Wednesday, December 31
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| Bridled Terns at Ft Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park in May |
It was another fantastic year of birding in Florida. Traveling from the Panhandle to the Dry Tortugas.
I didn’t quite meet my goal of reporting over 300 Florida species, but still did pretty well, ending up with a total of 340 species after a fun trip to California in early August.
California Lifers: Encouraged by my friends Dave and Tammy McQuade, I joined them and fellow big-year birder Geno Ellison in Los Angeles for a four-day birding adventure in the mountains and offshore, adding 25 new life species.
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| Eastern Bluebird at Gainesville |
January was packed with birding adventures as I worked on my 2025 list, with trips to spots in the Panhandle where I saw a lifer Short-eared Owl at St. Marks, as well as visits to Lake Apopka and the Space Coast, where I added Long-tailed Ducks and American Flamingos, though I dipped on the Purple Sandpipers. Florida Birding Tour - eBird Trip Report, Birding the Space Coast - eBird Trip Report
Got another Lifer with the Scott's Oriole at Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area in Hernando County. Chinsegut was a very impressive venue. Their feeders attracted lots of activity including Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Carolina Chickadee and Chipping Sparrows
Florida Keys - eBird Trip Report Made my annual springtime birding trip to the Keys. Had also checked out venues in Miami, the Everglades, Key Largo, Marathon, Big Pine Key, Key West, the Dry Tortugas, the Cave Swallow colony near LaBelle and observations in between. Dipped on Black-whiskered Vireo, Black Noddy, Red-footed Booby and Antillean Nighthawk.
Did report on 80 species including a large flock of American Flamingos as they flew out on open water, seen from the Yankee Freedom on our boat ride back to Key West from the Tortugas.
A few weeks later I made an extra trip back to the keys and was able to locate Common Myna, Antillean Nighthawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and lots of White-eyed Vireos and Black-whiskered Vireo too.
At the end of August, a mega rarity made a very brief appearance on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. A Small-billed Elaenia was located and identified by FGCU ornithologist Oscar Johnson and the word spread rapidly. This is a South American flycatcher and very skittish. With all of the attention drawn to its small patch, it did not stay long, maybe three days.
A rare South American bird took a wrong turn towards Florida | Popular Science
Birdwatchers flock to FGCU after first-ever Florida sighting of rare bird
2025 Year Bird List and Gallery (334)
4. Indigo Bunting
5. Painted Bunting
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| Painted Bunting Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - Florida March 2025 |
6. Morning Dove
7. Wood Stork
8. Great Egret
9. Red-headed Woodpecker
10. Red-bellied Woodpecker
11. American Kestrel
12. Loggerhead Shrike
13. European Starling
14. Palm Warbler
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| Palm Warbler Lake Apopka Florida January 2025 |
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| Yellow Palm Warbler Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
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| Palm Warbler Myakka River State Park - Florida March 2025 |
17. Northern Mockingbird
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| Northern Mockingbird Shamrock Park - Venice, Florida January 2025 |
19. Common Gallinule
20. Grey-headed Swamphen
21. Limpkin
22. Sandhill Crane
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| Sandhill Crane Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
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| Florida Sandhill Crane family Harns Marsh - Lehigh Acres, Florida February 2025 |
23. Pied-billed Grebe
24. Anhinga
25. Least Bittern
26. Little Blue Heron
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| Little Blue Heron Merritt Island, Florida February 2025 |
27. Tricolored Hern
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| Tricolored Heron Harns Marsh - Lehigh Acres, Florida January 2025 |
28. Green Heron
29. Western Cattle Egret
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| Cattle Egret Dinner Island WMA - Florida February 2025 |
30. Great Blue Heron
31. Turkey Vulture
32. Black Vulture
33. Red-shouldered Hawk
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| Florida Red-shouldered Hawk Flint Marsh - Bonita Springs, Florida February 2025 |
34. Belted Kingfisher
35. Pileated Woodpecker
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| Pileated Woodpecker Sanibel Island, Florida March 2025 |
36. Eastern Phoebe 
37. Fish Crow
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| Fish Crow Ft DeSoto Park - Pinellas County, Florida February 2025 |
38. Northern House Wren
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| House Wren Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
39. Savannah Sparrow
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| Savannah Sparrow Paynes Prairie State Park January 2025 |
40. Red-winged Blackbird
41. Boat-tailed Grackle
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| Boat-tailed Grackle Merritt Island, Florida February 2025 |
42. Common Yellowthroat
43. Blue-winged Teal
44. American Coot
45. Snowy Egret
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| Snowy Egret Merritt Island NWR January 2025 |
