Warblers on a trip to southern Florida January 20-27

Prairie Warbler with leg band, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

Once my trip to Abaco in the Bahamas was finished I began the second leg of the trip.  After a very short flight from the tiny airport of Marsh Harbor to Miami I met up with Sherri and we headed south toward our lodging in the keys in the town of Tavernier. Not much for birding that day with just one species of warbler, Palm Warbler for the drive down. 

Black throated Green Warbler, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park, Key Largo, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Magnolia Warbler, Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 21, 2024

The first full day in the keys dawned cool (in the mid 50’s) with a steady wind which made it a bit cool to start (a far cry from the weather at home at the same time which featured single digit temps with strong winds). Eventually it warmed up into the upper 60’s so it became much more tolerable. I started off my morning with a twenty minute drive north to Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park. Although the habitat looked great and was fairly extensive the activity was very low with just four species of warblers and just eight individuals! Very slow indeed. After over two hours of walking and hoping to find bird I finally gave up and headed down to Tavernier and stopped at a very small park named Old Settlers Park. Although small it held more activity than my first stop with seven species of warblers, including a Magnolia Warbler. Always fun to find a small park that holds a decent selection of birds. A visit late morning to another reportedly active site also turned up very little. The rest of the day was spent around our lodging enjoying the sunny weather. Overall for the day I had ten species of warbler. 

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 22, 2024

Monday was another windy day with some warmer temperatures and a good amount of sun. I headed a bit south first thing in the morning to Plantation Hammock Preserve and walked for about an hour and exactly one warbler…another oddly quiet location. I then tried Old Settlers Park again and although not as productive as the morning before I still had a few warblers. A return to Dangy Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park found very little activity. The rest of the day was spent around our lodging including a kayak journey out into Florida Bay. Just a paltry five species of warblers for the day. 

Palm Warbler 'western', Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Ovenbird, Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 23, 2024

On Tuesday the windy weather continued throughout the day with temps in the 70’s, so certainly tolerable. I hit a couple of local spots early on before we headed south to Long Key SP. The early stops produced a few warblers with nothing out of the ordinary. Long Key SP was also fairly quiet although I did hit one small pocket of warblers. Overall for the day I did better than the day before with a total of eight species for the day.

Before leaving Tavernier to make the drive north to Key Biscayne where we would be staying for three nights I hit a few locations nearby including Plantation Hammock Preserve, Old Settlers Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park. The first two spots produced just two species of warbler between them. The third stop was much more productive with a couple of mixed flocks that contained seven species of warbler including a long overdue Yellow Warbler, a species I have somehow missed seeing before in the state. The Yellow Warbler became warbler species number 23 in Florida. A stop at a small pineland preserve outside Florida City produced some Pine Warblers bringing the number of warbler species for the day to eight. 

Orange crowned Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Orange crowned Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Ovenbird, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Northern Parula, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

On my first day on Key Biscayne I spent the majority of my time at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park which was just down the streets from our Airbnb. Although I really wanted to get in at first light the park doesn’t open until 8AM so I had to wait. Once I was in I walks several miles over the course of the morning and afternoon with a total of eight species of warblers including my first Orange crowned Warblers of the trip. It was nice to find multiple mixed flocks in various areas.  

Palm Warbler 'western', Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

Prairie Warbler with leg band, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

Northern Parula, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

On Friday I started my morning with a brief stop at Crandon Park before heading back down to Bill Baggs once it opened. Warbler diversity was down from the day before despite covering a lot of the same ground with just half a dozen species. I tried hard to track down a Cape May Warbler for the trip without any luck. 

During my time in Florida I found a total of 14 species of warblers including my first Yellow Warbler in the state which brought my overall total warblers there to 23. Between my trip to the Bahamas and Florida I had a total of twenty species…a good start to the year for sure.

Kirtland's Warblers ( and others) on a trip to Abaco in the Bahamas January 16-20

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Back from a recent short trip down to the island of Abaco in the Bahamas.  Although the island would not feature any new warbler species for me it did have some range limited species including Bahama Yellowthroat, Bahama Warbler and Olive capped Warbler plus a wide variety of overwintering species. My hope was to get some photos of a Bahama Yellowthroat (a species I have seen before but was not able to get photos of) and perhaps a view of a wintering Kirtland’s Warbler.  I had a very successful trip and found all the birds I was after.

Prairie Warbler, Murphy town, Abaco, Jan 16, 2024

After some weather delays in Hartford and then Atlanta due to a snow storm up north and then below freezing temps in Atlanta I finally arrived in Marsh Harbor early afternoon. I picked up my POS car, stopped for groceries and then headed to my Airbnb in town. I really wanted to stay further south but my previously booked Airbnb canceled a few weeks before my trip and I had to scramble to find a new spot. Birding was limited to just a brief walk in the neighborhood but I still picked up four species of warblers to start off the trip with Palm, Yellow throated, Prairie and Yellow rumped Warblers.

