Birdwatching in Florida
Birding contacts and birdwatching information
This page sponsored by Rick Greenspun tours
Local Birdingpal Contacts
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Local Birdwatchers Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. | ||||||
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Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| J | Schwarz | Boca Raton(Winter only) | Anytime | English/German |
| I bird all of Palm Beach Co.(Loxahatchee, Wakodahatchee, Green Cay), Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), and down to Miami/Dade Co. Also my photos are on www.birdspix.com. | ||||||
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| V | Brauer | Lake Worth/Boynton Beach | Anytime | English |
| Audubon member with photography interests. | ||||||
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| C | Oshaben | Bradenton | Anytime | |
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| M | Gardler | Brooksville | Anytime | English |
| I lead 2-4 three day trips a year for Larry Manfredi Birding Tours to the Dry Tortugas in the spring. I am the sole guide responsible for up to 11 people from all over the world but mainly the USA. I am a leader for many of the pelagic trips out of the east coast of FL. I, over the last year in FL, have given 3 Powerpoint presentations on shorebird identification (basic plumage birds). I volunteer (6 years) on a Red-cockaded Woodpecker monitoring project of a cluster to track health and sexing of the birds. This is a yearlong project. I have guided in FL, TX, AZ and AK for pay. I guide in Fl for the joy (gratis) as a return on all who have helped me over the years, especially the teacher who lit my fire and joy. I do 3-4 Xmas counts per year. I currently take 2 people from FL to SE AZ, on an unpaid basis, where we split expenses one of whom is a Birdingpal going this year. 4 of last 5 years I have done this and have several who want to go next year. | ||||||
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| B | Saltonstall | Cape Coral | Anytime | English |
| Cape Coral is home to the largest population of the Florida species of the Burrowing Owl in Florida. If you are interested in viewing these beautiful birds, I can almost guarantee you will see one. | ||||||
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| L | Sumerson | Clearwater | Anytime | English |
| Pinellas Co. and its surrounding counties is one of the best birding areas in Florida. | ||||||
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| L | Hartzlr | Clearwater/Tampa/Lutz | Anytime | English/French |
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| S | Wise | Cocoa Beach/Merritt Island(Winter only) | Anytime | |
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| A | Sissman | Coral Springs | Anytime | |
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| K | Gleason | Coral Springs | Anytime | |
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| L | Burns | Crawfordville | Anytime | English |
| I live south of Tallahassee Florida. The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is at my doorstep. We have seen bears, bobcats, raccoons, wild pigs etc. But the birds are fabulous. I am an amateur photographer and can spend all day out there. Also, we kayak a lot so we see birds you normally do not see on some trails. | ||||||
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| R | Peterson | Deltona(Winter only) | Anytime | Spanish/English |
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| D | Russell | Fort Lauderdale/Florida | Anytime | |
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| J | Padilla | Fort Myers | Anytime | |
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| R | Rowan | Gainesville | Anytime | English |
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| J | Stephens | Gainesville | Anytime | English |
| I live outside of Gainesville, Florida. Within easy driving distance from me are a number of National Wildlife Refuges, Paynes Prairie (a State preserve), The Suwannee River and other spots that are not refuges and/or parks but which are locally known as great birding areas. | ||||||
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| S | Flamand | Gainesville | Anytime | English |
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| J | DeLuca | Gainesville | Anytime | English/Spanish Portuguese |
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| L | Kroll | Gainesville | Anytime | English |
| Retired State of Florida employee. Have been bird watching for more than 15 years. This area has excellent bird watching in Paynes Prairie, especially in winter. There are many nature parks nearby. The Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts are only 1.5 hours away. | ||||||
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| R | Lewis | Homosassa | Anytime | English |
| Crystal River, on Florida's west central coast, is a manatee sanctuary, but boasts great birding areas as well. Tamapa International Airport is 60 miles south. | ||||||
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| P | Johnson | Jacksonville | Weekend | English |
| I live in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville, FL. This is on the southeast side of Jacksonville and within about a 30-40 minute drive of both the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve (46,000 acres) to the north and the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTMNERR) National Estuarine Research Reserve to the south. I am also active with the Duval Audubon Society, which conducts numerous weekend field trips from September through May. Other good field trips are usually available with Alachua, St Johns and Flagler Audubon Chapters, all within approximately 1-3 hours drive time (one way) to birding sites in northeast/northcentral. | ||||||
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| R | Morris | Lakeland | Weekend | English |
| Lakeland is 1.5 hour drive from either coast. Polk county is one of the largest counties in Florida and has a checklist of over 300 species. Some of the Florida specialities found in Polk county are Limpkin, Snail Kite, Purple Gallinule, Short-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara and Burrowing Owl. Saddle Creek Park is also here in Lakeland, which be a wonderful fall warbler spot with as many as 22 species found in a single day. | ||||||
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| L | Naismith | Lakewood Ranch | Anytime | English |
| Our general area of Florida as well as the state is known for attracting birders from all areas. I have only just become interested in the last 6 months and spend allot of time on walks and photographing birds. | ||||||
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| L | Monges | Miami | Anytime | English/French |
| I bird Everglades National Park & Atlantic Coast. | ||||||
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| E | Breaux | North Miami | Anytime | |
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| P | McCrea | South Miami | Weekend | English some French |
| I'm a true backyard birder since my suburban backyard, which is on a canal/lake, is a great place to watch migratory birds: warblers, raptors, water birds, etc. We have a local population of white crowned pigeons. Added attractions include huge iguanas, feral macaws, amazon parrots, monk parakeets and mynahs, the odd gator and even a large, but very shy, American croc. Can't guarantee that any will appear on a given day, though. | ||||||
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| C | Retey | Ocala | Anytime | |
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| G | OKeefe | Ocala | Anytime | English some Spanish |
| I've been birding since I was eight years old. I just moved into this area but have found some really good birding sites. | ||||||
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| G | Quigley | Orlando | Weekends | English |
