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South Florida in December.


IKLland

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Hi, 

In December this year, my family is spending just over a week in Palm beach county, Florida. We are going to visit family, but also do some birding. I probably won’t be able to go far from that County, but am wondering if anyone has suggestions. 
my target species are

limpkin

roseate spoonnill

painted bunting

burrowing owl

purple Galliunule

fulvous whistling duck

and all the other south Florida specialties! 
tagging @blackburnian, @Clip, @Connor Cochrane

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6 hours ago, IKLland said:

Hi, 

In December this year, my family is spending just over a week in Palm beach county, Florida. We are going to visit family, but also do some birding. I probably won’t be able to go far from that County, but am wondering if anyone has suggestions. 
my target species are

limpkin

roseate spoonnill

painted bunting

burrowing owl

purple Galliunule

fulvous whistling duck

and all the other south Florida specialties! 
tagging @blackburnian, @Clip, @Connor Cochrane

Wakodahatchee, Green Cay Wetlands and Loxahatchee NWR should be good for most of your list plus Gray-headed Swamphen. In Palm Beach County and close together.

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The Burrowing Owl is a toughie. I have only seen two and no where near Palm Springs. Cape Coral, Florida is the best place to see them but it is on the Gulf Side. I saw one near Tampa the other central Florida.

The best place I have found for Fulvous is Lake Apopka Wildlife Dr. but is a 3 hour or more drive from Palm Springs. It is an EXCELLENT birding hotspot though! If you do end up going here note it is ONLY open Fri,Sat, and Sunday.

 

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5 hours ago, Clip said:

Wakodahatchee, Green Cay Wetlands and Loxahatchee NWR should be good for most of your list plus Gray-headed Swamphen. In Palm Beach County and close together.

 

4 hours ago, Clip said:

The Burrowing Owl is a toughie. I have only seen two and no where near Palm Springs. Cape Coral, Florida is the best place to see them but it is on the Gulf Side. I saw one near Tampa the other central Florida.

The best place I have found for Fulvous is Lake Apopka Wildlife Dr. but is a 3 hour or more drive from Palm Springs. It is an EXCELLENT birding hotspot though! If you do end up going here note it is ONLY open Fri,Sat, and Sunday.

 

Thanks for the info. 
Any good locations in Palm beach county for painted buntings? 
and a few more targets for the county. 
Florida scrub jay.

snail kite. 
crested caracarra. 

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19 hours ago, IKLland said:

 

Thanks for the info. 
Any good locations in Palm beach county for painted buntings? 
and a few more targets for the county. 
Florida scrub jay.

snail kite. 
crested caracarra. 

One of those three places had feeders out and Painted Buntings coming to them. Let me do a bit of research on the Snail Kite and Crested Caracara.

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19 hours ago, IKLland said:

 

Thanks for the info. 
Any good locations in Palm beach county for painted buntings? 
and a few more targets for the county. 
Florida scrub jay.

snail kite. 
crested caracarra. 

It looks like Sand Hill Crane Park and Pine Glades Natural Area might be good for the Crested Caracara and Snail Kites and they are not too far from the other 3 suggestions I made. Pine Glades being the furthest at 40 minutes. I haven't personally seen them at these locations. Where I have seen them was not close to Palm Beach County. If you make these two areas let me know how they are. Just saw request for Scrub Jay. I'll get back to you on that.

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19 hours ago, IKLland said:

Florida scrub jay.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park looks best for Scrub Jay's sadly not that close 50 minutes or so north. Again, not where I have seen them. If you find yourself being able to travel outside the County you may want to consider Cape Canaveral National Seashore area in Brevard County. This is one of the places I have seen them.

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Wakodahatchee was closed the last time my husband and went just so you know. It may be reopen now check ahead if you can. It close to Green Cay so even if it is closed you have Green Cay as an alternative. I'm going to look up another place real quick for something. I'll be right back. Check back.

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You may also want to try Peaceful Waters Sanctuary when we were there last we saw 30 Monk Parakeets in the parking lot just before 9 am. We also saw a 6 or so Nanday Parakeets getting to the sanctuary. There were also 5 Eygptian Geese in the game area.  The sanctuary is tucked away towards the back of the park kind of screwy to find. Again, good luck have fun. Oh and saw 1 Roseate Spoonbill at Lake Apopka Wildlife drive yesterday.

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14 hours ago, Birding Boy said:

Good luck man, enjoy the tons of lifers the east has to offer!

My flight isn’t until later, and it’s raining here, so it might get delayed. 
 

The ONE day I have a flight is the day it rains here. It never rains here! 

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