Sixteen birders joined me today for the TAS caravan birding trip to Martin County, which began at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, located near the coast at the eastern end of the county. In spite of windy conditions all morning, we still managed to find a nice selection of birds, first in coastal scrub habitat near the park’s Pine Grove Campground, then in pine flatwood habitat in the Kitching Creek area near the Loxahatchee River. After lunch in the Kitching Creek picnic area, we visited Cypress Creek South Natural Area, located just west of Florida’s Turnpike and just south of the Martin County line, where we added a few more birds to our day list, ending the day with 53 species.

Twenty birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza yesterday for a caravan birding tour at A1-FEB (Flow Equalization Basin) in western Palm Beach County. Over 50 bird species were tallied, as well as a couple of mammals (White-tailed Deer and North American River Otter). After the tour, some of the group headed north to Belle Glade for lunch, followed by a visit to Torry Island Campground at the south end of Lake Okeechobee. Among the birds seen there was the Vermilion Flycatcher that has been present for several months.

Twenty-eight birders joined the TAS walk along the L-31W Canal west of Homestead. We started off with slightly cool weather and overcast. As the clouds departed, the heat set in. We tallied about 54-species during this walk.

Ten birders joined me for Tropical Audubon’s Mexico: Birding the Ruins of the Yucatan tour. During the 11-day tour (January 20-30, 2022), which began on Cozumel and ended in Merida, we visited five different Mayan archeological sites, each one more spectacular than the one before. Along the way, we saw or heard over 200 different birds, including 20 endemics or near-endemics. Our tally included nine pigeons and doves, five cuckoos, ten hummingbirds, eleven herons, four vultures, three owls, two trogons, three motmots, four kingfishers, eight woodpeckers, six falcons, three parrots, twenty-three Flycatchers, four woodcreepers, seven vireos, three jays, five wrens, nine blackbirds and orioles, seventeen warblers, eight cardinals and grosbeaks and eight tanagers.

Thirteen birders joined John Hutchison and Bruce Pickholtz on Saturday for a bird walk at Tall Cypress Natural Area in northern Broward County. The group tallied over fifty species during the walk.

Twenty-seven birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza this morning for a walk at three birding hotspots in the Black Point area in south Miami-Dade. We began the morning under rainy skies at Black Point Park, but the rain quickly moved on and didn’t return until our last stop, at Cutler Wetlands. A total of 58 species were seen during the morning.

The 2021/22 Coot Bay (Everglades National Park) Christmas Bird Count took place on Sunday, January 2. Twenty-three participants counted 25,504 birds of 116 species (plus two other taxa). Two other species (Long-billed Curlew and Rose-breasted Grosbeak) were seen during count week (the three days before and after count day). A Wood Thrush, seen and photographed on Snake Bight Trail, was a first for this species in the 71-year history of the count. New high counts were obtained for both Downy and Pileated Woodpecker

The 2021 Miami (Dade County) Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday, December 18. Forty-two participants counted 16,143 birds of 122 species on count day. Unusual species recorded on the count included Limpkin, Eastern Whip-poor-will (photo courtesy of Steve Woodmansee) and Louisiana Waterthrush. New high counts were obtained for Wood Stork, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and Summer Tanager.

Nine birders joined TAS President Joe Barros and TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza on Saturday, 12/11/21 for our annual Miami Exotics tour. This whirlwind tour of Miami-area birding hotspots produced sightings of 17 non-native species, as well as 38 native species.

Nineteen birders joined Luis Gonzalez on Saturday, 12/4/21 for a TAS birding trip to the Flamingo area in Everglades National Park. The group birded several locations in Flamingo, including the shoreline at the campground’s amphitheater and around Eco Pond and the Flamingo the visitor center. Other stops included Mahogany Hammock, Long Pine Key, Research Road and Lucky Hammock.

Despite both rain showers and windy conditions on Key Biscayne, sixteen steadfast birders joined the 11/20/2021 Tropical Audubon Society walk through Crandon Park. Led by Marc Kramer & Eliana Ardila Kramer of Birding By Bus, the group began the walk in the Crandon Gardens, then explored the beach for shorebirds and seabirds.

Twenty-five birders joined TAS field trip leader John Boyd yesterday for an all-day caravan trip through Everglades National Park. We met at Coe Visitor Center but our first birding stop was at the Lucky Hammock area just outside the park. Stops within the park included Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo Trails, Research Road and the Nike missile base, Long Pine Key, Mahogany Hammock, Paurotis and Mrazak Ponds and the Flamingo area.

Forty-three birders joined Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park biologist Liz Golden and TAS field trip coordinator Brian Rapoza this morning for our annual fall bird walk at Cape Florida. Rain was predicted, but it turned out to be a warm, sunny morning on Key Biscayne. The walk’s two groups each found over thirty bird species, with a combined total of forty-two species seen during the morning.

Forty-five birders joined Stephen Paez yesterday for the TAS bird walk at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park. Once again, the group split in two, with Stephen leading one group and TAS field trip coordinator Brian Rapoza leading the other. The two groups combined saw over fifty bird species.

Thirty-three birders joined Bill Boeringer for a bird walk yesterday at A.D. Barnes Park. As has been the case the past few weeks, we split into two groups, with Bill leading one group and TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza leading the other. Over fifty bird species were tallied during the walk.

Thirty-two birders joined Joe Montes de Oca on Sunday for a morning bird walk at Tropical Park. Birders split into two groups, with Joe leading one group and TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza leading the other. Over fifty species were spotted during the walk, including a nice selection of migrants.

Twenty birders joined me yesterday for a caravan trip to birding locations in Collier and Lee Counties. Stops included Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Big Carlos Pass on Ft. Myers Beach and Serenity Walk Park in Naples.

Twenty-two birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for this morning’s bird walk at Highland Oaks Park in Aventura. The park was filled with migrant and resident birds.

Forty-three birders joined TAS President Joe Barros and Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza yesterday morning for a bird walk at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Goral Gables. We split into two groups, with each group heading in a different direction but eventually both the upland an lowland areas of the gardens.

Nearly fifty birders attended this morning’s TAS bird walk at Matheson Hammock Park. Due to the group’s large size, we split into two subgroups. Each group made a circuit of both the east and west sides of the park, but in opposite directions. Among the many birds seen were eleven warbler species, including a stunning Canada Warbler!