Select Some Target Species
According to eBird, a total of 569 species have been recorded in Florida. I knew that even some casual birding would allow me to find some interesting birds, but I wanted to focus on birds that normally don't occur in my home state of Kansas (although Wood Stork, Brown Pelican and Roseate Spoonbill were recorded in Kansas in 2014). By selecting specific species, like Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman's Sparrow, Purple Gallinule, Limpkin, American Oystercatcher, Crested Caracara, etc. I was in a better position to plan my route through the state. I could select areas where I was most likely to see these species, I could restrict my research to the habits and habitats of these birds, and I had a more manageable amount of bird calls to learn.Surf the Internet
Surf the internet using regional search terms - ones I used were things like, "birding Volusia County," "Red-cockaded Woodpecker Florida," "Florida birding," etc.I was able to find blog posts of birders who had recently visited Florida, publications of local Audubon Societies, like "Greater Daytona Birdwatching Guide," and "Birding Sites in Hernando County," and various species accounts. Keep in mind that many internet posts/sites are not always updated on a regular basis. Any information should be verified.Use eBird
eBird is an incredibly valuable tool for birders, and is a great resource for trip planning. In fact, I have spoken to birders who claim that they only use eBird to plan a trip. The "Explore Data" option allows you to explore specific regions such as states and counties, "Hotspots" and "Species Maps" which allows you focus on the specific locations (and dates) a target species has been seen. For me, my top target species was Red-cockaded Woodpecker (In my youth, this bird was considered to be on the verge of extinction). eBird allowed me to find areas that the bird had been most recently sighted.
Portion of the Species Map for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
"Pins" show locations where Red-cockaded Woodpeckers have been seen.
Red "Pins" indicate recent sightings.
While eBird is a great resource, I didn't restrict my planning to this one tool. Not all birders use eBird, it does not provide information on habits and often birders will record sightings for a specific region, such as a wildlife refuge, as opposed to a more specific location within that region.
Subscribe to Regional Listservs
A 'listserv" is a topic specific email system configured so that when an email is sent to the listserv, all members (subscribers) will receive a copy of the email. People post recent sightings, locations of "zooties" (rare birds), updates on specific areas, discussions on ID's, population trends, notifications of field trips, etc. The American Birding Association keeps a list of U.S. and some foreign listservs here. While there are five listservs for Florida, I subscribed to Birdbrains (for Kansas birders KSBIRDS-L is awesome). This was extremely helpful. I learned about new hotspots, what birds to look for in places I had planned to visit and most importantly it allowed me to connect with local birders. I posted an inquiry asking about birding in Volusia County (where the NAIA Championships were being held). I received numerous, detailed responses - which included directions, best times of days to visit, birds most likely to encounter, etc. The string of communications resulted in an offer to take me around Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge - which I accepted.Connect with Local Birders
In my experience, birders are some of the most generous, helpful people I have ever encountered and they are more than willing to provide tips and information. Your chances of having a great birding adventure will increase significantly if you connect with local birders. Simply sharing my itinerary and target species list resulted in meeting a couple in Hernando County who have birded there for 29 years, and monitored Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, three days a week for fifteen years! In addition to giving me great views of the RCW's, they knew their life histories, had personal anecdotes - in short it was wonderful. They also asked me what other Florida birds I was hoping to see - and they took me to places where I was likely to see them - without them, finding Bachman's Sparrow, Limpkin, and Burrowing Owl might have proved more challenging. Another Florida birder, who had birded Merritt Island NWR for decades, joined me for a day of birding - showing me his favorite and most productive spots. It was a stellar day. When I asked him why he was willing to spend the day with a complete stranger (who could potentially be mentally unbalanced), he said he felt it was his responsibility to share his knowledge with other birders. In addition to expressing my gratitude to those who helped me, I reward them with bottles of Kansas City Bar-B-Que sauce.Learn Bird Calls of Target Species
Prior to my trip, I purchased Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region. One of the disks in this set contains MP3 files of the bird calls which allowed me to copy specific calls to my iPhone. I had plenty of time to listen to them on my drive to Florida. Because of this I was able to recognize the call of the Bachman's Sparrow the first time I heard it.Go Old School
In this day and age, people are beginning to rely exclusively on technology. I learned that when birding in remote areas, our technology may not be 100% dependable. I would recommend purchasing a Delorme Atlas for whichever state you are visiting. These Atlases provide detailed maps of many back roads that can help you get out of a jam when your technology lets you down. They can also be used to create personal itineraries in a more "granular" fashion than online mapping tools.
Gull-billed Tern, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
April 8, 2015
