Meet trip leader Rex Rowan at the parking lot of the Watermelon Pond WEA on SW 250th Street 2.0 miles south of SW 46th Avenue. We’ll be looking for open-country migrants like Western Kingbirds as well as winter arrivals like Savannah and Vesper Sparrows (and the season’s first Yellow-rumped Warblers!). Fall wildflowers ought to be blooming, and hopefully we’ll encounter a Fox Squirrel or two.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Ginny Stibolt, a life-long gardener with a Master of Science degree in botany, will speak on topics from the book, Climate-Wise Landscaping: Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future by Sue Reed and herself. The book was published by New Society Press in 2018. The authors have taken an optimistic approach, with hundreds of actions that people can take to accomplish at least one of 3 objectives: 1) to help the landscape survive climate change, 2) to help wildlife survive climate change, and 3) to help mitigate climate change. Since moving to Florida in 2004, Ginny has written 4 peer-reviewed books on Florida gardening, all published by University Press of Florida. In addition, she has written hundreds of gardening and nature articles for various publications.
Social Time 6:30, program 7:00 p.m.
Meet trip leader Rex Rowan in the parking corral for the West Trail, on State Road 26 one mile north of the junction with County Road 329B. The 182-acre field on this property produced 13 species of sparrows last winter, including Henslow’s, Lincoln’s, and Clay-colored, and we’ll see how many of them we can find. Interesting western strays are also possible at this time of year.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
Meet field trip leader Barbara Shea in the SWP parking lot on Williston Road about ¾ of a mile east of US-441. This city park was created to improve water quality in Paynes Prairie and the Floridan Aquifer. It’s now a draw to a large variety of birds, with 237 species reported to eBird so far. We’ll look for ducks, American Bitterns, and other wetland birds.
Entry fee $5 per vehicle.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
For decades the fields north of Lake Apopka were cultivated for vegetables by the Duda family. About 20 years ago the St. Johns Water Management District bought those fields, and now they grow birds and other wildlife.
Join trip leader Howard Adams for a driving tour through the brushy wetlands of the Lake Apopka Restoration Area, one of the best birding areas in the state. Fulvous Whistling-Ducks are regular there, and rarities often show up; in 2017 a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was present for several months.
Meet in the Target parking lot on Archer Road just east of I-75.
Difficulty: 1 (trip within easy access of vehicle and/or level terrain one mile or less).
Meet trip leader Chris Burney at Powers Park on Hawthorne Rd. to carpool to the Alachua Conservation Trust’s 500-acre Prairie Creek Preserve. The Preserve encompasses a variety of uplands and lowlands, and we’ll sample several of them in search of sparrows and winter feeding flocks. Wear rubber boots or old shoes you don’t mind getting wet, as the trail can be soggy or even flooded.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain and/or walking distances one to two miles).
Southeast Asia has roughly 20,000 islands scattered throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and this talk provides an introduction to 2 of them, Bali and Borneo. Isolated, islands are hotbeds of speciation, and most birdwatching trips to the region focus on the endemics found throughout.
Join us as Chris Burney briefly gives a background of the islands with maps, and spend the bulk of the presentation covering the highlights with pics and illustrations from two months of travel.
Social Time 6:30, program 7:00 p.m.
Southeast Asia has roughly 20,000 islands scattered throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and this talk provides an introduction to 2 of them, Bali and Borneo. Isolated, islands are hotbeds of speciation, and most birdwatching trips to the region focus on the endemics found throughout.
Join us as Chris Burney briefly gives a background of the islands with maps, and spend the bulk of the presentation covering the highlights with pics and illustrations from two months of travel.
Social Time 6:30, program 7:00 p.m.
Meet trip leader Rex Rowan in the parking corral for the West Trail on State Road 26 one mile north of the junction with County Road 329B. The 182-acre field on this property produced 13 species of sparrows last winter, including Henslow’s, Lincoln’s, and Clay-colored, and we’ll see how many of them we can find.
Difficulty: 2 (Walking over uneven ground or distances of 1-2 miles.)
By starting with planting the wrong plants in the wrong place, Ann Wiley learned well what it takes to create a safe living space for songbirds. Learn beautiful and effective landscaping principals that contribute to the survival of our feathered friends.
Social Time 6:30, program 7:00 p.m.
Meet trip leader Bubba Scales in the Publix parking lot at SW 34th St. and Williston Rd. to carpool. The 6,577-acre Emeralda Marsh in northern Lake County, at the headwaters of the Ocklawaha River, is a National Natural Landmark. It is also a prime winter-birding location, with extensive tracts of marsh and woodland accessible by a 3.5-mile Interpretive Drive. We should see a profusion of ducks, waders, raptors, Sandhill Cranes, Limpkins, sparrows, and warblers.
