For the American Birder, the Dry Tortugas is a bucket list destination that gives you a chance to see a part of the US like never before. Set 70 miles off Key West, this national park offers a combination of history, birdwatching and wildlife photography unlike few places on Earth!

Our trip is timed with the breeding colonies of Sooty Terns, Brown Noddies, Masked Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds being in full swing! Other sea-loving species that we can hope to connect with on the islands include Bridled and Roseate Tern, Black Noddy, Brown Booby, while on the ferry ride to-and-from the park, the Sargasso Shearwater, a recent split from Audubon’s Shearwater might offer a chance to tick this southern Tubenose species!

The islands are also a well-known migrant trap and every year the surprises are different! Cuckoos, vireos, warblers, tanagers and buntings all concentrate in the trees and water feature of the fort, while a variety of raptors hunt from the ledges and shorebirds forage along the beach. If luck is on our side, we might encounter a surprise vagrant or two, but overall, this day trip to the park will be one to remember.

On our final day, we will make time to see as many of the “Caribbean Specialties” we might still need for the trip. These species call the Florida Keys home during the summer months and their arrival in the weeks leading to the trip ensure that we can enjoy them in full-breeding mode with Gray Kingbird, White-crowned Pigeon, Black-whiskered Vireo, Mangrove Cuckoo and Antillean Nighthawk being standout targets for the day before dropping off at the airport.

DETAILED ITINERARY:

April 24, 2026:

Pickup in the morning from the Miami International airport and drive down to Key West, our base for the following 2 nights. Stops along the way will have us checking for a variety of targets like the Mangrove Cuckoo, the Golden subspecies of Yellow Warbler, and a variety of waders including Reddish Egret, Great White Heron and Black-necked Stilt. After we check in to our hotel, we will make a drive to the nearby airport for our first attempt for Antillean Nighthawk, this nocturnal species is nearly identical to the more widespread Common Nighthawk, which also breeds in the area, our trip times with the best time to see these birds as they do the distinct call that makes it easy to tell them apart! An early dinner will have us in our rooms ready and rested for the highlight of the trip tomorrow.

April 25, 2026:

Early departure will have us boarding the Yankee Freedom to visit Dry Tortugas National Park at 7:00AM, we will spend the complete day exploring Garden Key and once we are back on Key West around 5:30PM. Some of our targets for the day in the park include Masked and Brown Booby, Bridled and Sooty Tern, Brown and Black Noddy, Magnificent Frigatebird, Sargasso Shearwater; along with a variety of migrant species from Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Peregrine Falcon to Swainson’s Warbler and Veery.

**Please note that while Breakfast and Lunch are included with the Dry Tortugas trip, these tend to be somewhat basic, so you are free to bring your own snacks for the day.**

Once in Key West, we will begin our attempt to find some specialties we are still missing in migrant traps like Fort Zachary Taylor State Park or try for a few species we might still need for the trip like Reddish Egret and Clapper Rail in the mangrove forests. A second attempt will be had for the Antillean Nighthawk if we still need it.

April 26, 2026:

Exploring Florida Keys is the aim today. We will try to find as many of the special species that call this part of the US home, the itinerary is flexible to allow for the biggest amount of time for a desired species as we drive northwards. Depending on the species we are missing, some targets for the day include White-crowned Pigeon, Mangrove Cuckoo, Roseate Tern, Gray Kingbird, Black-whiskered Vireo, along with a variety of spring migrants and potential Caribbean vagrants. Some of the places explored today include Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West Botanical Gardens, Grassy Key and Big Pine Key’s Blue Hole – the latter is home of the endangered Key Deer.

We will aim to have a late lunch in Islamorada, before we being our drive north towards the Miami International Airport for a late afternoon departure.

Tour Fee: $1,690 per person based on double occupancy

Single Supplement: $700. The extra payment will be arranged with the guide after booking.

Tour Fee covers pickup and drop-off at the Miami International Airport (or nearby hotel), guiding and transportation, lodging and ferry ride to Dry Tortugas National Park. Not included are meals and personal drinks outside of the ones listed in the itinerary, laundry, or other amenities/extra expenses.

**An additional $500 deposit will be due to the guide within one week of holding your reservation. Balance of payment due to the guide by December 31, 2025.

**This trip requires a minimum of 4 participants to run, maximum 8. Participants will be notified of trip status within 1 month of tour date and full refunds will be provided if there are not enough participants to allow the trip to go ahead.