Night-Herons and other nocturnal birding in southern Florida by Alex Lamoreaux

If we weren’t too exhausted from full days of birding, my friends and I tried to search for snakes, lizards, frogs, and any other herps would could find after dark during our 10 day trip through Florida. It was often too cold or too windy to really find much of anything, but we did come across quite a few birds while we were out wandering around in the dark. One evening, while we were searching for herps around the Flamingo marina in the Everglades, we had a really great time (eBird list) with an Eastern Screech-Owl and a Barred Owl calling in the distance, while a Black-crowned Night-Heron was foraging around the docks at the marina. We also found a Laughing Gull and an injured Common Loon nearby. Two nights later, when we made it down onto the keys and to our friend Mark’s house, a ‘Great White” Heron and an adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron welcomed us, as they foraged in the shallow water near the road (eBird list). Obviously it is well-known that night-herons do most of their foraging at night, but it was really neat to see the ‘Great White’ Heron out too.