South Florida Rare Bird Update
Compiled by Brian Rapoza
Last updated November 24, 2020
Please post updates on the TAS Bird Board, positive or negative, for the following:
Recent Reports
Cuban Pewee
Blue Hole, Big Pine Key, Monroe County: Last reported November 24 (eBird) Photo
Directions: From US 1 on Big Pine Key, turn right onto Key Deer Boulevard (mile marker 30.5). Drive north 2.8 miles to the Blue Hole parking area. The bird has been seen near the Blue Hole overlook. Map
Tropical Kingbird
Aerojet Road, Homestead, Miami-Dade County: Last reported November 24 (eBird) Photo
Directions: From the intersection of Florida's Turnpike and US 1 in Florida City, turn right on Palm Drive (SW 344 Street) and drive west 1.6 miles. Turn left on SW 192 Avenue and drive south 2 miles. Turn right on SW 376 Street (SR 9336) and drive west 4.5 miles to Aerojet Road (SW 232 Street, closed to vehicular traffic, park at the locked gate). Walk south 1.0 mile to a second locked gate. The bird has been seen near the parking area. Map
Red-legged Thrush
Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Gardens, Stock Island, Monroe County: Last reported November 24 (eBird) Photo
Directions:From US 1 just before the bridge connecting Stock Island and Key West, turn right at College Road. Drive north 0.1 miles to the entrance (fee, open 10:00AM-4:00PM). The bird was last seen near trail marker 67. Map
Black-faced Grassquit
Blue Hole, Big Pine Key, Monroe County: Last reported November 24 (eBird) Photo
Directions: From US 1 on Big Pine Key, turn right onto Key Deer Boulevard (mile marker 30.5). Drive north 2.8 miles to the Blue Hole parking area. Two birds have been seen near the Blue Hole overlook or around the parking area. Map
Rufous Hummingbird
Castellow Hammock Preserve and Nature Center, Miami-Dade County: Last reported November 23 (eBird) Photo
Directions: From Florida's Turnpike, exit at SW 216 Street (Exit 11). Drive west 5.4 miles to SW 162 Avenue. Turn left and drive south 0.4 miles to the park entrance (no fee, open 8:00AM to 5:00PM; park outside the park if the gate is locked). Up to two birds have been seen areound the ring of firebushes near the park's entrance. Map
La Sagra's Flycatcher
Florida Keys WEA-Dove Creek, Tavernier, Monroe County: Last reported November 23 (eBird) Photo
Directions: Just before mile marker 93 on US 1 in Tavernier (look for the sign for Harry Harris County Park), turn left onto Burton Drive. Drive east until the road bends right and becomes Planter Drive, then turn left onto First Street. Turn left on Park Avenue, then bear left onto Harry Harris Drive. At the end of Harry Harris Drive, turn right onto Trinidad Road. Parking is available at the entrance gate (no fee, open sunrise to sunset) at the end of Trinidad Road. The bird has most recently been seen near the parking area. Map
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County: Reported November 22 (eBird) Photo
Directions: From I-95, exit at the Rickenbacker Causeway (Exit 1). Drive east to the causeway toll plaza. Continue 4 miles to the park's north entrance (fee, open sunrise to sunset). The bird was seen around the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Nature Center at the north end of the parking area. Map
Older Reports
Western Spindalis
Lantana Nature Preserve, Palm Beach County: Reported November 15 (eBird) Photo
Directions: From I-95, exit at Lantana Road (Exit 61). Drive east 1 mile to US 1. Turn right and drive south 0.2 miles to East Ocean Avenue. Turn left and drive east 0.7 miles to the park entrance (no fee, open 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM). The bird was seen at the mound area at the center of the preserve. Map
South Florida as defined here includes the following counties: Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach. Click here for locations to see regularly-occurring south Florida specialties. Click here for directions to those locations. BirdBoard reports for these species are also appreciated. If any errors are found in this report, please email Brian Rapoza.