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Great Florida Birding TrailTo help people locate well known, as well as new places to look for birds, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, with help from the Florida Department of Transportation, has established the 2,000-mile-long Great Florida Birding Trail (GFBT) to connect birders with Florida’ best spots and species. The GFBT consists of numerous sites in each of four geographic locations of the state. Sites are pinpointed on special guide maps and marked by highway sign. More than 40 GFBT sites are located within an hour from mainland locations on the Space Cost; many can be reached within minutes.850-599-9478 www.floridabirdingtrail.com
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Smyrna Dunes ParkLocated on the south side of Ponce Inlet, this Volusia County park offers panoramic views of ocean, inlet and estuary via two miles of boardwalks that wind around its perimeter. You can spot a variety of birds without leaving the boardwalk as it passes through hammock, which is good for warbler landfalls in fall and spring, then on to the oceanfront where you can check the beach for loafing gulls, terns and shorebirds and scope the water for loons and ducks. Along the western side of the park, boardwalk spurs lead out to the estuary, passing through a saltmarsh area where saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows are sometimes seen. Watch for gopher tortoises as you pass over the pristine coastal scrub habitat.Low tide is the best time to visit Smyrna Dunes, especially in winter, when exposed mudflats attract massive numbers of coastal birds. Winter is also a good time to look along the shoreline for delicate small shorebirds, like the endangered Piping Plover, Wilson’s Plover and Semipalmated Plover. Baitfish activity attracts gulls and terns as well as Northern Gannets.
Directions: From I-95 or U.S. 1 in New Smyrna Beach, take SR44 east to Canal St. Turn left (north) onto Riverside Dr. and then right onto Flagler Ave., crossing the Halifax River to the barrier island. Just after crossing the bridge, turn left onto North Peninsula Dr. The park is two miles north, at the end of the road. Entrance fee. |
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