL instead of flying so we could work on our lists along the way.

After perhaps 200 hours of research, I mapped out a route that would take us down the coast of SC and GA, through inland northern and central FL, then onto south FL.  Then we would return along the Atlantic coast of FL and back through GA and SC.  We tentatively planned it as an 11-day trip including 5 days in south FL.  Though we included more than enough flexibility to pursue any newly reported target birds.  With this itinerary I hoped for 4 new statebirds in SC, 2 in GA, and 10 new statebirds in FL.  And perhaps 2 of those new FL birds would be lifebirds as well.  Though unfortunately one of the initial triggers for our trip, the Bananaquit, was no longer being seen.

See my previous blogpost for a summary of the first part of the trip on January 6-9. 

1/10 – South Florida

After 1,000 miles of driving and 4 days of birding, we finally made it to south FL!  We left our Homestead hotel pre-dawn and made our way to Lucky Hammock in the Frog Pond WMA just outside Everglades NP.  I chose this spot for sunrise birding since recent checklists featured numerous passerine species including one checklist with 8 species of warblers.  Our walk to the hammock was along a paved road through grassy and brushy habitat that was full of birds.  Early on our walk we encountered a group of 4 Spizella sparrows that only gave fleeting views initially.  My first looks made me think of Chipping, but later we got much better views of the birds giving classic head patterns of Clay-colored Sparrows (FL statebird #3).  Here is one of Anita’s shots of one of the birds.

Although Clay-colored is typically a central continent bird, it is prone to vagrancy to both coasts. Florida was my 12th state where I’ve seen this species as a rarity. 

We continued to bird the brush along the way, and eventually made our way to the hammock.  One of the first birds we saw there was a Phoebe flushed out of the woods by another flycatcher.  This latter bird perched briefly in the open, and we quickly knew it was a Myiarchus flycatcher, but which species?  The yellow belly was not as bright as a Great Crested.  And its bill and head were large with a strong crested look eliminating Ash-throated.  We had a rare Brown-crested Flycatcher!  (FL statebird #4)  Although I still need it in 2 states in its regular range in the southwest, FL was my 2nd state for it as a rarity.

On our way back we not only re-found the Clay-colored Sparrows, but also found a quite cooperative Lincoln’s Sparrow and a beautiful female Painted Bunting.  This certainly was a good choice to start the day.

Next we headed to the trail along the L31W Canal a short distance away.  Just after we pulled into the parking lot we spotted a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers as they flew to the wires.  These birds were joined by 3 others, and all 5 birds foraged together for some time, at one point all perched together on a small bush like Christmas tree ornaments.  A Tropical Kingbird was nearby as well.

As we walked up the trail we noticed quite a bit of activity in the adjacent tree line.  We started to pick up several warblers including a male Yellow Warbler which would be of the “Golden” or “Caribbean” subspecies.  Maybe that one will be split from the “Northern” group some day.  Later I spotted a large bird with a long tail fly into the thicket.  The view was brief but it gave me a cuckoo vibe with a buffy wash below.  It could well have been a Mangrove Cuckoo, but the look was far too brief and we couldn’t re-find it.

Then our focus turned toward to the sky as a flock of Turkey Vultures passed overhead.  Mixed in the flock were some smaller hawks, including 2 Swainson’s Hawks and a dark phase Short-tailed Hawk.  And in the distance, we spotted a White-tailed Kite hovering over a field.  That was a nice sweep of the hoped-for raptors in the area.

Our next stop was Snake Bight trail in the Everglades NP.  This is a mile and a half trail through excellent mangrove habitat that can be good for any number of warblers and White-crowned Pigeons, with an outside chance for Mangrove Cuckoo.  And you can get lucky with waders from the boardwalk at the end.  The good news was that we had few if any mosquitoes.  The bad news was that the trail wasn’t particularly birdy, though we did have our only Black-throated Blue and Northern Waterthrushes of the trip, and a nice Blue-headed Vireo.  The bay at the end of the trail had numerous waders, but they were far out in the distance.  Though we were able to spot a Yellow-crowned Night Heron and a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the flats.  The bromeliads along the trail were also quite interesting, including this one in bloom.

A quick stop at Flamingo didn’t reveal very much, so we quickly headed off to our last stop in the Everglades - Mahogany Hammock.  Here we hoped for perhaps a perched Barred Owl or White-crowned Pigeon, and maybe some wintering warblers.  We ran into a small flock of warblers, including our first Black-throated Green.  And we briefly got excited about this perched bird.

But it turned out to be a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Just after leaving the Everglades we spotted a flock of White Ibis feeding in a small town park and decided to pull in.  Here we added our first of many Muscovy Ducks for the trip.  Anita captured them in this picture as they waddled by.

And a short distance down the road I spotted a pair of Common Mynas sitting on the pavement at a gas station.  We pulled in allowing Anita to get this shot of one of the tame birds.

Nice to end the day with 2 of our south FL targets, even though they are introduced species.

