Spring Raptors in South Florida
In April 2018, I spent a week exploring South Florida with the hopes of interacting with some raptor life as I made my way down through the Everglades, and to the end of the Florida Keys and back. With several target species in mind, I am happy to report Florida did not disappoint!
The Burrowing Owls of Cape Coral
One of my first stops after leaving the Fort Myers airport was the community of Cape Coral, FL – a place well known among birders as home to several pairs of breeding Burrowing Owls. I fell hard for these tiny raptors on a visit to Utah back in 2017 – they’re extremely captivating, photogenic and all-around charming. My partner Lizzie and I had no problem running into several individuals in Cape Coral, including this fierce looking owl perched up on a platform above its burrow.
Swallow-tailed Kites on Sanibel Island
From Cape Coral, we spent a couple days exploring Sanibel Island, a barrier island just off of Florida’s western coast. At sunset, driving down the main drag of the island, I caught sight of my lifer Swallow-tailed Kites: large, unmistakable raptors with long, forked tails and bold white and blackish plumage. We pulled the car over and I took many satisfying shots as two of the kites drifted right over the car. Stunning! eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S44637304
Crested Caracara and Short-tailed Hawk outside of Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
I loved visiting the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The density of wildlife in this park was overwhelming, and the convenient boardwalk system gave us plenty of close encounters with birds, mammals and reptiles making a living in the swamp ecosystem. While we saw some great raptor life inside the Sanctuary (many brazen Red-shouldered Hawks and a Bald Eagle), the best sightings came on the roads heading east from the park: my lifer Crested Caracara perched in a roadside tree, and a distant but definitive light morph Short-tailed Hawk soaring over open fields. Exciting and efficient birding! eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S44637171
Black Vulture swarm on American Alligator carcass in the Everglades
While driving along a stretch of empty Everglades highway, we saw dozens of Black Vulture clustered roadside with some obvious carrion nearby. Black Vultures were seemingly perpetually overhead our entire trip, but this was a huge flock. I made a mental note of the location and came back at sunrise to find all of them still there. My images revealed the food item was a large dead American Alligator. The vultures were patiently taking turns cleaning up the carcass. They kept a close eye on me in the car, and I worked carefully and quietly to avoid flushing them from their quarry. It was creepy. It smelled bad. It was awesome.
Alligator Alley and the elusive Snail Kite
It took until our last day in Florida to observe my final target species, but on a nondescript piece of highway – I saw a single Snail Kite as we zoomed by at 60mph. Then a second, and eventually I asked Lizzie to pull over when I saw a third one. For the next 7 minutes, I watched in awe as I saw around a dozen Snail Kites cruising over the endless swamp north of Alligator Alley (Highway I-75). Check out that amazing hooked bill! These birds have been endangered in FL since the 1960s and are generally trending in the right direction, but population numbers are extremely fragile. A great species that truly underscores the results of significant conservation, and a wonderful thrill to find in the wild. eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S44636609
