Fabulous Birding & Wildlife Watching in South Florida

March 6-14, 2005

Subtropical Florida offers many opportunities for birding and wildlife watching! On this trip we will focus on three main wildlife viewing areas, Sanibel Island, Corkscrew Swamp, and Everglades National Park. A few side trips along the way, such as the Archbold Biological Station, will provide additional opportunities to see unique areas as well as to see additional bird and wildlife species. A list of bird species seen on past tours can be found below.

On Sanibel Island, world-famous for its seashells and birds, we'll spend two days touring "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge encompasses a wide variety of habitats, including uplands, mangrove swamp, fresh water impoundments and salt-water bays. Wildlife and birds abound, and the weather is usually very pleasant at this time of year. Long stretches of beach provide opportunities to scan for shorebirds, gulls and terns, and to hunt for seashells.  

Corkscrew Swamp National Audubon Sanctuary, outside Naples, preserves one of the last stands of native Bald Cypress trees remaining in Florida - some over 700 years old! Here we'll walk deep into the swamp along the boardwalk where we will hear and see numerous birds and wildlife. Wood Storks can nest here in good numbers when conditions are right. A variety of snakes and lizards can sometimes be seen from the boardwalk.  

Everglades National Park is a diverse area of saw grass, hardwood hammocks and mangrove swamps. This vast area of unique habitats is teeming with all kinds of wildlife and birdlife. Endangered Florida panthers, manatees and American crocodiles make their homes here. Alligators, snakes, lizards and turtles abound. Many, many bird species are found here! Butterflies can be quite numerous. We'll visit several hardwood hammocks, and mangrove swamp areas.  

 Tentative Itinerary

  Day 1. Arrive in Fort Myers. Travel to hotel, watching for Sandhill Crane and other wildlife along the way. If time allows, we will explore Six Mile Cypress Slough, a small wildlife sanctuary, in Fort Myers before dinner.  Swallow-tailed Kites are sometimes seen here.

  Day 2-3. Sanibel Island. We'll spend two days exploring this wonderful area including J.N."Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation area. We'll see hundreds of wading birds - up to 14 species are possible - ducks, many shorebirds, landbirds, and a host of gulls and terns. Other wildlife we'll hope to see includes American alligator, gopher tortoise, and marsh rabbit.

  Day 4. La Belle and Fort Myers. In the La Belle area, we'll drive through the prairie grassland and visit Fish-eating Creek in search of Crested Caracara, Burrowing Owl, Short-tailed Hawk and other Florida specialties. In Fort Myers we'll explore the beach area in search of shorebirds, terns and gulls. Magnificent Frigatebird and Wilson's Plover are possible.

  Day 5. Corkscrew Swamp National Audubon Sanctuary and Briggs Nature Center. These two locations both have beautiful boardwalks through two very different types of habitat - old growth bald cypress swamp, and coastal scrub - a wonderful contrast!  At Corkscrew Limpkins, Swallow-tailed kites and Barred owls are regularly seen, as well as several species of wintering warblers. Wood Stork and Painted Bunting are possible. Briggs Nature Center and Tiger Tail Beach offer chances to see more wading birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds.

  Day 6. Fakahatchee Strand boardwalk and the northern section of Everglades National Park will be our focus on this day as we head for Flamingo, on Florida Bay. On our way we'll see many types of birds and other wildlife and get a good look at the "river of grass". Snail Kite will be a good possibility on this day - on past trips we have even seen them catching and eating apple snails! We'll continue on into the park, making several stops, including the Anhinga Trail.

  Day 7-8. Everglades National Park. Possible explorations include the Coastal Prairie and Snake Byte Trails, and Eco Pond. Other options here are numerous and we'll modify our plans according to where the best opportunities lie. We'll hope to see Great White Heron, Purple Gallinule, Short-tailed Hawk,  Painted Bunting, Anhinga and many others. Our 2003 tour even saw Greater Flamingo!

  Day 9. We'll leave the Everglades and head back to Fort Myers where the trip ends. Flights should depart from the Fort Myers Airport after 2:00 p.m.

Cost:  $1,250.00 from Fort Myers, including guiding, ground transportation, and lodging. Price based on double occupancy. Single supplement of $295.00. Pick-up from Fort Myers airport provided. Meals and airfare are not included. Please contact Mark Suomala before making air travel arrangements.

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BIRD SPECIES SEEN ON 2003 and 2004 TOURS

Other interesting wildlife seen includes: Alligator, American Crocodile, Florida Anole, Gopher Tortoise, Common Cooter, Florida Chicken Turtle, Marsh Rabbit, Manatee, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, and Armadillo. 

A variety of butterflies are usually present, including Zebra Longwing, Gulf Fritillary, Common Buckeye, Giant Swallowtail, Julia, and both Clouded and Cloudless Sulphurs

Please note: Manatees are seen if the Gulf waters are cold, but can be difficult to find if the waters are warm.

All prices quoted on this website are subject to change. Please request a written confirmation for all prices. This is to protect this site from unauthorized tampering.

Mark Suomala
P.O. Box 625
Epsom, NH 03234
(603)798-3441

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All pictures and content Copyright © 2002  Mark Suomala. All rights reserved. Revised: September 14, 2006 .