1/11 – South Florida

Our first stop of the day was at Larry Manfredi’s house in Homestead where his feeding station is well-known for its Shiny Cowbirds.  Although we had them 2 days earlier at the rice mill, we weren’t allowed to take any photos there, so we hoped for more opportunities at the feeders.  We also would be on the lookout for a Bell’s Vireo that frequently comes to the yard.  Soon after our arrival the Shiny Cowbirds started coming in, nicely captured in these photos by Anita.

Several male and female Painted Buntings provided nice eye candy as well.  But alas, we couldn’t locate the Vireo.

When the feeder activity slowed we started to share our birding plans for the next few days with Larry.  After leaving his yard, we planned to spend the day on the Keys for targets like Junglefowl, Frigatebird, Great White Heron and White-crowned Pigeon.  Then the next 2 days, the 12th and 13th, would be in and around Miami for parrots and parakeets and other landbirds.  Larry is an accomplished guide and we started to entertain whether we should hire him to help with our Miami searches.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t available on the 12th and 13th, but was available for the rest of the day on the 11th.  So we decided to change our itinerary, and hired Larry to show us around in south Miami that day.  Unfortunately, we ended up not getting to the Keys – countable Red Junglefowl will have to wait until a later trip. 

Our first stop was Coral Reef Park where quite a number of Psittacids had been reported.  The park was full of people watching soccer games, so not exactly a quiet environment.  But soon after we pulled in we heard and saw a small group of Blue-and-yellow Macaws, captured by Anita in these shots.  (Lifebird #1, FL statebird #5) 

Soon thereafter Larry put us on a Limpkin, which would surprisingly be our only one of the trip.  And there were several Egyptian Geese in the park, including this one on a nest in a planter right along one of the paths.

With no other parrots or parakeets to be heard (or at least loud enough to be heard over the soccer games), we moved on to Pine Woods Park.  My research had shown that this was the best spot for Scaly-breasted Munias, but despite lots of time combing through the tall grasses we were unsuccessful.  But all was not lost, as we found a pair of beautiful Spot-breasted Orioles, which posed most cooperatively for us.

Next we were on to the Biltmore Hotel (no, not related to Asheville’s Biltmore Estate) for its resident flock of Red-masked Parakeets.  Just as we arrived at the hotel a flock of about 25 parakeets flew by us.  (FL statebird #6)  A couple minutes later we found out what had spooked them – a Peregrine Falcon flew by and landed on the hotel.

With the Peregrine seemingly content on its perch, and the parakeets not likely to return anytime soon, we decided to head off to our next spot which was the parking lot for the Publix in Dadeland.  As soon as we pulled in we could hear a large group of parakeets calling nearby.  With a bit of searching we found a flock of maybe 30 Mitred Parakeets some 20 stories up in an apartment/condo building to the northeast.  (FL statebird #7)  Apparently, the noisy parakeets were being fed there, perhaps to the chagrin of those living nearby.

 Next we were onto King’s Creek Village in Kendall where Larry was especially hoping for Red-whiskered Bulbuls.  We wandered through the neighborhood a bit, finding some nice passerines like Yellow-throated Vireo and Yellow-throated and Prairie Warblers, but no Bulbuls.  We headed back toward the cars and played some tape and instantly got a response with up to 3 calling birds.  One bird was quite close and I eventually got brief but good views before it took off.

Then we were off to the Miami Executive Airport where we quickly found our key target – Burrowing Owl, with at least 4 right along the entrance road. 

Plus an unexpected flock of Monk Parakeets feeding on weed seeds right along the road as shown in this picture taken by Anita.

Our last planned stop of the day was at dusk just outside Everglades NP for Lesser Nighthawks.  But since we had some time to kill we headed back to Larry’s yard for a second chance at the Bell’s Vireo, but again struck out.  A consolation was watching small groups of Western Kingbirds flying by, totaling 11 birds.

As sunset neared we headed to the C111 canal and drove north a short distance on the dirt road along the canal to a location that give good views of the fields to the west to look for he Nighthawks.  While we waited we watched quite a nice White-tailed Kite show, with 5 in view at one time.  At sunset (5:50 PM that day) we started to watch in earnest for the Nighthawks.  And at 6 PM we saw the first Nighthawks flying low over the vegetation far in the distance.  On one scan of the horizon I counted 27 birds visible at one time – likely the total number of birds was well above that.  Eventually a few came reasonably close to us, giving much better views.  Then at 6:15 PM, when it was almost totally dark, Bill picked out a Barn Owl flying by low over the nearby fields.  Luckily, they look nearly white or otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to see it in the dim light.

What a great day we had with Larry!  We certainly wouldn’t have been nearly as successful finding so many of our targets without him.

1/12 – South Florida

One of the targets we missed when we were in the Everglades was White-crowned Pigeon.  And with no planned stops in the Keys, their isolated locations in the Miami area were our last chance for this south FL specialty.  Larry suggested that we drive through the neighborhood just west of AD Barnes Park at dawn to look for them.  Taking Larry’s suggestion, we arrived in the neighborhood at 7 and started to drive slowly through the neighborhood.  There were several canals lined with tall trees in the area, so we initially focused on roads along the canals thinking they might be perched in the trees.  Then we just started randomly driving the suburban streets.  At one point we found 3 Red Junglefowl, though eBird declared that these birds are non-countable “Escapees”.  After about 30 minutes my optimism was waning, but just then we spotted a group of large dark pigeons perched on an overhead wire.  With a quick binocular view we knew we had our target  – 5 birds cooperatively perched on utility wires.

