The best souvenir a person can take home after a great vacation doesn’t go into a bag; it’s the memories you make! Some of the best memories come from experiencing or seeing something new, and there is no better place for bird watchers looking to experience a bit of excitement than the beaches area right now. With birds migrating south for the winter, Florida is something of a hotspot, and we have birds from everywhere flocking to the John’s Pass and Madeira Beach area.
If you’ve never been birding before, whether in Florida or elsewhere, a Birding Guide may come in handy. The Audubon Society provides plenty of information on Florida bird watching that can be used to craft your own easy-to-follow guide.
To get started on your bird-watching guide, we want to outline some of the best bird-watching spots in the Beaches Area:
• St.Pete/Clearwater – St. Pete and Clearwater feature 15 different birding sites all along the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Walking this trial, you can expect to see Great Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, Snowy Egrets, and Pileated Woodpeckers.
• Boyd Hill Nature Preserve – The Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is located in St. Petersburg, where you can spot birds in several different types of ecosystems. From the Willow Marsh to the elevated Hammock, you’ll catch a full glimpse of Florida’s diverse bird life.
• Seaside Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores – Located in Indian Shores is Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, where you can get an up close and personal look at some of Florida’s most marvelous birds. This non-profit organization is dedicated to the treatment, rescue, and rehabilitation of birds that need a little help before getting back into the wild.
Now is the best time to check out the birds of the area, and we hope to see you soon!