10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

First recorded in Florida in 1949, it has been gracing the mature yards and suburban parks of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties for several decades, although it has recently experienced significant declines in its population perhaps due to Hurricane Wilma in October 2005 and the severe winter cold of 2010.

Miami 173

Miami Costa Rica Florida 2005 173

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2013

” Some exotic bird species such as Red-whiskered Bulbul and Spot-breasted Oriole have been ABA-countable for decades, managing to maintain very small breeding populations despite the impacts of hurricanes and changes in landscaping.

Florida 193

Florida Miami Bolivia Alligators 193

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2012

Carlos Sanchez is an excellent birder, a Miami resident, and a polyglot. Matheson to preserve the wild and natural beauty of the area , this venerable park is the oldest in Miami-Dade County. It even contains, dare I say, a little bit of history (by Miami standards, anyways) in the form of structures and old walls made of coral.

Miami 161

Miami Florida Pelicans Birds 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

However, the bulk of the population breeds in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties at the southern tip of the state, particularly around the mangrove fringed coasts and islets of Florida and Biscayne Bay. It might be a recent colonist from the Caribbean, as it was only first found breeding in Florida in 1942.

Florida 185

Florida Miami Breeders Tampa 185

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

According to the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas, the first confirmed breeding record was in Miami in July of 1938. Significant amounts of habitat along Krome Avenue in western Miami-Dade as well as Everglades National Park remain, but even the colonies present at Anhinga Trail and Eco Pond have disappeared — a true mystery.

Florida 189

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

Carlos Sanchez is an excellent birder, a Miami resident, and a polyglot. Over twenty species of wood-warbler may be recorded in a single winter in Miami-Dade County, with several more species recorded regularly in Monroe and Broward. During the winter, southeast Florida becomes the wood-warbler capital of the ABA area.

Florida 158

Florida Miami Cuba Bahamas 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2012

It was a real pleasure to have a friend and colleague, Simon, accompany me on a visit to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Miami this week. Perhaps familiarity really does breed contempt. His good company was surpassed only by his keen eye that picked out a Mangrove Cuckoo lifer for me and a roosting Common Nighthawk.

Miami 167

Miami Florida Hunting Breeding 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2014

Although many South Florida specialties can be seen throughout the year such as White-crowned Pigeon and Snail Kite , most visiting birders decide to come in the months of April and May in search of summer migrants or secretive birds that only vocalize during the breeding season.

Florida 157

Florida Miami Bahamas Breeders 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Are they breeding? Miami and Los Angeles were also major importation hubs, and populations of Aratinga mitrata are well established in those areas. But the greatest mystery of the Mitred Parakeets of New York is where they go during the breeding season, and whether they are breeding. What, you may ask? How many are there?

New York City 212

New York City Los Angeles New York South America 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

On my recent short family vacation to Miami, I was granted a single day to get out and really bird like a madman. We immediately headed to an undisclosed location where Carlos had breeding Mangrove Cuckoos staked out. Can you believe that a New Yorker could travel all the way to Miami and not be treated to breakfast?

Florida 117

Florida Miami Birds Owls 117

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

However, this brief burst of activity sets the tone for the rest of the birding day in the Everglades or southern Miami-Dade as how can one not be impressed by the shear number and variety of wetland birds as a birder? In fact, I found a Smooth-billed Ani here in 2010 while watching the busy commotion happening in reverse at dusk!

Wildlife 129

Wildlife Alligators Miami Florida 129

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2012

However, in southeast Florida where there is no other native, frugivorous pigeon, this species also inhabits and breeds at inland locations such as Kendall Indian Hammocks which is over ten miles inland. If you hear a loud wing-clapping noise while hiking a trail, you likely just scared off your life White-crowned Pigeon.

Florida 158

Florida Miami Bahamas Mexico 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

A pair of Spot-breasted Orioles were a welcome sighting, having personally lead many clients to their life Spot-breasted Oriole in Miami for their ABA list but having never seen one in their original range. The experience of seeing a pair feeding and calling in the mountains of Honduras felt like a much more genuine birding experience to me.

Honduras 212

Honduras El Salvador Costa Rica Arizona 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

In the 70s, with the survival of the species in jeopardy, the entire wild population was captured and brought into a captive breeding program in southern California. Turkey Vulture on Little Miami River – Kelly Riccetti, The Red and the Peanut. The California Condor has a story well-known by anyone with an interest in birds.

California Condor 179

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 179

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

The material on habitat tells us that sometimes looking for odonates in the tropics means thinking outside the North American box: Bromeliads and water-holding tree holes are breeding locations for certain species, including Blue-winged Helicopter. All in all, he’s written 75 scientific papers and seven books. Paulson received his Ph.D.

Costa Rica 259

Costa Rica North America Family America 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

In fact, several species in Miami-Dade are found exclusively in such habitats. Every bit as spectacular, although perhaps not as particular to the Miami area, are the large winter roosts of European Starlings just a few blocks west, always joined by hundreds of native Boat-tailed Grackles , that gather on the utility wires.

Miami 124

Miami Fast Food Florida Cattle 124

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

Red-necked Grebe by Carlos Sanchez My Best Bird of the Year was a Red-necked Grebe discovered in an urban pond in Tallahassee which lingered long enough for me to go and see it — a full 17 hour round trip drive from Miami. Secretive, silent and undetectable outside of its breeding season, found only in the U.S.

2012 146

2012 Guatemala Birds Florida 146