Florida22

A ten-day exploration of southern Florida in the depth of the British winter! We flew to Miami and headed south, first to the Everglades, which were full of great birds (Swallow-tailed Kite, Anhingas, various large wading birds, Brown Thrasher, Barred Owl and Prothonotary Warbler, to name just a few), plus American Alligators and Crocodile and (yay!) Manatee. A boat trip from Flamingo was fun, and featured Loggerhead Turtle. Then we explored the inner Keys, finding White-crowned Pigeon, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and more.

We drove north via Matheson Hammock (Yellow-throated Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and some exotic parrots) to Key Biscayne (Magnificent Frigatebird), and then the Palm Beach area. Two suburban wetlands (Wakodahatchee and Green Cay) were rammed with birds, best of all a super-tame Least Bittern. "Exciting" motel accommodation close to Mar-a-lago kept us fresh for Loxahatchee wetlands next, where we had excellent view of Killdeer and Snail Kite.

Then it was into new habitat: the pine flatwoods and grasslands inland. A major find was Wild Turkey (Simon's "easiest" world tick at the time!), and we also found specialities like Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Meadowlark, Bachman's Sparrow and the super-endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

Merritt Island and the Cape Canaveral area were sensational: masses of waterbirds and wildfowl, including the much-wanted Wilson's Plover and stacks of American White Pelicans, and another six Manatees at close range. Perhaps the highlight here was Florida Scrub-jay, a threatened state endemic. Julia got a new mammal for our marital disharmony list in the form of a Raccoon.

Highlands Hammock was a lovely old growth swamp forest site, with Carolina Wren, Swainson's Thrush and Pileated Woodpecker, visited en route to the Gulf Coast. Sanibel Island was a disappointment; it was congested and not nearly as birdy as Merritt Island. However, the next morning at Bunche Beach was superb. We caught the tide just right, and had crippling views of stacks of waders, including Short-billed Dowitcher and lifer Piping Plovers. Burrowing Owls showed very well nearby too. Just inland, a ridiculously tame Sandhill Crane family was another highlight, and we managed to call in a Red-headed Woodpecker too.

We returned to Miami across the northern Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp, seeing Wood Storks, Ospreys and lots more en route.