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Pine Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

On my first full day I headed south before sunrise to make the hour drive down to Abaco National Park. As I headed out it was obvious we got some showers overnight and as I drove south the showers kicked back in a few times and made driving less than fun. I arrived at the park with the sun not yet up and got prepared to make a walk down south through the park. One of the first birds I heard for the morning were a couple Bahama Yellowthroats. I got some good looks but they were not cooperative for photos early on. As I walked a bit over two miles south I ran across multiple pockets of warblers with the most numerous species being Pine Warblers followed quickly by Olive capped Warblers and Palm Warblers. I managed nine species of warblers during my walk with decent looks at a few but many stayed up fairly high and the overcast conditions made photos tough. Nonetheless I did get a few shots of various species. I made the drive out to Sandy Point at the very end of the island and despite the windy conditions I had a single Northern Waterthrush to make the trip worth the effort. I then started the long drive back north with another stop at Abaco National Park and this time I got killer looks and some great photos of a Bahama Yellowthroat. A number of other stops on my way back north (including one at Bahama Palm Shores) produced more warblers and by the end of day I had found 13 species of warblers. 

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Ovenbird, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Northern Waterthrush, Columbus Cay Eco Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Northern Parula, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

For the second full day I decided to do a little less driving and head north up toward Treasure Cay. The weather was less than ideal to start with overcast conditions that eventually brought in some drizzle and then a bout of light rain. I managed to get a couple walks in before the steadier rain started and found a number of warblers but nothing new for the trip. Once the rain stopped around 9:30 I was able to go for a number of longer walks and added a new warbler for the trip with a few Ovenbirds. I got some great looks and a number of photos of several species over the course of the morning into the early afternoon. The sun actually came out midday and stayed somewhat sunny for the remainder of the day. Overall I had 10 species of warblers for the day. 

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Dawn over Pinelands, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Hole in the Wall Lighthouse in distance, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler habitat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Black throated Green Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

On my final day on Abaco I got up very early once again and made the long drive back down to Abaco National Park with the long shot goal of finding an overwintering Kirtland’s Warbler. Thankfully it was not raining on this trip but as I headed out the door around five it was very humid and the result of that was foggy conditions that varied in thickness the entire drive down. When I was about two thirds of the way to the park entrance I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid some potholes and after that a warning light came on in the car. As there was no owners manual with the car I could only guess at the issue and my first thought was a flat tire. I checked and came up with no obvious issue so started the car back up and the light disappeared. I contemplated turning around at that point so I didn’t get stranded at the end of the island but I decided to risk it and press on. I drove a couple miles down the rough dirt road as far as I dared and then parked and started walking south in the dark. In researching the handful of reports of the warbler on Abaco the best chance I had to find one was to make it down to the southern end of the park past the pine lands, which meant a ten mile plus hike one way. In order to make it down in time to give myself a short search window and make it back out before it was too late in the afternoon to summon help if the car failed me I walked steadily with very few pauses for birds. Even with counting mostly heard only species I still had an impressive haul for a number of warblers including Pine Warblers, Olive capped Warblers, Prairie Warblers Bahama Yellowthroats and Bahama Warblers. I eventually made it out of the pine lands after about four hours of walking and into the low scrub where I started my search for the Kirtland’s Warbler. I walked another mile plus in the blazing sun to within sight of the lighthouse. At this point I had no luck with finding my target but did have two new species of warbler for the trip with Black throated Green Warbler and Black throated Blue Warbler. I knew I had to head back at that point so I turned around and started the long trek back out. As I was still in the scrubby area I heard an odd chip when I was spishing a spot and knew it was possibly something good. A bit of movement and a raise of the binoculars and I was looking at a Kirtland’s Warbler! I was blown away as I knew the chances of actually finding one in the area was very low. I spent some time following it around and getting photos through the brush and then I noticed there was a second Kirtland’s Warbler! After getting some decent photos and a recording I hit the trail satisfied. The walk back was long as the sun beat down on me and despite all the water I dragged along I ran out a few miles south of the car. Eventually I made it back to the car around 2:30 and rehydrated. I had walked a little over 24 miles for the day at that point (almost a marathon) with all my equipment and supplies and I was totally beat. All the pain and blisters were certainly worth it as I got the species I was after. Although I had seen Kirtland’s Warblers on their breeding grounds in Michigan I had not gotten any photos at that time so it was satisfying for sure to finally get some photos of one of (if not thee) rarest warbler. Overall for the day I had 16 species of warbler, which turned out to be my most productive day for the entire trip. 

With just a little time before my late morning flight to Miami I spent some time in the local neighborhood and found a few warblers but nothing new and no photos as I had already packed the camera. 

During my short stay in the Bahamas I found 17 species of warbler with two of those being new for my warbler list in the Bahamas (Kirtland’s Warbler and Black throated Blue Warbler), bringing the total warbler species seen in the country to 19 species.

Complete coverage of the trip beyond the warblers at the following link:  Bahamas January 2024