This will be a single day, caravan road trip. For those who do not wish to drive please let us know that you would like to ride with one of the driving participants. For those who want to, or are willing to drive please let us know if you have space in your car for any participants who would like to be a passenger.
We will meet up between 7-7:15 AM in Village Commons (where Fresh Market is located). We will meet in the parking lot in front of Newk's and Village Pizza in the lot near the electric car charging stations. We will aim to hit the road at 7:30 AM This will be a full day of birding and traveling. Please bring a packed lunch, snacks, and plenty of water! Also bug spray and sun protection is recommended.
Our first stop will be Rest Stop 265 in Madison County. This is about an hour's drive from Tallahassee. At this rest stop we will take a break from being in the car and do a little birding. This is a known location for White-winged Dove, which is considered a rarity in this county.
Next we will head to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park's main entrance. This is a state park and there is a fee to enter the park unless you have a state park pass. We will enter and head to the visitor center and then for those who wish to we will go up the observation tower. Here we can hope to see the visiting Whooping Crane, Sandhill Cranes, lots of egrets, herons, ibis, and possibly wild horses and bison. Depending on what is being seen at the time we may go for a walk on either the Wachoota Trail or the Cones Dikes Trail. Both trails are pretty well developed but may have some rough surfaces and/or mud. Good hiking shoes are recommended.
After spending some time in the main park we will make a short drive to the Paynes Prairie Ecopass which has a nice boardwalk which is great for seeing Snail Kites, Limpkins, and lots of waders. Depending on time and what is being seen in the area from here we will go to La Chua Trail or Bolen Bluff Trail. Both of these are well developed trails with parts that are in the open sun. Sun hats and/or sun block are suggested for these areas.
We will aim to get back on the road to Tallahassee by 3:30-4:00 PM putting us back in town around 5:30-6:00 PM.
To sign up for this trip, or if you have any questions, email apalacheeaudubon@gmail.com, and please include your mobile phone number.
