Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Field Trip 2025
Saturday, November 8, 2025 • Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden • Report by Stacey Kaufman | Photos by Carmit Teicher and Ana Lima
On Saturday, November 8, 2025, 30 Phoebes trekked through the historical Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables. This was our second annual birding trip I’ve had the pleasure to coordinate as a Fairchild volunteer. We spotted 45 species of both resident and migrating birds during this two-hour adventure.
At the beginning of our walk down to the lowlands, we listened and spotted two resident Pileated Woodpeckers “drumming” on a telephone pole. This was a first for some of our newest Phoebes, who have never seen a Pileated Woodpecker before! We remarked how prehistoric this bird appears and learned that male and female Pileated Woodpeckers are paired up and remain monogamous throughout their lives.
Another notable migratory bird species we saw was an estimated 500 Turkey Vultures, which soared overhead as they took advantage of the columns of warm, rising air, also known as “thermals.” They circle within these updrafts, maintaining height and scanning the landscape below with their excellent vision, looking for carrion (dead animals). Other raptors we saw were Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, and an American Kestrel.
Nearing the end of the tour, some of us were highly entertained by a couple of Black-and-white Warblers who popped around in Fairchild’s Pine-Rockland section. A few of us stayed later in the native bird and butterfly garden area, where we saw two very elusive Painted Buntings, a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and a “meowing” Gray Catbird.
In total we recorded and submitted 45 species and 660 individuals to eBird https://ebird.org/checklist/S284237759
BIRDS WE SAW
Egyptian Goose
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)
White-crowned Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
White Ibis
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Green Heron
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-shouldered Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Orange-winged Amazon
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Painted Bunting