Gray catbirds mewed from nearby bushes and a flock of Orange-winged Amazon parrots squawked across the sky even before our group of 25 women fully entered Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for our morning of birding on November 16. Coordinated by Phoebe Stacey Kaufman who volunteers at Fairchild, the field trip offered our group an opportunity to observe, count, and record as many birds on the property as we could to contribute to the Garden’s bird conservation program – and of course, to have some fun!

On Sunday, October 13th, 2024, the Phoebes Birding group gathered in A.D. Barnes Park in southwest Miami for the group’s third annual Big Sit.  Over the course of the morning, the Phoebes spotted forty-five species from their strategically placed circle that afforded views of fruiting fig trees, a large pond, and open sky. 

If you ever wanted to learn more about how to identify a Cooper’s Hawk, then the April 28th walk at Evergreen Cemetery was the place to be. The endless discussion between birders on the differences between Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk was made clearer with many sightings of this magnificent raptor. We saw both a male and a female, observed hunting behavior and saw one eating a bird, and studied its characteristic flap-flap-glide flight pattern. The best view included one of a handsome male with his black cap and characteristic flat head. I pointed out how long the tail hung down below the branch when perched.