Trip from Michigan to Florida...BIRDWATCHING

My 13 year old son is an avid birwatcher and for his birthday he said he only wanted money to go on a trip somewhere far away from Michigan to do some birdwatching. I decided Florida would be the best combo of cheaper flights and a VERY different group of birds than he would see in Michigan. My plan is to fly into Florida from eith Detroit or Flint Bishop, rent a car, and stay in different hotels around the state as we drive along the coast to find birds. My first thought was fly to Orlando, drive over to Tampa, down to Miami, back up the east coast and fly out of Orlando 2-3 days later. Does this sound doable? I am also trying to figure out the cheapest place to fly into Florida and some suggestions of good places to stay along the coast.

ANY advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Derek

Trip from Michigan to Florida...BIRDWATCHING

http://www.floridabirdingtrail.com/

http://www.seabirdsanctuary.com/

I don%26#39;t know much about the subject, but I do know of the above that might be of interest.

Sounds like your plan is doable. I would look as much as possible on the internet for places you may want to see, like the Seabird Sanctuary, then make a travel plan, but you could do a loop like that in a few days, but I guess you don%26#39;t want to do too big of a loop as I guess the purpose is to be out of the car more than in it. In the Tampa area, there is Tampa airport (code TPA) and a smaller airport (PIE) that doesn%26#39;t have many flights, but it can be cheaper if a flight goes there from your area.

Trip from Michigan to Florida...BIRDWATCHING

Birds aplenty in Florida! I love the variety, especially the shorebired.

Sainibel/Captiva island is a great choice, post on the forums there for more info. And the Everglades too, but when are you traveling? It could get hot...and buggy. Consider a sunset (or sunrise) boat or kayak trip at Ding Darling preserve if you really want to get up close and personal with birds. It%26#39;s amazing!

Corkscrew Swamp is another great spot. Once you decide where you will go, post on those forums and see what the local de%26#39;s say. Lots ofpoeple are keen on birds so I am sure you%26#39;ll get plenty of advice!

What I noticed in Florida was the common sightings of birds everywhere. We have egrets and herons and pelicans out here too, but I recall driving through Ft. Myers and seeing a flock if egrets zooming across the road past the Publix. Just because :-)

Happy birding!

Thank you so much for the info. After reading your suggestions and doing some other research I have decided to drop the idea of a loop around Florida...too much driving and packing/unpacking. We will be going Memorial Day weekend (May 23-25) and flying into Orlando Saturday morning and leaving Monday night. My tentative plan is to stay near Sarasota because I want to hit the coastal areas near Tampa/St. Pete in the afternoon and evening on Saturday, then on Sunday head south to Corkscrew or Sanibel or Big Cypress (still trying to decide), and then on Monday before we leave in the evening drive back across the state to visit Merritt Island before going back to Orlando to fly home. It sounds VERY busy but I want to fit in as much as possible in a short period of time.

Thanks again for the ideas,

Derek