Birding

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Choctawhatchee Audubon Society looking for shorebird count volunteers

Be a part of the Audubon bird count! Choctawhatchee Audubon Society, encouraged by Audubon of Florida, is organizing weekly surveys of certain shorebirds along the Gulf Coast. Currently they are in need of volunteers for the State Park areas in Walton County. A good pair of binoculars or a scope will allow counting of our shorebirds with minimum requirement for long walks in the sand.  The 28 species on the form attached will not be difficult to learn to identify,...

Enjoy a lazy day paddle down the Shoal River

Scenic river in Crestview offers a journey through a wetland hardwood forest The appropriately named Shoal River offers an abundance of sandy sandbars, (shoals) along with cool water along a meandering 10-mile paddle in Crestview. This 10-mile stretch is the only open publicly accessible run on the river. It is easily accessible with a boat ramp at each end, with put in at U.S. Hwy. 90 and take out a SR-85 in Crestview. As part of the Florida Greenways and...

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge designated contact for oiled Wildlife in Walton County

Currently donations and supplies along with volunteers to answer phones are most needed To report oiled or injured wildlife in an area after it has been designated as oiled, call 800-557-1401 Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is now the point of contact for local response to oiled wildlife in the Walton County area. They have put in a request with BP’s training coordinator to conduct volunteer training for the general public in our area, but have not received a response as yet. There...

Preventative beach cleaning in preparation of oil spill may harm nesting shorebirds

Remove only man made litter along South Walton’s beaches as natural debris in place provides nesting benefits to shorebirds and other wildlife A well-intentioned recommendation from Volunteer Florida urging eager people to move beach litter above the high water line to make cleaning up oil that may come ashore easier may prove harmful to beach nesting shorebirds. Florida’s beaches and marshes are the nesting sites for many different species of birds—Plovers, Terns, Gulls, Pelicans, Herons, Egrets, Rails, and more. Beach...