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Little-Big Econ State ForestThis area includes a beautiful blackwater stream, the Econlockhatchee River. The property has two tracts that are good for birding. The Demetree Tract has two entrances; the south entrance, off of Snow Hill Road and the northern Barr Street entrance, off of CR426. The Snow Hill Road entrance has a parking area surrounded by improved pasture and a visitor center with maps and forest information. A trail snakes along and through the treeline that borders the Econ, offering excellent birding for a diversity of resident and migratory songbirds like Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak , and Black-throated Blue Warbler. You may encounter Wood Duck, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Barred Owl, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker and Sedge Wren. With luck you might find Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Wild Turkey, Blue-headed Vireo, Carolina Chickadee, Hermit Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Ovenbird, Grasshopper Sparrow and Baltimore Oriole. Look for Swallow-tailed Kites in spring and summer. The Kilbee Tract borders the St. Johns River near its confluence with the Econ. Drive partway onto the property and then hike the entrance road one mile to the end where the floodplain opens to a view of the river and its waders, raptors, shorebirds and ducks in fall and winter.Directions: To get to the Barr St. entrance, go south about 4.5 miles on CR 426 from SR 46 in Geneva. The entrance will be on the left. To get to the Snow Hill Rd. entrance, go south on CR 426 from SR 46 in Geneva. In just under a mile, Snow Hill Rd. veers off to the left. Go about 2.5 miles south on Snow Hill Rd. The parking area will be on the right. The entrance to the Kilbee Tract is off of SR 46, just west of the SR 46 bridge about 11 miles west of the I-95/SR 46 interchange. For hunt information, call 386-329-4404. 407-971-3500
www.nbbd.com/godo/
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Blue Heron Water Reclamation FacilityThe City of Titusville’s facility offers another outstanding opportunity for birding from a vehicle. This 292-acre site contains seven cells, or ponds, that are rich in wildlife. Deer, wild hogs, bobcats, alligators, birds, otters, turtles and frogs prowl the dikes. Least bitterns in particular are doing well here, nesting in early summer. American Bittern, Purple Gallinule, Hairy Woodpecker, Limpkin, Sandhill Crane, Roseate Spoonbill, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black-necked Stilt, Gadwell, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Bobolink and Gull-billed Tern are just a few of well over 100 bird species sighted here.Directions: From Titusville, take SR 50 west. Facility is on the south side of SR 50, at the end of Deep Marsh Rd., about ½ mile west of I-95. Normally the gate is closed. Ring the buzzer on your left to have someone open it. The facility is open for birding from 7am-3pm on weekdays. Appointments must be made on week-ends. It is advisable to call ahead. 321-383-5642.
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Canaveral Marshes Conservation AreaMost of this 6,741 acre property borders the east side of the St. Johns River and is predominantly freshwater marsh. Hiking access is from SR 50, about a mile west of the Blue Heron Wetlands. The eastern portion of Canaveral Marshes near the Great Outdoors RV Park can be very good for waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds in winter, depending on the water levels. Volunteers who conducted monthly surveys in 2001 and 2002 recorded approximately 154 species of birds on this property.The marsh west of the adjoining Great Outdoors resort has been especially productive, particularly in the fall. At a small pond just inside the property there are times when hundreds of Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, along with smaller numbers of Mottled Duck, Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler may be found. The pond is part of the St. Johns River floodplain and, when water is low, there are many depressions and secondary channels that are attractive to shorebirds and other waterfowl. The higher marsh areas are good for Sedge and Marsh Wrens. Elsewhere on the floodplain, American Bittern, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Long-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Crested Caracara, King and Virginia Rails, American Pipit, Wilson’s Snipe and Peregrine Falcon may be found. This is a hiking area where you may get your feet wet.
Directions: Access is from a parking area on the south side of SR 50 approximately one mile west of I-95. 386-320-4404 |
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