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| Snowy Egret Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve - Ft Myers, Florida May 2025 |
46. Snail Kite
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| Snail Kite Lehigh Acres, Florida February 2025 |
47. American Crow
48. Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher
49. Yellow-rumped Warbler
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
50. Rock Pigeon
51. Ring-billed Gull
52. Common Myna
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| Common Myna Homestead, Florida February 2025 |
53. Eurasian Collared-Dove
54. Double-crested Cormorant
55. Osprey
56. Red-tailed Hawk
57. Peregrine Falcon
58. Tree Swallow
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| Tree Swallows Palm Beach County, Florida May 2025 |
59. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
60. Brown-headed Nuthatch
61. White Ibis
62. Northern Harrier
63. Vermilion Flycatcher
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| Vermilion Flycatcher Pahokee, Florida January 2025 |
64. Tropical Kingbird
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| Tropical Kingbird Palm Beach County, Florida January 2025 |
65. Grey Catbird
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| Gray Catbird St Marks NWR - Florida January 2025 |
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| Gray Catbird Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
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| Gray Catbird Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida April 2025 |
66. Common Grackle
67. Laughing Gull
68. Forster's Tern
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| Forster's Tern Peacefull Waters Sanctuary - Wellington, Florida January 2025 |
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| Forster's Tern Bowditch Point - Fort Myers Beach October 2025 |
69. Brown Pelican
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| Brown Pelican Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
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| Brown Pelican Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida October 2025 |
70. White-winged Dove
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| White Winged Dove at my feeders February 2025 |
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| White-winged Dove Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida April 2025 |
71. Nanday Parrakeet
72. Crested Caracara
73. Eastern Meadowlark
74. Mottled Duck
75. Green-winged Teal
76. Wild Turkey
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| Wild Turkeys Myakka River State Park - Florida March 2025 |
77. American Avocet
78. Killdeer
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| Killdeer Nest Sanibel Island, Florida March 2025 |
80. Lesser Yellowlegs
81. Greater Yellowlegs
82. Least Sandpiper
83. Black Skimmer
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| Black Skimmer Sebastion Inlet State Park, Florida January 2025 |
84. Caspian Tern
85. Glossy Ibis
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| Glossy Ibis Merritt Island, Florida February 2025 |
86. Rosette Spoonbill
87. Bald Eagle
88. Carolina Wren
89. American Robin
90. American White Pelican
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| American White Pelicans Sarasota County, Florida January 2025 |
91. Common Ground Dove
92. Tufted Titmouse
93. Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
94. Brown-headed Cowbirds
95. Eastern Bluebird
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| Eastern Bluebird Gainesville, Florida January 2025 |
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| Nesting Bluebirds Celery Fields - Sarasota County, Florida April 2025 |
96. Pine Warbler
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| Pine Warbler Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
97. Florida Burrowing Owls
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| Burrowing Owl Cape Coral, Florida February 2025 |
98. Ring-necked Duck
99. American Oystercatcher
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| American Oystercatcher Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
100. Black-bellied Plover
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| Black-bellied Plover Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida January 2025 |
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| Black-bellied Plover Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida April 2025 |
101. Piping Plover
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| Piping Plover Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
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| Piping Plover Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida April 2025 |
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| Piping Plover Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida August 2025 |
102. Willet
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| Willet Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida January 2025 |
103. Ruddy Turnstone
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| Ruddy Turnstone Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
104. Sanderling
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| Sanderling Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
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| An aggressive Sanderling Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida April 2025 |
105. American Herring Gull
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| American Herring Gull Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
106. Western Lesser Black-backed Gull
