Birding Florida: Miami to the Dry Tortugas
The state of Florida has always attracted birders, starting with John James Audubon, for its diverse populations of species found nowhere else. The second edition (1947) of Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds featured a separate page of “Florida Specialties”. The state is also on the eastern flyway for migrants from the Caribbean and Central America. Release and escape of exotic species have added to the unique number of birds that can be added to your life list.
In the Spring of 2018 Ron Force, the former president of the Palouse Audubon Society, joined a birding tour to look for the “Florida Specialties”, resident birds, migrants, and exotics in south Florida and the Florida Keys. He’ll show pictures of the many species he saw, and discuss conservation practices and challenges in Florida in an era of climate change and population growth.
Ron Force: I got turned on to birding by my high school biology teacher. I majored in biology in college, but went in the Army as a helicopter pilot, then went to graduate school as a librarian (safer). I spent my career at Ohio State, WSU and 22 years at the University of Idaho, the last 14 as Dean. What with career and raising a family, birding became sporadic, but it picked up when I retired in 2006 and joined the local Palouse Audubon Society (and became president). I’m not a hard-core birder, but do enjoy running down new lifers. I enjoy traveling, and have been to seven continents, 48 countries, and all 50 states.
Limpkin (Photographed by Ron Force)
Crested Caracara (Photographed by Ron Force)
Florida Scrub-Jay (Photographed by Ron Force)