Photo: Wikipedia

BIRDING IN FLORIDA
Bird watching is becoming a very popular hobby among birdwatchers of all ages. Florida is a bird watcher's paradise with its diverse environment and great migratory location; all sorts of birds including birds of prey are abundant. Bird watching will make you appreciate and make you more familiar with the natural beauty of Florida and its birds.

To begin bird watching there are only two essential items that you need: binoculars and a field guide. Binoculars should have at least a magnification of 7X. Field guides are basically dictionaries with bird photos and descriptions. There are several published field guides out there. Some have particular themes such as regions or types of birds. If you are interested in locating birds of prey, then try to find a local field guide that specializes in birds of prey.

There are a couple of rules for identifying birds that will help your bird watching experience be more successful. First eliminate as many species as possible before you start flipping through your guide. Second the bird will most likely be a species that occurs locally. The five clues that will help you identify a bird are the bird’s silhouette, plumage and coloration, behavior, habitat and voice.

Photo: US Fish and Wildlife

EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION
Raptors can be found anywhere in Florida from the panhandle to the keys. There are migratory birds that come down here for a little sun and fun during the winter months like the American Kestrel, along with non-migratory birds like the Everglades Kite that call Florida home year-round. But how do these birds survive when habitat destruction and urban construction here is spiraling out of control? That’s where organizations like the Audubon of Florida and Hawk Watch International come in to help.

The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland has treated over 12,000 injured or orphaned raptors, releasing more than 40% of these animals back into the wild. They treat and rehabilitate the largest number of eagles, owls, falcons, hawks, and kites on the east coast; about 650 admissions each year. They also help to educate the community about raptor conservation. Hawk Watch International has also helped in the conservation and study of these raptors by implementing the Florida Keys Migration Project. This project monitors populations of migratory raptors while providing education to the community.

If you’re already a bird watching enthusiast and would like to help with the conservation of Birds of Prey in Florida then you might be interested in Eagle Watch, a volunteer program sponsored by the Audubon of Florida. The program recruits volunteers to monitor Bald Eagles out in the wild and compile information on active nest locations and possible disturbances or threats in nesting activities.  This information is then used by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to enhance their conservation and law enforcement efforts.

Resources for this article have been provided by Wikipedia and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.