Florida's coast and the Everglades

We explore the southern Florida coast from Cape Canaveral to the Everglades, and from Naples to Crystal River. Swamps, wetlands and coastal habitats hold a wide variety of bird life. Get close to Herons, Ibis and Egrets in profusion, find colourful Buntings and look for the rare Florida Scrub-Jay, all while keeping a safe distance from Alligators!

Outline Programme

Day 1	Fly to Orlando from London Gatwick, arriving late afternoon. Drive to our hotel at Cocoa Beach on the east coast.
Day 2	Explore Merritt Island. With rockets on the horizon at Cape Canaveral, we can enjoy watching the Herons, Egrets, Spoonbills and Ibis that inhabit the lagoons and marshes. Here we are likely to find the rare Florida Scrub-Jay.
Day 3	Drive to Delray Beach / Boca Raton area via St John River and St Cloud. Birds of prey such as Swallow-tailed Kite are likely to be seen overhead, and we may find Crested Caracara.
Day 4	Visit Green Cay, Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Arthur R Marshall Reserve. We expect to get close to Anhinga sunning themselves, while Alligators lounge on banks safely out of reach.
Day 5	We set out for Homestead on the edge of the Everglades. En route we shall be calling in at a state park near Fort Lauderdale.
Day 6	South through Everglades National Park to Flamingo on the Gulf Coast. At access areas we are likely to find nesting sites of Wood Stork and Herons.
Day 7	Today we drive west along the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades to Naples with frequent birding stops.
Day 8	Explore Marco Island with its lagoons and beaches, and look for Burrowing Owls. Corkscrew Swamp is a reserve where we can find woodland birds, with the possibility of Painted Bunting.
Day 9	We continue north to Sarasota on the west coast, via the famous 'Ding' Darling reserve on Sanibel Island.
Day 10	Visit Longboat Key with the possibility of a short boat trip. Look for shore birds on the long, sandy beaches and Manatees in inlets.
Day 11	North on the interstate to Crystal River. A driving day, but stops nearly always produce birding opportunities.
Day 12	Explore the Ecowalk and local hammocks. Here we are looking for Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Bluebirds, Scarlet Tanager, Prairie Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler. Drive towards Orlando for last night.
Day 13	Visit wetlands in the Orlando area before arriving at the airport for our overnight flight to London.
Day 14	Arrive London Gatwick.

Alligator		Tricolored Heron		Royal Terns

Prices and details

Cost	£2995 per person
Deposit	£300
Single Supplement	£350

Included Transport during the holiday, accommodation, breakfast, dinner
Excluded Lunches, personal insurance, drinks and personal items
Group size Maximum 8

Black Vulture

Burrowing Owl

Black Skimmers

Palm Warbler

Egrets, Ibis and Spoonbill