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).
Please join us Saturday, January 11th, from 8 AM – noon as we celebrate 60 years of community education, conservation, partnerships, and birding!
Celebrations will include inaugural tours of the newly fledged Prairie Creek Banding Station (live birds in hand!), two birding walks led by local experts, “Einstein” the Great-Horned Owl ambassador from Sunrise Wildlife Rehabilitation, games, prizes, brief presentations, and refreshments! Family friendly!
Prairie Creek Lodge
Location map
7204 SE County Road 234, Gainesville, Florida 32641
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR THE ALACHUA AUDUBON BACKYARD BIRDING TOUR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 from 9 AM – 3 PM
Explore several of Gainesville’s premier backyard birding habitats on a self-guided tour
Learn how to attract a diverse group of birds to your own backyard
Discover what types of vegetation to plant and where to plant it in your own yard to attract more species of birds
Learn how water features can be effective bird attractants
Educational displays and bird experts will be at each tour stop to answer your questions
Tickets are $15.00 and available at Wild Birds Unlimited, 4212 NW 16th Boulevard Call the store at 352-381-1997 for more details or email GainesvilleWBU@hotmail.com.
Tickets will also be available to purchase on the day of the tour at each tour location.
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).