On Sunday, October 4, eighteen birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for Tropical Audubon's birding basics trip at Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park in North Miami. This trip was arranged in collaboration with the City of North Miami Parks and Recreation Department. After Brian demonstrated the basics of binocular use and provided an overview of birding apps such as eBird and Merlin, the group explored the short loop trail along mangrove-lined Arch Creek as well as the longer loop trail that passes through a cypress wetland and upland oak hammock. We ended the morning with a quick visit to adjacent Arch Creek Park.
Twenty-one birds were found over the course of the morning, including Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Short-tailed Hawk (a light morph), Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Yellow-throated Vireo, Worm-eating Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula and Summer Tanager. The complete list can be viewed in this eBird checklist.