Meet trip leader Trina Anderson at the grassy parking lot next to Chapmans Pond. We will start by scanning the pond of this water treatment facility for water birds, swallows and flycatchers. Then we will hike the surrounding 1.5 miles of trail past other water features through dry oak woods and open mowed lawns seeking American Kestrel and late migrants.
Directions: Take SW 75th St. (Tower Rd.) 3 mi. south of Newberry Rd. (or 1.2 mi. north of Archer Rd.) to SW 41st Place at the corner of Veterans Memorial Park. Go east just over 1/2 mile where the road curves and the parking lot will be on the left.
Difficulty: 2. (may involve uneven terrain one to two miles).
Meet trip leader Howard Adams at the Tag Agency on NW 34th St. just south of US-441 to carpool to one of the county’s best spots for sparrows, blackbirds, and raptors, not to mention western strays like Yellow-headed Blackbird and Bronzed Cowbird. It doesn’t smell pretty, though. Just sayin’.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
Meet trip leader Rex Rowan at Powers Park to carpool to the Camps Canal gate, where parking is limited. Paynes Prairie has agreed to give Alachua Audubon access from Camps Canal through to Cones Dike, which extends out into the rarely-visited marshes on the east side of Paynes Prairie. We’ll be looking primarily for sparrows and other winter birds.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Meet trip leader Rex Rowan in the Publix parking lot at the corner of Tower Rd. (SW 75th St.) and Archer Rd. The Kanapaha Prairie, a 700-acre grassland dotted with marshy ponds, is co-owned by The Conservation Fund and several surrounding landowners. Access is restricted, so field trips like this one are possible only every year or two. Expect grassland, marsh, and open-country birds like Marsh and Sedge Wrens, Savannah and Swamp Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlark, Loggerhead Shrike, and American Kestrel. Sandhill Cranes may have arrived by now, and they like the Kanapaha Prairie.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
Meet field trip leader Matt Bruce for a walk along the Levy Lake dike trail at Barr Hammock Preserve. You’ll have the option to walk the whole 6.5-mile loop, but Matt will announce a good turn-around point for those who don’t want to go the whole way. We’ll be birding marsh, wet prairie, and woodland edges in search of wintering warblers, wrens, and sparrows.
To reach the trailhead, drive south from Gainesville on US-441. Across from Lake Wauberg, turn right onto Wacahoota Rd. (County Road 18). Go roughly half a mile and, just after the I-75 overpass, turn left on SE 11th Dr. and continue all the way down to the parking area.
Difficulty: 1, 2, or 3, depending on how far you walk.
Meet trip leader Matt Bruce at Heagy Burry Park in the town of Orange Lake. From Gainesville, head south on US-441 to the Alachua/Marion county line. From the county line continue on 441 another 4.5 miles and turn left just past the Sunoco station onto NW 191st Place, which dead-ends at the park.
You’ll need to bring your own canoe or kayak for this trip. Depending on the weather, we’ll paddle along the shores of McIntosh Bay to the point where it opens up to the main lake. Gulls, terns, ducks, and other open-water birds are possible, as well as marsh-dwelling species.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Meet trip leader Debbie Segal in the parking lot of Hitchcock’s grocery store on US-441 in Alachua to carpool to the water treatment wetlands near Lake City (you can also meet us at 8:30 at the SS Food Store a block west of I-75 at Exit #423).
The Lake City Treatment Wetland, opened in 2016, is a series of nine wetland cells constructed to treat Lake City’s wastewater. We hope to see a plethora of waterfowl, wading birds, and perhaps some rarities as we walk the dikes separating the cells.
This site is not open to the public and the gate will be closed after we enter the site, so don’t be late!
Difficulty: 1 (trip within easy access of vehicle and/or level terrain one mile or less).
John Hintermister Memorial Field Trip
The late John Hintermister led the St. Marks trip every January for years, so we’ve named the trip after him in yet another inadequate attempt to honor the memory of a man who served Alachua Audubon for nearly 60 years – literally since its inception.
Meet Phil Laipis and Don Morrow (close friends of John’s) at the St. Marks visitor center on Saturday at 8 a.m. to begin an all-day visit to one of Florida’s premier winter birding spots. Expect birds in great numbers and variety.
Bring a lunch and plenty of water, and make motel reservations if you’re staying all weekend. Sunday’s meeting time and location will be decided on Saturday.
There is a limit of 20 people, so call Wild Birds Unlimited (352-381-1997) to register.
Entry fee $5 per vehicle. National Parks Pass and Duck Stamp are also accepted.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Sunrise Wildlife Rehabilitation, located on 20 acres in the heart of High Springs, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of injured, displaced, or orphaned wildlife. They are well known for educational programs designed to instill in their audience an appreciation and love for wild animals. The programs feature their “wildlife ambassadors,” including a Barred Owl, a Great Horned Owl, a few Eastern Screech-Owls, and a Virginia Opossum.
We will tour the flight cages and get up close to the owls and opossum. We will also walk the trails around the property in search of warblers, bluebirds, and woodpeckers.
Directions:
Trip leader Jerry Krummrich will lead us along the wooded berm around this marshy 338-acre lake in Columbia County looking for waterfowl, wading birds, and woodland species. This site has often produced unusual birds.
