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USA - Florida: Spring Migration & Specialities

© Blue-winged Warbler by George L. Armistead
USA - Florida: Spring Migration & Specialities

USD4,900 - No Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Local Leader

Pricing notes : Please see BirdingDirect link for spaces and updated pricing.

Tour price (Per person): USD4,900 * GBP3,683 * EUR4,318 * AUD7,690

For enquiries & bookings, please following this link:  Birding Direct - United States

This tour is operated by High Lonesome BirdTours in partnership with BirdingDirect.
These are large group tours (up to 16 guests with multiple tour leaders), and will have guests from both Highlonesome as well as BirdingDirect.

Florida is unique among the 50 states with its geology, geography, flora, and fauna offering a fascinating mix of north and south, with a flavour of the Caribbean, and a major flyway for Neotropical migrants. This short and relaxed tour combs through Southern Florida’s highlights with visits to the world-famous Everglades, the beautiful Keys, the central pine barrens and the remote Dry Tortugas. The Everglades are a one-of-kind natural wonder among southern Florida’s many wild treasures and the Keys offer spectacular beaches, plus unique hardwood hammocks home to numerous bird specialties. We will also spend a day in the Dry Tortugas amidst spectacular seabirds and we will witness the heartbeat of Spring migration here.  Even within the greater Miami area nature still survives and thrives among burgeoning development and we will visit local migrant hotspots and seek some of the ABA countable exotic species (always a fun and interesting venture).

Southern Florida harbours a large number of bird specialties, species that are absent or difficult to find in other parts of the ABA area, including Magnificent Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, ‘Great White’ Heron, Short-tailed Hawk, Snail and Swallow-tailed Kites, Purple Gallinule, Limpkin, Mangrove Cuckoo, Antillean Nighthawk, White-crowned Pigeon, Florida Scrub Jay, Grey Kingbird, Black-whiskered Vireo, ‘Golden’ Yellow Warbler, and ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow.

During this tour we will stand excellent chances of seeing all south Florida specialties plus a wide variety of neotropical migrants with excellent photo opportunities of the myriad water birds and shorebirds. The warm, tropical climate of the region also supports populations of many exotic and feral species, some of which are countable on the ABA list, including Grey-headed Swamphen, Monk, White-winged and Nanday Parakeets, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Common Myna and Spot-breasted Oriole. We will spend some time adding these to our list and it is always fun to see what else is flying around the Miami area. With luck one or two strays from the Caribbean could be present and we will make a special effort to find these, rare possibilities could include La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Bahama Mockingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, Bananaquit and Western Spindalis, but these species are only sporadically present.

 

Top Birds

Florida Scrub Jay, Magnificent Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Short-tailed Hawk, Snail & Swallow-tailed Kites, Purple Gallinule, Limpkin, Mangrove Cuckoo, Antillean Nighthawk, White-crowned Pigeon, Grey Kingbird, Black-whiskered Vireo, ‘Golden’ Yellow Warbler, ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow, Bachman’s Sparrow, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sandhill Crane, Painted Bunting. Warblers: Northern Waterthrush, Blue-winged, Black-and-white, Tennessee, Blackpoll, Cape May, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Prairie, Yellow-throated, Prothonotary & Palm Warblers Introduced species: Grey-headed Swamphen, Monk, White-winged & Nanday Parakeets, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Common Myna, Spot-breasted Oriole Vagrants: La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Bahama Mockingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, Bananaquit, Western Spindalis.

Top Mammals

West Indian Manatee

Habitats Covered

urban parks, lakes, swamps, grassland, pine forest, sawgrass prairie, pelagic, sandy iselts

Expected Climate

warm and humid conditions with mosquitoes in the Everglades and sunny conditions in the Keys

Max Group Size

14 with 2 Tour Leaders

Tour Pace & Walking

relaxed pace with a few shorter walks (possibly an optional longer walk if flamingos are present)

Accommodation

comfortable hotels & lodges, 2 or 3-star

Ease of Birding

generally easy

Number of Species Expected

170

Other Attractions

American Crocodile, American Alligator, Everglades National Park

Photographic Opportunities

good

What our clients say about us

Stephan Lorenz
JM, Texas 2021

I just wanted you to know that the trip to Texas with Stefan and Claudia went fantastic. The birding was unbelievable and the logistics to pull that all off in such a large state as Texas were near flawless. Stefan is an amazing birder and his persistence and patience made certain everyone got on the birds; the views were amazing. Claudia was a great help for him and was fantastic at quickly getting the scope on the birds as well. It was all wonderful Rockjumper birding until you drop at its finest! On side notes, the food was great.

Stephan Lorenz
LP, Texas 2021

This being my first Rockjumper tour, it far surpassed my expectations. Stephan was a fantastic guide, attentive to the entire group and making sure everyone had a good look at the bird in front of us (sometimes, several birds!) The depth of his knowledge along with his raport and friendly/kind demeanor made him feel more like a good friend on a bird walk - with tons of knowledge and ability on top of a love for birds. Thanks Stephan/Claudia and Rockjumper for providing an amazing experience!

Stephan Lorenz
EL, Texas 2021

This was a short trip, but we saw a great number of really good birds, rarely seen in the US or, in some case, elsewhere. Stephan is one of the best guides I’ve traveled with and he is also very patient and very accommodating. We had a fairly large group – 10 – but I believe everyone had a chance for good views of every bird. I am looking forward to traveling with Stephan again in the near future to Barrow

Stephan Lorenz
KH, Texas 2021

Stephan is outstanding. His ability to find difficult birds is amazing. Both Stephan and Claudia's personalities make the trip very enjoyable.

Forrest Rowland
MS - Montana 2021

I have nothing but praise for our guide, Forrest Rowland. His knowledge of birding was excellent, and he was very friendly and personable. He went out of his way to provide us with a memorable experience despite the bitter-cold temps and the fact that a good part of Yellowstone was closed or unreachable during our trip. He chose some great area restaurants and the food was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

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