Difficulty: 1 (trip within easy access of vehicle and/or level terrain one mile or less).
Meet trip leader Felicia Lee at the parking area beside the ranger/pay station at the park entrance off US-441 just north of Micanopy. The woods should be green with new leaves, spring wildflowers should be blooming, and birds should be singing.
Main Entrance fees:
- $6 per vehicle, limit 2-8 people per vehicle
- $4 Single Occupant Vehicle
- $2 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain one to two miles).
Meet trip leader Geoff Parks in the MNC parking lot for a visit to one of Gainesville’s premier nature parks featuring over six miles of trails through sandhills, flatwoods, cypress domes, and beautifully-restored native longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat. Morningside also features a working 19th-century farm, a bird blind, and a diverse array of wildlife that thrives in this unique environment.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain one to 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 Rex Rowan in the Publix parking lot at SW 34th St. and Williston Rd. Come and admire the longleaf sandhills and scrub in this marvelous 383,000-acre remnant of the original Florida, while we search for Florida Scrub-Jay, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman’s Sparrow, and other specialty birds.
Difficulty: 2 (may involve uneven terrain one to two miles).
Meet trip leader Matt Bruce at Kate’s Fish Camp on Hawthorne Rd. at Prairie Creek. Going east on Hawthorne Rd., drive past Powers Park and 0.7 mile later, just before the bridge, turn left into Kate’s. If you’ve got a canoe or kayak, bring it ($5 launching fee); if you don’t, Kate’s has a limited number you can rent (one-person kayak $15, canoe $20).
Email Matt at mattbrucefl@gmail.com if you plan to rent. Depending on the water levels, we’ll paddle along the lakeshore and/or down Prairie Creek, keeping an eye out for Prothonotary Warblers, Limpkins, and other swamp-loving birds.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Come join us on Wednesday, April 10th at 6:30 pm for Alachua Audubon’s annual pot luck dinner celebration and help us welcome our newest AAS Board Members.
This event will be held at Anne Casella’s house at 2245 NW 24th Ave, Gainesville, Florida 32605-2941
Look for the AAS signs!
Bring some food to share and a beverage of choice, and enjoy visiting with Alachua Audubon members and the Board of Directors. This will be a fun gathering and an opportunity to share our more recent spring migration observations!
The Alachua Audubon Society is a volunteer organization. Officers of Alachua Audubon Board of Directors are: President: Debbie Segal, Vice President: Scott Flamand, Secretary: Felicia Lee, and Treasurer: Trina Anderson. Returning board members are Emily Schwartz, Bob Simons, Anne Casella, Barbara Shea, Karen Brown, Katie Sieving, Charlene Leonard, Adam Zions, Steve Goodman, Michael Brock and Alan Shapiro.
We would like to welcome our newest board members Chris Burney. We would also like to thank the outgoing Board member Mike Manetz for his time and effort to make this a successful organization.
Please join us on April 11th as we celebrate Alachua Audubon and welcome our newest board members.
Bell Ridge is a 720-acre property with a 3.1-mile trail winding through what has been described as “one of the highest quality longleaf pine sandhill forest tracts in Florida.”
Join trip leader Deena Mickelson in the parking lot of the Publix at NW 53rd Ave. and NW 43rd St. to carpool. We’ll be looking for Summer Tanagers, Bachman’s Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, American Kestrels, and other longleaf-savannah species.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve elevation change, uneven terrain, and/or walking distances greater than two miles).
Sorry, but the field trip to Green Acres Nature Park has been canceled.
Meet trip leader Becky Minnick in the SWP parking lot on Williston Road about ¾ of a mile east of US-441. By early May, our marsh birds should be involved in courtship and nesting. We’ll be looking for Purple Gallinules, Least Bitterns, Limpkins, and a variety of wading birds, as well as some late migrants like sandpipers, swallows, and Bobolinks.
Entry fee $5 per vehicle. Bring sunscreen and water.
Difficulty: 3 (may involve distances greater than two miles).
Meet trip leader Steven Goodman in the Publix parking lot at NW 39th Ave. and NW 13th St. to carpool/convoy to these agricultural fields about 20 miles southeast of Palatka in search of rarely-seen fall migrants like Upland Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and American Golden-Plover (AKA “grasspipers”).
Bring water, lunch, and insect repellent.
Difficulty: 1 (trip within easy access to vehicle and/or level terrain one mile or less).