Birding

Category

Fun facts about the northern mockingbird

There’s more to this flying copycat than meets the eye . . . or ear. The Northern Mockingbird is one of North America’s most beloved mimics. The skilled singer has also become inextricable from American popular culture, providing inspiration for the fictional “Mockingjay” of the Hunger Games franchise to being a central theme in the iconic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. John James Audubon was a fan of the mocker as well. Here are some facts you might not have known about this American classic. There...

Enjoy birding with Audubon at Eden Gardens State Park March 18

Enjoy a combined birding walk with Bay County and Choctawhatchee Audubon. Eden Gardens is a 163-acre park featuring acres of very large, moss-covered oaks, camellias, azaleas and lots of other beautiful plants. Native plants are also featured. There is a nature trail we will walk. The centerpiece of the park is the Wesley Mansion, a two-story house with columns built in 1897. It is open to limited tours. Park entry fee $4. Meet at 8:15-8:30 in the main parking lot....

Join in on the annual Audubon Backyard Bird Count Feb. 17 – 20

Have 15 minutes to spare for the birds? Join Audubon for the 26th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), taking place Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20, 2023. Bird and nature lovers everywhere, of all skill levels and all abilities, unite in the effort to tally as many of the world’s bird species as possible over these four days. Combined with other bird counts, GBBC results help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring—whether individual species are...

Learn about hummingbirds in Niceville Feb. 2

Choctawhatchee Audubon hosts Fred Bassett of Hummingbird Research, Inc., who has been studying hummingbirds in the Southeastern U.S. for more than 20 years. Fred will discuss our wonderful ruby-throated hummingbirds in depth and introduce many species of western hummingbirds that winter in Florida. This program will be on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 800 on the 2nd floor of the Chandler Center (NW door of 519 Helms St.) at the Crosspoint Church in Niceville. Signs will...

Sandhill cranes winter in north Walton County

Winter visitors a welcome sight for local bird lovers For the last several years, migrating sandhill cranes have been spending the winter months in north Walton County in Paxton. Foraging in a wetland area and private pasture near Lake Jackson, more than 24 sandhill cranes spend several months in the area every year. Typically migrating in mid-December and staying until mid-March, the cranes are a welcome sight. With a wingspan of 73 inches and standing more than 41 inches tall,...

Learn, volunteer and go birding with Choctawhatchee Audubon in November

Enjoy educational opportunities with the Choctawhatchee Audubon this November. Thursday, November 3 – Jeff Talbert, project coordinator with Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Dept. of Conservation and Research will be talking about some of the more unique plants that contribute to our area’s most biologically diverse ecosystems, particularly our local wetlands around the coastal dune lakes in Walton County. The program will be in Room 800 on the 2nd floor of the Chandler Center of Crosspoint Church, NW door of 519 Helms...