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 things that make them special.
The meeting and program are free and is open to everyone who has an interest in birds and nature, and will be held in Rm 132 of the new Student Services Center at the Niceville Campus of Northwest Florida State College. Refreshments and socializing begin and 6:30 p.m., with the program at 7 p.m. Call Walt Spence at 582-7064 for more information.
October 6: Explore the Outdoors Festival. Join us at this fun family event at Live Oak
Landing on Black Creek in Freeport from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. We’ll be educating kids on birds and birding. For more information on the Festival, call Lori Ceier at 850-267-2064, or visit www.waltonoutdoors.com/explorefest on the net. To volunteer, call Walt Spence at 850-582-7064.
October 13: Bird Walk at Oak Tree Nature Park in Mary Esther led by Lenny Fenimore. Meet at Coach and Four Restaurant on N. Lewis Turner Blvd. at 7:30 a.m. and at the Park at 7:50 a.m. Call Lenny at 863-0239 for information. Wear long pants and sleeves.
October 20: Field Trip to Taminco/Air Products Wildlife Refuge near Milton, FL. Alan
Knothe will lead this exclusive trip. Attendees must register by Oct. 6 by contacting Alan at
birdman6419@cox.net or by calling him at 850-862-3498. You must provide your name and whether you are bringing a camera. Bring personal identification. Meet at Uptown Station in Ft. Walton at 7:00 a.m., and then at the Waffle House at the Hwy 87 Exit from I-10 near Milton at 7:50 a.m. Be prepared for a walk in the woods: water, sunscreen, long pants and sleeves, hat, and insect repellent. This is an exceptional birding spot and our visit should be well timed to coincide with the arrival of the annual duck migration. The first year ducks should be in juvenile plumage and the adults will be eclipse.