Crap. Maybe seasonal but all beach parking has fees unlike SoCal(Malibu Lagoon street parking, Marina Del Rey..other Santa Monica beaches do require fee but haven't gone there). Cheapest 2 per hour, usually 4 per hour.
What's more, they start at 8am lol, 1 HOUR AFTER SUNRISE, and that's crap for seawatching, since birds are most active, usually rare birds, around dawn. Not only beaches, most inland parks as well.
The exception is Plantation Reserve, it's just a side strip of Golf Course, but it's free(parking too), and opens at dawn. Views of water is quite limited, in contrast to IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.
Too lazy and birded only an hour of so before the start of OB every day, and/so missed Gray-headed Swamphen(major hotspot is too far, and requires toll) and more unforgivably, Frigatebird lol, nervously stayed at Vista Park beach entrance having parked too early(7:39am lol), fearing my rental car being towed! And no restroom either, so couldn't stay longer, either(infamous infrastructure problem of the U.S.! Public rest area SO rare even in So Cal along highways).
Spotted like 72 species, added Short-tailed Hawk(only flyover, and only a glimpse), Limpkin, Wood Stork, Muscovy Duck, Spot-breasted Oriole. Other exotics(not countable but ebird counts it, dunno why); Ringed Teal, Common and Red-crested Pochard, White-cheeked Pintail, all at Tamarac Exotic Duck Pond(the setting is nothing artificial, the usual pond/canal which abounds in the area. Birded from the shopping mall parking lot).
So didn't visit major hotspots like
2 Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson SP 230
3 Markham Park 219
4 Hugh Taylor Birch SP 188
5 West Miramar WCA 188
6 Evergreen Cemetery 186
7 Francis S. Taylor WMA--Everglades Pkwy Rest Area 180
The best thing about the area is Jamaica Food, recommend Dutch Pot franchise! I was the only non-black customer lol.
Road Infrastructure was fine, clear and legible sign posts, unlike LRGV. People doesn't give line change signals though, driving the car, and were liberal with honking!
