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Gulf County Birding Loop Field Trip (Panama City, FL)

Lauren Ali — Sat, 12 May 2018 11:00:00 +0000

Gulf County Birding Loop Field Trip
Meeting location: Panama City Mall-2150 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Panama City, FL 32405
Saturday, May 12th at 7:00am

Our trip will include the Gulf County birding loop around the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers. We will meet at the Panama City Mall at 7:00 AM and leave at 7:15. We will be birding fields, wood and wet areas for an assortment of birds including Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites. Bring water, snacks, and bug spray.

Bay County Audubon Society
For more information, please email rdhouser@knology.net.

Wings Over Florida at L. Kirk Edwards WEA

Lauren Ali — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 12:00:00 +0000

2017 is the 75th Anniversary of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Management Area system. As part of this year long celebration, Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail staff Andy Wraithmell and Whitney Gray will be leading a bird and butterfly walk at L. Kirk Edwards Wildlife and Environmental Area near Tallahassee on Saturday October 7.

Butterfly Walk at Deering Estate

Lauren Ali — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 15:00:00 +0000

The Deering Estate provides a beautiful natural setting for a variety of activities. Join Jared Guerra for a fun Wings Over Florida butterfly walk and earn your Zebra Longwing certificate. This family-friendly program is free with paid admission.

Everglades Agricultural Area Birding

Lauren Ali — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 11:00:00 +0000

Paul Bithorn and Brian Rapoza lead an all-day carpool trip to sod farms and flooded agricultural fields in the Belle Glade area of Palm Beach County. No fee. Meet at 7am at Sawgrass Recreation Park, on US-27, about 2 miles north of I-75 in Broward County. Walkie-talkies are recommended. There will be a restaurant lunch stop.

Wings Over Florida field trip – Joe Budd WMA

Lauren Ali — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 12:30:00 +0000

2017 is the 75th Anniversary of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) wildlife management area system. As part of this year-long celebration, FWC staff will be leading Wings Over Florida field trips at select wildlife management areas throughout the state. Join Wings Over Florida coordinator Andy Wraithmell and Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail Coordinator Whitney Gray for this birding and butterfly viewing field trip at Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area. For more information visit our registration website.

Welcome to the Woods at Seminole Forest WMA

Lauren Ali — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to explore the woods with a guide, your golden opportunity is Saturday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the annual “Welcome to the Woods” event at Seminole Forest Wildlife Management Area in Lake County. Space for this free event is limited due to its popularity, so participants must register in advance by calling the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 352-732-1225. Participants should arrive by 9 a.m. the day of the event.

Birding the Bay Festival

Lauren Ali — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 11:00:00 +0000

Join us for a day-long birding event on the Forgotten Coast for birders of all levels, from advanced to beginners. Professionally-led tours will focus on shorebirds, migratory birds, and/or woodland species. See colorful song birds like Indigo Buntings and Summer Tanagers on St. George Island on their migratory stop over, view shorebirds in the shallow waters around St. George Island State Park, visit the pine woodlands where the Red Cockaded Woodpecker thrives, or learn the basics of birding with Audubon at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR).

After a morning in the field, participants will return to the ANERR Nature Center for lunch and a lecture by Budd Titlow, award-winning nature photographer and author, professional Wildlife biologist and wetlands scientist (Emeritus). The afternoon will also feature educational booths including the University of Massachusetts with a migratory mist net and bird banding demonstration, birds of prey information, Florida Audubon and representatives with the Florida Wild Mammal Association.

Visitors not registered for the tours are welcome to go birding along the ANERR boardwalks and beach, or attend the afternoon lecture. There will also be bird videos playing at the Nature Center throughout the day. The Jackson Childs “Gulf Crossing: Story of Spring” documentary will be shown at 10:00am in the Multipurpose Room. The educational booths will be staffed from 10am-2pm and include children’s activities and birding info. A silent auction open to all rounds out the afternoon.

Tours are for intermediate to experienced birders and are most appropriate for those 8 years and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. For beginner birding, sign up for the Birding 101 class. Tours are not strenuous. Seats are limited and available first come, first serve; participants must register and pay in advance.
$45.00 ticket includes: Guided tour, roundtrip transportation to and from ANERR to the birding tour sites, lunch, a Sibley’s birding book, commemorative t-shirt and a reusable tote bag filled goodies.
Participants choose from one of three options:
-Tour 1: St. George Island migratory songbirds, shorebirds, woodland birds
-Tour 2: Red Cockaded Woodpecker tour
-Tour 3: Birding 101 Guided tour for beginner birders. Learn birding basics, and see shorebirds and woodland species at ANERR.

Want to go birding on your own? Limited packages without tours are available. Package includes lunch, the lecture, a t-shirt, Sibley birding book and tote bag for $35.00.

Attendance for the movie, information booths, and silent auction activities are free and open to the public. ANERR’s nature center is free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm.

To register, visit birdingthebay.eventbrite.com. For more information, call 850-670-7700. Full refund available until April 3rd. Tours will happen rain or shine. If there is lightning, we will delay the tours until danger has past, then continue.

Florida Native Plant Society Annual Conference

Lauren Ali — Thu, 18 May 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Registration opening soon!

The 37th Annual Conference of the Florida Native Plant Society will be held in the heart of Florida, and central to the largest river restoration project in the world! The Kissimmee River restoration, a joint project by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, is designed to restore the complex relationships between land, wildlife, water and climate that were torn apart when the river was channelized in 1962. Before channelization, the river was a haven for native plants and wildlife, but afterwards many species of birds, fish and plants were lost, creating havoc on our economy and our environment. The restoration project to restore the river to its natural path is nearly half complete, and already much of the original flora and fauna have returned and the water quality is improving.

This year’s conference addresses those connections that are so important to the Kissimmee River Basin and beyond. What can we learn from the negative impact of the channelization, and the surprisingly quick recovery that has followed the restoration? What more needs to be done? How can the lessons learned in the Kissimmee River Basin be applied to other areas of Florida, the country and the world?

Tropical Audubon hosts Bird Walk at Greynold’s Park

Lauren Ali — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 12:30:00 +0000

From our friends at Tropical Audubon: Jim King will lead birders through Greynold’s Park (a GFBWT site) on Miami Beach. Meet at the park boathouse. Parking is available near the playground and the elevated mound opposite the boathouse. Return is at approximately 11 a.m. No fee for the event, but there is a fee for parking. Pay at the self-serve ...

13th annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival

Lauren Ali — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Mark your calendar for field trips and lectures during the 13th Annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival! Explore the local environment through almost 40 guided field trips to 20 wildlife hot spots around Southwest Florida and lectures at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
Field trips, including birding walks, buggy rides and boat tours, are offered in conjunction with partners such as Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Big Cypress National Preserve and Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Field trip prices range from $15 – $135, and registration is required.
Field trip registration is open!