Next we were onto nearby Brewer Park, aka the “Miller Drive Roost”.  The general guidance was to get there as early as possible to look for birds coming out of nearby roosts.  We arrived at 7:40 and quickly heard a group of 4 Blue-and-yellow Macaws, but no other Psittacids.  We took a short walk around the neighborhood, hearing our only Indian Peafowl of the trip, and finding some nice warblers including our only Cape May of the trip.

By the time we returned to the park it had warmed up and the sun had come out, and we wondered if that might result in more activity.  Sure enough, just minutes later we had small groups of Orange-winged Amazons totaling 8 birds fly overhead.  (Lifebird #2, FL statebird #8)  Then a group of 4 Red-masked Parakeets flew by.  Followed by 30 Monk Parakeets in 3 flocks.  Interestingly all birds were flying due north.

Next we were onto one of the least attractive eBird hotspots I’ve been to - Cortadito Cowbirds.  This was simply a shopping center parking lot, where Bronzed Cowbirds are often seen.  We wandered the lot for maybe 30 minutes, finding 2 Common Mynas, and a small flock of Monk Parakeets, but no Bronzed Cowbirds.  At one point I did have 2 cowbirds fly overhead but they disappeared behind the stores without IDs.  One consolation was seeing a flock of 6 Yellow-chevroned Parakeets fly by with their classic whirr of yellow and green wings.  (FL statebird #9)

We also made stops at AD Barnes Park and Matheson Hammock, but birding was slow as we approached mid-day.  However, we did have another Red Junglefowl at AD Barnes, but once again eBird declared it to be non-countable.

Our next stop was a return to Pine Woods Park for a second try for the Munias.  Unfortunately, we came up empty.  However, we did have one good bird there.  As we walked along on the trail through this dry grassy area we noticed a large white wading bird up ahead.  All of us initially thought it was a Great Egret, but upon closer review the bird had yellowish legs – it was a “Great White” Heron.  This bird should be down in the Keys feeding in saltwater mangrove swamps, not in a dry grassy field in south Miami.  As we watched it walking through the tall grasses the bird captured a large lizard and eventually was able to swallow it.  Yum…

The last stop was at the Oleta River SP for a long-shot try for a Yellow-headed Caracara.  This South American species has been seen in the area sporadically since 2022.  Although the bird has been seen by many, there have been many more unsuccessful attempts.  While doing my research I noticed reports by birders who took more than 10 tries to find it.  Those that have found it recently have often spotted it feeding either at dumpsters or trash cans.  And the bird is more likely in the evening at Oleta River SP, and in the morning across the river at Haulover Park.  So we thought we’d give this bird up to 2 tries – at Oleta River the evening of the 12th, and if we’re unsuccessful, again the morning of the 13th at Haulover Park.

We arrived at Oleta River SP late afternoon and started to get our bearings.  We quickly found the row of dumpsters where the bird was often seen, but all were covered, so there would be no meals there for the Caracara that day.  We then started walking around the pavilions and found open trash cans at most of them.  But the park was full of picnickers on that nice Sunday afternoon and there was a party going on at most every pavilion.  Not exactly likely to be attractive to our bird.  We ended our stay at the Panther Pavillion where the bird was often sighted, and began to see Turkey Vultures feeding at the charcoal grills as the partiers departed, but still no Caracara.  We gave up at 6 when the park closed, and crossed our fingers that our results tomorrow morning would be better.

1/13 – South Florida

We arrived at the southern end of Haulover Park at 6:50 just as it was starting to get light.  There was room for some optimism here since the Caracara had been seen 3 times over the last week in the morning around this southern end of the park.  We started at the bait shop, one of the places it was often seen at dawn, and continued to search the area until about 8.  Then we walked a short distance around the inlet checking the bridge overhead where it had been seen a few days earlier.  Finally, we walked to the picnic area where the bird had been spotted as well, and found a large group of Turkey Vultures and Crows picking at the charcoal grills.  Would the Caracara be mixed in with them?  Alas, it wasn’t to be.  We called it quits at 9, having given it the old college try. 

Now a postscript to the Caracara saga:  the bird was spotted a couple days later at the Panther Pavillion at Oleta River SP near sunset, but only after the birder baited the bird with a rotisserie chicken!  It was hi 11th try for the bird!

I decided to pass on additional possible stops for Psittacids given that we were now past the best early morning time to see them fly from their roosts.  Instead, we headed to a nearby runoff retention pond in Davie where a Neotropic Cormorant had been reported recently.  When we arrived our attention went right to the floating buoy where it liked to perch, and found 2 resting Cormorants, but both were Double-crested.  We found another Double-crested a short distance away but came up empty on the Neotropic.  Though 4 species of shorebirds was a small consolation.

See my next blogpost for a summary of the last third of the trip on January 13-16.