Finding Florida Shorebirds in the Spring

Migrating Waders May Exhibit Rapid Changes in Numbers.

Mar 7, 2009 Albert Burchsted

Although many shorebirds winter in Florida, hundreds of thousands of additional birds stop to visit Florida beaches and waters in the spring on their northward migration.

The beaches and waterways of Florida attract much more than tourists in the Spring. As temperatures warm up and day length increases, birds begin to migrate north, many passing through Florida as they wing their way to higher latitudes from South America and the Caribbean. Most of these birds make first landfall along Florida's beaches and barrier islands after spending many hours over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Thus, the shorelines of Florida are excellent locations to search for these migrants of all kinds.

What Shorebirds Are in Florida During Spring

The group of birds known as shorebirds comprise one of the two most transient aggregations of birds in Florida. The other is the songbirds. Both of these taxa are divided into two major groups: winter residents and migratory transients, with only a minority of species and numbers residing permanently. The shorebirds are identified below in grouping describing their status in Florida during the spring.

Forida's Winter Resident Shorebirds

Twenty five species winter along the Florida coasts only to disappear completely (or nearly so) by the vernal equinox. These include sandpipers (sanderling, stilt, dunlin, spotted, solitary, least, and western), plovers (black-bellied, semipalmated, and piping), rails (sora, yellow, and Virginia), stilts and others (ruddy turnstone, American avocet, American woodcock, common snipe, short-billed dowitcher, red knot, marbled godwit, long-billed curlew, whimbrel, greater-, and lesser yellowlegs).

Migratory Transient Shorebirds in Florida

Nine species, sandpipers (upland, pectoral, semipalmated, and white-rumped), phalaropes (Wilson's, northern, and red), golden plovers, and the black rail, visit this region only during migration, some in huge numbers, others rarely or sporadically.

Permanent Florida Resident Shorebirds

Eight species (king and clapper rails, black-necked stilt, snowy and Wilson's plover, killdeer, American oystercatcher, and willet), are found year round, and of these species, many individuals also migrate northward in spring.

Florida Habitats Where Shorebirds are Found

Depending on their preferred foods, the sandpiper family inhabits all regions from shallow waters, mud flats, and wet prairies to dry prairies, shrublands, and woods. Most species, when present, can be found by walking along beaches and estuaries, sewage treatment plant settling ponds, and wet prairies.

Some species are characteristically habitat specific:

Woodcocks require search in upland wooded areas, while rails are found in mangrove thickets or tall, wet grasses.
A yellowlegs found on fresh water will usually turn out to be a greater, while on salt or brackish water, the bird will often be a lesser.

Hot Spots for Florida Shorebirds in Spring

With hundreds of miles of shoreline and estuaries, shorebirds are found widespread across southwestern Florida. Pay particular attention to the backwaters of estuaries at low tide. Settling ponds of sewage treatment plants of major cities (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota/Bradenton, Fort Myers, Naples) are excellent locations, as are shallow farm irrigation ponds inland.

Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island and Lover's Key State Park, Ft Myers Beach often have large numbers of shorebirds including curlews during the spring. The Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has king rail, limpkin, and other shorebirds throughout the spring. The snail kite can also be seen here. In Naples, Eagle Lakes Community Park and Sugden Park can be meccas for shorebirds.

Any canoe or kayak trip within any of the shoreline or riverine parks, and especially along the 5 to 7-day little-traveled canoe trail between Flamingo and Everglades City, will provide the birder with unrivaled displays of these birds throughout the spring months. The mangrove lined canoe trails of Fort Desoto Park in Pinellas County, boardwalk of Briggs Nature Center, and backwaters of Marco Island often provide glimpses of oystercatchers and rails. Aquatic trails in the Everglades are also excellent for rails.

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Links to descriptions of more Florida bird groups can be found here.

An excellent resource for finding birds in Florida is: "Birding Florida: Over 200 Prime Birding Sites at 54 Locations" by Brian Rapoza.

The copyright of the article Finding Florida Shorebirds in the Spring in Birds is owned by Albert Burchsted. Permission to republish Finding Florida Shorebirds in the Spring in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.