| I am a Lake County Park Ranger and I have been birding for 20 years (since age 14). I am available weekends and sometimes during the week. I bird the local hotspots like Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Viera Wetlands, Orlando Wetlands Park Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area, and many other good birding locations with in an hour of Orlando. I only ask that anyone I take out helps pay for fuel. Birds in the area include: Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Florida Scrub Jay, Brown-Headed Nuthatch. Depending on time of year I average 85-100 species in a day. March-May and Sept.-Oct. are peak migration times and January is best for over winter birds. If you email me I promise I'll respond within 2 days, usually 24 hours. When contacting via email please provide 2 email addresses in your inquiry in case one should not allow me to respond for whatever reason. | ||||||
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| S | Kupferman | Pembroke Pines | Anytime | English/Spanish |
| I live in an area that used to be swamp and we have a lot a wading (Ibis, Night Herons, Egrets, Spoonbills, Anhingas, Wood Storks, Great Herons), ducks (Coots, Morehens, Muscovies, Wood Ducks and Mallards), and a variety of backyard birds (Warblers, Doves, Oriels, Greckels, Mocking Birds, Blue Jays and Gnat Catchers) that either nest, roost or pass through my backyard. I have seen locally in Dania a small group of Smooth Billed Aunies and I know where there are two Ibis roosts for anyone that is interested. | ||||||
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| P | Baker | Pensacola | Anytime | |
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| E | Reed | Plant City | Anytime | |
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| M | Dodge | Port St. Lucie | Anytime | English some Spanish |
| Often traveling. Web site http://jackmaryetc.com | ||||||
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| A | Banks | Rotonda West | Anytime | English |
| Excellent birding opportunities in the SW coastal area of Florida. Summer is not the best time but there are interesting resident birds here. | ||||||
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| J | Dubi | Sarasota | Anytime | |
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| R | Carroll | St. Cloud | Anytime | English |
| Me and my wife really enjoy birding, we are in our early forties and my wife is a photographer as well. We live in Central Florida, Orlando is just 20 minutes from us. We really like to pursue birds of prey. Bald Eagles, Hawks, Osprey, Cara Cara and even owls. But, will stop to view all species of birds and wildlife to. | ||||||
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| P | Davenport | Sun City Center(Winter only) | Anytime | |
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| N | Wienders | Tallahassee | Anytime | |
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| P | Muddu | Tallahassee | Anytime | |
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| B | Henderson | Tallahassee | Anytime | English |
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| T | Smith | Tallahassee | Anytime | English |
| St. Marks N.W.R. I am a rank amateur but am very familiar with the area. | ||||||
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| R | Kruetzman | Tampa | Anytime | |
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| G | Jackson | Tampa | Anytime | |
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| M | MacDonald | Tampa Bay | Anytime | English |
| If I'm not available, I might be able to network to someone who is. | ||||||
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| C | Beaton | Tampa/Sarasota | Anytime | |
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| A | Brayton | Titusville | Anytime | English |
| Fourty years of birding experience. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is only twelve miles from my house. Many other good birding spots near me. | ||||||
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| J | Taylor | Vero Beach | Anytime | English |
| Most familar with Viera Wetlands, Merritt Island NWR and Three Lakes Wildlife Area. Retired and have been "birding" over 30 years! | ||||||
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| R | Oren | Venice (Winter) | Anytime | English |
| We are volunteer bird guides in Lehigh Valley, Pa from May to November and in Venice, Florida from November to April | ||||||
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| L | Eskey | Vero Beach | Anytime | English |
| Many species, water birds, Cara Cara, etc, many migrate thru; Scrub Blue Jay, I think is endemic. Wife and I are retired...Pelican Island Reserve nearby. | ||||||
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| B | Uscher | Weston | Anytime | |
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| C | Geanangel | Winter Haven | Anytime | English |
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Professional Guides | ||||||
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| Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| R | Greenspun | Sarasota | Anytime | English |
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| T | Frankford | Sarasota | Anytime | |
Local Information
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| Name | Description
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| Florida Ornithological Society | Club |
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| Audubon Florida Society | Club |
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| Choctawhatchee Audubon Society | Club |
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| Orange Audubon Society | Club |
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| Ridge Audubon Society | Club |
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| Halifax RiverR Audubon | Club |
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| Alachua Audubon Society | Club |
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| Tropical Audubon Society | Club |
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| Naples Birding | Club |
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| Sarasota Audubon Society | Club |
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| Space Coast Audubon Society | Club |
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| West Volusia Audubon Society | Club |
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| Lake Region Audubon Society | Club |
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| St. Lucie Audubon Society | Club |
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| Clearwater Audbubon Society | Club |
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| Caloosa Bird Club, Fort Myers | Club |
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| SRQ (Sarasota & Manatee Counties rare bird alerts) | RBA |
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| South of Sarasota County rare bird alerts) | RBA |
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| J. N. "Ding" Darling Foundation | Sites |
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| Chuck Geanangel's | Polk County |
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| Birding Hotspots around the world | Sites |
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| Space Coast | Festival |
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| Cindy Novlin's | Photos |
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| John Schwarz's | Photos |
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| Florida Breeding Birds | Atlas |
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| NABA Atala Chapter | Butterflies |
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| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Florida |
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| Local weather | Yahoo |
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| Electronic maps | MapQuest |
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| Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. | |
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| Field guides recommended by Birdingpals | |
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| Printable bird check list | |
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| Trip Reports from Florida |
Last update 22/06/2009