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| Western Lesser Black-backed Gull Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
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| Western Black-backed Gull Bowditch Point - Fort Myers Beach September 2025 |
107. Sandwich Tern
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| Sandwich Terns Sanibel Island. Florida January 2025 |
108. Royal Tern
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| Royale Tern Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025  |
109. Dunlin
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| Dunlin Tampa Bay, Florida January 2025 |
110. Black-crowned Night-heron
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| Black-crowned Night-heron Ventura Harbor, California August 2025 |
111. Western Sandpiper
112. Red-breasted Merganser
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| Red-breasted Merganser Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida April 2025 |
113. Semipalmated Plover
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| Semipalmated Plover Bunche Beach - Lee County, Florida April 2025 |
114. Great-tailed Grackle
115. Yellow-throated Warbler
116. Mallard
117. Bufflehead
118. Hooded Merganser
119. Ruddy Duck
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| Ruddy Duck St Marks NWR, Florida January 2025 |
120. Northern Shoveler
121. Gadwall
122. Sora
123. American Widgeon
124. Purple Gallinule
125. Black-necked Stilt
126. Wilson's Snipe
127. Northern Flicker
128. Swamp Sparrow
129. Canada Goose
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| Canada Goose Ocala, Florida January 2025 |
130. Wood Duck
131. Carolina Chickadee
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| Carolina Chickadee Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
132. Lesser Scaup
133. Common Goldeneye
134. Song Sparrow
135. Orange-crowned Warber
136. Winter Wren
137. Short-eared Owl
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| Short-eared Owl Panacea, St Mark's National Wildlife Refuge January 2025 |
138. Snow Goose
139. Canvasback
140. Redhead
141. Greater Scaup
142. Horned Grebe
143. Common Loon
144. White-faced Ibis
145. Clapper Rail
146. Seaside Sparrow
147. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
148. Short-billed Dowitcher
149. Red Knot
150. Bonaparte's Gull
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| Bonapart's Gull Sanibel Island, Florida January 2025 |
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| Bonaparte's Gull Sebastion Inlet State Park, Florida January 2025 |
151. Monk Parakeet
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| Monk Parakeet Cape Coral, Florida March 2025 |
152. Merlin
153. Western Kingbird
154. Great Crested Flycatcher
155. Yellow-headed Blackbird
156. Shiny Cowbird
157. Egyptian Goose
158. Purple Martin
159. Northern Waterthrush
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| Northern Waterthrush Peacefull Waters Sanctuary - Wellington, Florida January 2025 |
160. Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron
161. House Finch
162. Pine Siskin
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| A Pine Siskin bathing with a House Finch Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
163. American Goldfinch
164. Chipping Sparrow
165. Scott's Oriole
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| Scott's Oriole Hernando County, Florida January 2025 |
166. Spotted Sandpiper
167. Great Black-backed Gull
168. Magnificent Frigatebird
169. Northern Pintail
170. Reddish Egret
171. Great Horned Owl
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| Juvenal Great Horned Owls Eagle Lakes - Naples, Florida April 2025 |
172. American Flamingo
173. Parasitic Jaeger
174. Northern Gannet
175. Long-tailed Duck
176. Brown Thrasher
177. King Rail
178. White-eyed Vireo
179. Marbled Godwit
180. Grove-billed Ani
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| Grove-billed Ani Shamrock Park - Venice, Florida February 2025 |
181. Prairie Warbler
182. Downy Woodpecker
183. Northern Parula
184. Black & White Warbler
185. Cedar Waxwing
186. Yellow-chevroned Parrakeet
187. White-tailed Kite
188. Short-tailed Hawk
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| Short-tailed Hawk C111 Canal, Miami Dade County, Florida February 2025 |
189. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
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| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Everglades, Florida February 2025 |
190. White-crowned Pigeon
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| White-crowned Pigeon Key Largo, Florida February 2025 |
191. Broad-winged Hawk
192. Northern Bobwhite
193. Eastern Towhee
194. American Redstart
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| American Redstart Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve - Ft Myers, Florida September 2025 |
195. Blue-headed Vireo 
196. Snowy Plover
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| Snowy Plover Ft DeSoto Park - Pinellas County, Florida February 2025 |
197. Cooper's Hawk
198. Barred Owl
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| Barred Owl Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve April 2025 |
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| Barred Owl with its seafood lunch Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - Collier County, Florida April 2025 |
199. Chuck-Wills-Widow
200. Swallow-tailed Kite
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| Swallow-tailed Kite Lee County, Florida April 2025 |
201. Smooth-billed Ani
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| Smooth-billed Ani Palm Beach County - Florida March 2025 |
