 Group Birding
What would cause a lawyer, retired dentist and biologist to meet up outdoors
at 7:30 a.m., on a Saturday morning? Their anticipation of an exciting search
for migratory birds! Birdwatchers come from every walk of life, and bird
watching is a great way to bring people from different backgrounds together. Local Audubon chapters,
Meet-Ups or other birding groups offer field trips to birders. Here are a few
reasons why you should bird with others:
-
It’s a
great way to learn! Everyone knows different things. You may be a strong
warbler identifier but could use help with sparrows. Chances are someone in the
group you go out with is good with sparrow identification and can give you tips
on spotting sparrows.
-
More eyes
see more birds. When birding by yourself, you only have so much capacity
for viewing birds. However, when people are birding together, all of you are
more likely to see birds because there are more people looking!
-
Networking!
Going out with a group is a great way both to meet new people and find out about
more areas that are good for birding. If you are new to a location or looking
for different places to explore, just ask someone!
Florida has lots of birding groups in all regions of the state that
would love for you to join them for a bird walk or educational program! If you
haven’t yet made a New Year’s Resolution, maybe you should consider “birding
with a group” as an option!
Every hobby and activity have their own terminology, or jargon. Birding
is no different, out in the field you may hear terms like “twitching”, “dipped”
and “vagrants”. Here are a few commonly used birding terms that will make you
sound like a pro!
Empid (noun): a bird in the
flycatcher genus Empidonax, these
species are notorious for being difficult to identify.
- Example: “I like
forest birds but am terrible at empid identifications.”
Giss (noun): overall
impression of a species determined by the general shape, movement and behavior
of a species. Experienced birders can often identify a bird based on giss
alone.
- Example: “Based on
the giss, I can tell that the bird
that flew by was a blue jay.”
TV (noun): a nickname for a
turkey vulture.
It’s just about time to wrap up our birding list for the year and do an
overall count. How did you do? Did you meet your goal? Did you get any new
lifers?
Give yourself a pat on the back for getting out and finding wildlife. And
when you have completed your count, head on over to the Wings Over Florida
page and apply for your 2018 Big Year Certificate! If you haven’t already
applied for all your other Florida Life List certificates – make sure to do
that too.
Parents – the Wings Over Florida certificates are a great way to keep
your kids engaged in going outdoors and foster a lifelong love of nature.
Not only are these certificates a fun way to be rewarded, they are also
beautiful pieces of artwork that are great to show off! They represent the
journey you have taken to view wildlife in Florida, whether it is in your
backyard or at some of the 510 Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail sites. If
you would like to share your Florida birding story with us, please email it and
include a picture to Savanna.Christy@MyFWC.com
– we may feature it in a future Kite Tales and on Facebook!
 Dayny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
Dagny
Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park is a great site on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.
This is a site in the south section in Key Largo. It is renowned as a fantastic
birding destination, and anyone who visits would agree! Over 6 miles of nature trails provide a wealth
of opportunities for birders and photographers.
This park encompasses 2,500 acres one of the largest tracts of West
Indian tropical hardwood hammock in the United States. The thick tropical vegetation hides migratory
birds in April and October and residents throughout the year. Key resident species to look for are: white-crowned
pigeon, mangrove
cuckoo and black-whiskered
vireo. Wild cotton, mahogany
mistletoe and Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly are some of the 84 protected and
rare species of plants and animals you may see while hiking the trails.
This site is unique and worth the visit. Make sure to bring water and get here early
as there is a lot of hiking and biking available.
Site Address: CR 905, Key Largo, Florida 33037
Contact: (305) 451-1202
Site Hours, Daily: sunrise - sunset
Check out the eBird list
for this park.
December 11 – Birding
in the Garden (Naples, FL)
December 12 – Wednesday
Bird Walk at the Wetlands (Gainesville, FL)
December 13 – Shorebird
Walks at Matanzas Inlet (St. Augustine, FL)
December 14 – Christmas
Bird Count (Flagler County, FL)
December 15 – South
County Christmas Bird Count (Pinellas County, FL)
December 15 – STA
5/6 Driving Bird Tour (Clewiston, FL)
December 16 – Christmas
Bird Count (Gainesville, FL)
December 16 – Little
Talbot Island State Park Field Trip (Jacksonville, FL)
December 17 – The
White Birds of the Coastal South … and their relatives! (Jacksonville, FL)
These are just a few events listed on our calendar. Check out the event page for more!
Do you know about any other bird or wildlife-related events going on in
Florida? Help spread the word by letting us know! Send in the times, dates,
locations and contacts to wildlifeviewing@myfwc.com
for posting on the GFBWT website.
Events must be related to birds or other wildlife and must be open to
the public. Examples include interpretive programming, summer camps and family
programs.
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floridabirdingtrail.com