Meet at the Tag Agency, 5801 NW 34th St. Gainesville to car-pool.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
Meet trip leader Felicia Lee at the trailhead on Camp Ranch Rd. La Chua is one of the best spots for close study of a variety of sparrows and other brush-loving birds. Entry fee $4 per vehicle.
Entry fee for the State Park is $4 per vehicle.
Difficulty: 2. (may involve uneven terrain one to two miles).
Meet trip leader Anne Barkdoll of the Alachua Conservation Trust at the parking corral on the north side of State Road 20 1.75 miles east of US-301. This will be our second visit to this 2,868-acre Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) property, which opened to the public in January 2017. Migratory birds should be present in good numbers along the 2-mile trail that parallels the marshy creek. Wear rubber boots or old shoes you don’t mind getting wet, as the trail can be soggy in places.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
*The Conservation Lands Educational Program (CLEP) is designed to bring attention to local land conservation efforts. These trips are conducted on properties purchased to protect natural resources and will be led by a representative of the agency in charge, who will discuss ecological features and history. CLEP trips will be educational experiences, so the emphasis will be on much more than birding.
You’ll need to bring your own canoe or kayak for this trip.
Join Matt Bruce for an exploration of the river that connects Newnans Lake and Paynes Prairie with Orange Lake.
We’ll take a short way upstream through cypress swamp then south through a network of narrow waterways that traverse the marsh dominating the northern arm of Orange Lake.
American White Pelican, several duck species, and Prothonotary Warbler are possible.
Get navigation from the link above or follow these directions: Take US 441 south from Gainesville to a mile south of the flashing light in Micanopy. Turn left onto County Road 346 and go 2.8 miles to the small bridge (Cross Creek Bridge on Google Maps) over River Styx. Park on the shoulder beyond the bridge. Bring sunscreen and water.
Note: this trip is subject to last-minute cancellation due to inclement weather or adverse river conditions.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Meet trip leader Rex Rowan in the Target parking lot on Archer Rd. at I-75. The emphasis on this trip will be spring migrants – mainly warblers and shorebirds. We’ll also look for some uncommon and/or coastal-nesting species: Gray Kingbird, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Short-tailed Hawk. Some people stick around after the trip for lunch.
Difficulty: 1 (trip within easy access to vehicle and/or level terrain one mile or less).
Meet county biologist Steve Hofstetter in the preserve parking lot (see map above for navigation) on County Road 236 three tenths mile west of its junction with County Road 241. From US-441 in Alachua go north on State Road 241 (keeping left when 235 splits off) six miles to County Road 236.
This was the first purchase of the Alachua County Forever program, 1,190 acres of deep hardwood forest containing the southernmost stand of beech trees in North America. We’ll walk through this beautiful and ecologically valuable tract of conservation land, enjoying its flora and fauna.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
*The Conservation Lands Educational Program (CLEP) is designed to bring attention to local land conservation efforts. These trips are conducted on properties purchased to protect natural resources and will be led by a representative of the agency in charge, who will discuss ecological features and history. CLEP trips will be educational experiences, so the emphasis will be on much more than birding.
Meet trip leader Bubba Scales at the Trailhead parking lot on Millhopper Road for a walk on the trail less traveled by recent AAS field trips. We’ll amble through shady hammocks, pinelands, and sandhills looking for migrating warblers, thrushes, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Scarlet Tanagers.
Entry fee $4 per vehicle.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Trip leader Jonathan Mays will lead us along a 2.5-mile trail through a variety of habitats that include pinewoods, open oak woodlands, wetlands, and a bit of lakeshore. Plenty of migrant warblers and thrushes should be around.
Meet in the parking corral for the Pithlachocco Trails, directly across the road from the NFETC sign on State Road 26, three-quarters of a mile north of the junction with County Road 329B.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Meet trip leader Barbara Shea at Palm Point Park to search for spring migrants like American Redstart, Cape May and Blackpoll Warblers, and Scarlet Tanager. And we can scan the lake from the point for Bald Eagles, Laughing Gulls, and unexpected visitors from the coast.
Directions: Navigate using the map link above or follow Hawthorne Road (FL State Route 20) east from Gainesville, turning left onto Lake Shore Dr. which is one mile past the Kangaroo Express and Eastside HS.
Difficulty: 1 (trip within easy access to vehicle and/or level terrain one mile or less).
Meet Rex Rowan in the parking corral of the Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve (on CR-325 2.3 miles south of Hawthorne Rd.) to kick off The June Challenge. We’ll try to find Common Nighthawk and Bachman’s Sparrow at Longleaf. Next we’ll go to Windsor to scope Newnans Lake for Bald Eagles and Laughing Gulls. Our last stop will be Sweetwater Wetlands Park ($5 per vehicle entry fee) to search for Bobolink, King Rail, Least Bittern, and Purple Gallinule. We’ll be done by lunchtime with 40-50 species on our June Challenge lists.
$5 parking fee at Sweetwater Wetlands Park
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
Meet at First Magnitude Brewery (1220 SE Veitch Street) for a stroll to Depot Park to look for birds, and return to First Mag for a cold brew and good conversation. Birds and Brew is a monthly event meeting on the 1st Sunday evening. The walks generally run 45 minutes to an hour.
Be sure to check the start time each month as it will vary through the year.
All birding skill levels are welcome; enthusiasm is what matters! Bring your binoculars and a thirst for good craft beer (but if you forget your binoculars, stop by anyway, because we’ll have some to loan out).