202. Bachman's Sparrow
203. American Bittern
204. Rose-ringed Parrakeet
205. Wilson's Plover
206. Red-eyed Vireo
207. Barn Swallow
208. American Barn Owl
209. Fulvous Whistling Duck
210. Mangrove Cuckoo
211. Marsh Wren
212. Hairy Woodpecker
213. Stilt Sandpiper
214. Baltimore Oriole
215. Bronze Cowbird
216. Swainson's Thrush
217. Scarlet Tanager
218. Chimney Swift
219. Orchard Oriole
220. Tennessee Warbler
221. Yellow Warbler
222. Gray Kingbird
223. Wood Thrush
224. Least Tern
225. Common Nighthawk
226. Solitary Sandpiper
227. Veery
228. Summer Tanager
229. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
230. Golden-winged Warbler
231. Blue-winged Warbler
232. Cape May Warbler
233. Black-throated Blue Warbler
234. Bobolink
235. Eastern Screech Owl
236. American Tree Sparrow
237. Blackpoll Warbler
238. Black Scoter
239. Acadian Flycatcher
240. Semipalmated Sandpiper
241. Chestnut-fronted Macaw
242. Indian Peafowl
243. Scaly-breasted Munia
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| Scaly-breasted Munia California August 2025 |
244. Roseate Tern
245. Red Junglefowl
246. Whimbrel
247. Brown Noddy
248. Sooty Tern
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249. Bridled Tern
250. Masked Booby
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| Masked Booby Sutil Rock - Channel Islands, California August 2025 |
251. Sharp-shinned Hawk
252. Hooded Warbler
253. Brown Booby
254. Cave Swallow
255. Gull-billed Tern
256. White-rumped Sandpiper
257. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
258. Antillean Nighthawk
259. Black-whiskered Vireo
260. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
261. Black Tern
262. Louisiana Waterthrush
263. Pectoral Sandpiper
264. Anna's Hummingbird
265. Red-breasted Sapsucker
266. White-headed Woodpecker
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| White-headed Woodpecker Angeles National Forest, California August 2025 |
267. Western Wood-pewee
268. Dusky Flycatcher
269. Western Flycatcher
270. Steller's Jay
271. Common Raven
272. Mountain Chickadee
273. Pygmy Nuthatch
374. Western Bluebird
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| Western Bluebird Angeles National Forest, California August 2025 |
275. Lesser Goldfinch
276. Lawernce's Goldfinch
277. Dark-eyed Junco
278. Green-tailed Towhee
276. Spotted Towhee
277. Wilson's Warbler
278. Western Gull
279. Pigeon Guillemet
280. Common Murre
281. Scripts Murrelet
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| Scripp's Murrelets Pacific Ocean, California August 2025 |
282. Craveri Murrelet
283. Sabins Gull
284. Leach's Storm-Petrel
285. Ashy Storm-Petrel
286. Black Storm-Petrel
287. Pink-Footed Shearwater
288. Sooty Shearwater
289. Buller's Shearwater
290. Cocos Booby
291. Blue-Footed Booby
292. Brandt's Cormorant
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293. Elegant Tern
294. California Quail
295. Allen's Hummingbird
296. Nuttall's Woodpecker
297. Say's Phoebe
298. Cassin's Kingbird
299. California Scrub-Jay
300. Black Turnstone
301. Wrentit
302. Cactus Wren
303. California Towhee
304. Heermann's Gull
305. California Gull
306. Black Phoebe
307. Island Scrub-Jay
308. Black-vented Shearwater
309. Red Phalarope
310. Red-Necked Phalarope
311. Rhinoceros Auklet
312. Red-billed Tropicbird
313. Black-footed Albatross
314. Cook's Petrel
315. Western Grebe
316. Clark's Grebe
317. Lark Sparrow
318. Bar-headed Goose
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| Bar-headed Goose Ocala, Florida January 2025 |
319. Bank Swallow
320. Cliff Swallow
321. Yellow-throated Vireo
322. Eastern Wood-Pewee
323. Eastern Kingbird
324. Kentucky Warbler
325. Small-billed Elaenia
326. Upland Sandpiper
326. Blackburnian Warbler
327. Ovenbird
328. Prothonotary Warbler
329. Common Tern
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| Common Tern Bowditch Point Park - Fort Myers Beach October 2025 |
330. Magnolia Warbler
331. Gray-cheeked Thrush
332. Chestnut-sided Warbler
333. Black-throated Green Warbler
334. Bay-breasted Warbler
335. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wild Things Gallery
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| Island Glass Lizard Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida February 2025 |
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| Southeastern Five-lined Skink Rotary Park - Cape Coral March 2025 |
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| Florida Watersnake Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary March 2025 |
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| Florida Water Moccasin Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve March 2025 |
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| Florida Gopher Tortoise Fort Myers Beach, Florida April 2025 |
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| Florida Tree Snail Key Largo, Florida May 2025 |
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| Northern Curly-tailed Lizard Big Pine Key, Florida May 2025 |
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| African Agami Lizard Coral Gables, Florida May 2025 |
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| Florida Key Deer Big Pine Key, Florida May 2025 |
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| Mangrove Saltmarsh Snake Bunche Beach, Florida May 2025 |
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| Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Angeles National Forest - California August 2025 |
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| Southern Black Racer |
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