Tropical Audubon Society

South Florida’s Voice of Conservation

I have been working for Parks and Rec since 2006 but in 2011 I started an annual tradition of doing a big day in October at the park I worked. My first year got me 50 birds at Crandon. Then 55, and finally 60 (I lived in NC during Oct 2014). Today I set out to to give it a go at Deering Estate. I started at 6:15am and by noon hit 70! At that point I went to lunch and got back at one to try for a couple species I knew were around but were just being difficult. Unfortunately, I got caught in the rain and was technically scheduled to start work at 2pm but not before I got three more species. I finally left the park at 7:30pm and on the way out picked up #74 - Chuck-will's-widow (73 were ABA countable - sorry Scaly-breasted Munia)! With enough time and effort, 80 species is definitely a possibility at this location.

1. Blue-winged Teal
2. Double-crested Cormorant
3. Brown Pelican
4. Great Blue Heron
5. Great Egret
6. Snowy Egret
7. Little Blue Heron
8. Tricolored Heron
9. Reddish Egret (first for me at the estate)
10. Cattle Egret
11. Green Heron
12. Black-crowned Night-Heron
13. White Ibis
14. Glossy Ibis
15. Black Vulture
16. Turkey Vulture
17. Osprey
18. Short-tailed Hawk
19. Northern Harrier
20. Sharp-shinned Hawk
21. Cooper's Hawk
22. Broad-winged Hawk
23. Black-bellied Plover (first for me at the estate)
24. Spotted Sandpiper
25. Laughing Gull
26. Caspian Tern
27. White-crowned Pigeon
28. White-winged Dove
29. Mourning Dove
30. Eastern Screech-Owl
31. Chuck-will's-widow
32. Chimney Swift
33. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
34. Belted Kingfisher
35. Red-bellied Woodpecker
36. Downy Woodpecker
37. Northern Flicker
38. Pileated Woodpecker
39. American Kestrel
40. Peregrine Falcon
41. White-eyed Vireo
42. Yellow-throated Vireo
43. Red-eyed Vireo
44. Blue Jay
45. Fish Crow
46. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
47. Gray-cheeked Thrush (first for me at the estate)
48. Swainson's Thrush
49. Gray Catbird
50. Northern Mockingbird
51. European Starling
52. Ovenbird
53. Worm-eating Warbler
54. Northern Waterthrush
55. Black-and-white Warbler
56. Tennessee Warbler
57. Common Yellowthroat
58. Hooded Warbler (first for me at the estate)
59. American Redstart
60. Northern Parula
61. Magnolia Warbler
62. Black-throated Blue Warbler
63 Palm Warbler
64. Pine Warbler
65. Prairie Warbler
66. Yellow-throated Warbler
67. Summer Tanager
68. Scarlet Tanager (first for me at the estate)
69. Northern Cardinal
70. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
71. Indigo Bunting
72. Common Grackle
73. Boat-tailed Grackle
74. Scaly-breasted Munia

Yep, that's two thrushes, two tanagers, three vireos, a grosbeak, a bunting and 15 warblers!