Included:

• Guided birding for 8 days.

• Lodging for three nights on Key Largo and four nights on Key West.

• Meals beginning with dinner on the first night through breakfast on the last day.

• Transportation including airport pickup and drop off.

• Optics – I will have a Kowa 99mm scope available throughout the tour.

NOT Included:

• Flights to and from Miami International Airport (MIA).

• Lodging/Meals prior to or after the tour dates: April 17-24.

• Personal items such as alcohol with meals, laundry, etc.

Friday, Apr. 17 – Arrive in Miami – night in Key Largo

Plan to arrive at Miami International Airport (MIA) in the afternoon. I will meet you in the airport and we’ll check into our lodging for the next three nights in Key Largo.

Saturday, Apr. 18 – Everglades National Park – night in Key Largo

This morning we’ll visit Everglades National Park, making stops along the main park road at such well-known places as Anhinga Trail, where the common glades residents are often just a few feet off the boardwalk, and Mahogany Hammock with its collection of tropical hardwood trees, colorful land snails and often migrant warblers. At Flamingo, we’ll scan mudflats for shorebirds and terns, possibly including Marbled Godwit and Gull-billed Tern along with the local “Great White” Herons. Nearby Eco Pond has a small island favored by roosting waterbirds often including Roseate Spoonbill and White Ibis, and the pond itself often attracts migrants. For the past several years small numbers of Shiny Cowbirds have frequented the parking lot area, and with luck we’ll have excellent views of this scarce invader from the Caribbean. If we’re lucky we might find an American Crocodile or West Indian Manatee.

Sunday, Apr. 19 – North Keys and Mangrove Cuckoo – night in Key Largo

We’ll begin the day early with a drive to the Biscayne Bay area to search a few hotspots for the elusive Mangrove Cuckoo. We may have time to check a few areas south of Miami and around Homestead. Depending on weather, we may start the day on the southern tip of Key Biscayne at the Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, which can be hopping with migrants if the winds are right. Another option, if migration is slow, would be to seek out some of Miami’s infamous exotics such as Red-whiskered Bulbul, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Spot-breasted Oriole, Egyptian Goose, Scaly-breasted Munia, Lilac-crowned Amazon and assorted parakeets.

Monday, Apr. 20 – Middle Keys – night in Key West

This morning we’ll enjoy a relaxing breakfast and then set out for Key West. We will make frequent stops as we head south, looking for shorebirds and checking local migrant traps like Long Key SP, Bahia Honda SP, the Key Deer Refuge and others. – night in Key West

Tuesday, Apr. 21 – Key West Birding – night in Key West

After breakfast we’ll explore Key West, looking for migrants as well as residents like White-crowned Pigeon and Short-tailed Hawk. We’ll visit Fort Zachary Taylor SP, Higgs Beach and other local hotspots.

Wednesday, Apr. 22 – Dry Tortugas NP – night in Key West

We’ll sail at 8:00 a.m. for the Dry Tortugas National Park aboard the Yankee Freedom III. Once on the island, we’ll have about four hours to take in scene, especially the Sooty Tern and Brown Noddy breeding colony. Careful scanning might turn up a rare Black Noddy. Inside Fort Jefferson, we’ll look for migrants that can include thrushes, buntings, orioles and 20+ species of warblers. The fort is often patrolled by Peregrine Falcons and/or Merlin. Other possibilities include Cave Swallows around the battlements of the fort, a Chuck-will’s-widow inside the old powder magazine or a Short-eared Owl perched in one of the trees on the parade ground.

On our return to Key West, we’ll look for Masked Boobies on Garden Key and check the buoys for loafing Brown Boobies or Roseate Terns. The trip to and from the fort crosses a deepwater channel where we might also see Bridled Terns, Northern Gannet, jaegers or even an Audubon’s Shearwater. We’ll return to Key West around 5:00 p.m. with time for a quick shower followed by a great seafood dinner.

Thursday, Apr. 23 – Key West Birding – night in Key West

This will be a flexible day. Depending on winds, overnight migration can be heavy, or sometimes the opposite is the case. Fort Zachary Taylor SP is a great place to start the day, but we’ll go where the birds take us!

In the evening, we’ll celebrate our week together with a final dinner on the island and then take in one more dazzling Key West sunset. 

Friday, Apr. 24 – Departures

Book afternoon flights home as we’ll be birding our way north from Key West today! If we haven’t connected with a White-crowned Pigeon, Black-whiskered Vireo or Mangrove Cuckoo, we’ll make a final try for them as we make the 120-mile journey back to the mainland.

Please read through Rocky Mountain Birding terms and conditions here.