Birding

Category

Learn about vultures at Topsail Nov. 2

Time: 1:30 p.m. Come learn about vultures at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on Nov. 2. These often misunderstood birds play a vital role in the health of our forests. Meet at the Day-Use entrance off of Hwy 30A and take a short hike to the clubhouse. All programs require a $6.00 per car entry admission into the park. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is located at 7525 W. County Highway 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL  32459 Phone: (850) 267-8330...

Choctawhatchee Audubon events for November

November 1: A program titled, “The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, Instilling Environmental Stewardship through Monitoring, Education, Research, and Restoration,” will be presented by the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance’s Director, Julie Terrell, at the November Meeting of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society. The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance of Northwest Florida State College (CBA) has been coordinating programs in Okaloosa and Walton counties inculcating watershed stewardship, estuarine education, and restoration of critical habitat in Choctawhatchee Bay. Ms. Terrell will describe CBA’s activities, including monitoring programs, both...

Look to the sky for migrating white pelicans in Northwest Florida

Migration time for white pelicans By Stan Kirkland, FWC One of the many benefits of living in the Florida panhandle and particularly near the coast is the vast variety of wildlife we often see. Daily, you’re apt to see bald eagles, ospreys, fox squirrels, black bears, wild turkeys, deer and numerous other species. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. One species you may miss that’s migrating through our area now are white pelicans. Just...

Choctawhatchee Audubon activities for October 2012

Join the Choctawhatchee Audubon for birding field trips and education. OCTOBER 4: Monthly Meeting. Alan Knothe, a local wildlife biologist, will present a program “Shorebirds of the Florida Panhandle.” Alan will discuss the vast and diverse group of shorebirds that frequent local beaches. Some use our beaches as nesting sites, while others stay for the winter. Still others use our area only as a migratory stopover. Learn about their natural history, their niche in the local ecology, and the many...

Early autumn in Walton County abounds with color

Autumn brings colorful display to forest floors Fall brings a colorful time to explore the outdoors in  Northwest Florida. In Walton County, we are fortunate to have several State Parks and the Point Washington State Forest providing and abundance of seasonal wildflowers and migrating butterflies. To name just a few native flowers in bloom this time of year are wild buckweat (Eriogonum tomentosum), hairy jointweed (Polygonella basiramia), senna symeria (seymeria cassioides), goldenaster (Chrysopsis sabrella), goldenrod (Soldago tortifolia), figwort (Agalinis satacea)...

Fall is the time of year for migrating hummingbirds in Northwest Florida

Fill up your feeders and enjoy a hummer show! Between now and early spring, rare hummingbird species from out West turn up in Florida on their way to their winter homes in the tropics. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are year-round residents throughout Florida, but many from up North also pass through here on their annual migration to Central America. Floridians who put up hummingbird feeders or grow red or orange tubular flowers may get a glimpse of one of at least nine...