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Please join us for a guided bird walk at Piney Z Lake along the Lafayette Heritage Trail! At this time of year, we are hopeful to see both departing overwintering birds, including the park's bald eagles, and arriving spring migrants and summer residents such as summer tanager, prairie and hooded warblers, swallows, and vireos. The eBird hotspot is referred to as Lafayette Heritage Trail Park.

Lafayette Heritage Trail is one of the most popular hiking spots in Tallahassee, with flat, wide trails and long levees offering good views of the lake. We will plan to walk up to 2 miles as we scan the lake and high forest canopy. The trail is very well-established, but closed-toed shoes are still recommended. William will keep an eBird list that will be shared after the trip, but participants are also welcome to keep their own. There is a public parking lot with bathrooms at the trailhead with plenty of spaces. There will likely be other hikers with dogs, runners, and bikers recreating on the trail.

Water, sun protection (the path is shaded, but the levees are not), cameras, binoculars, although AAS will have some available to borrow.

William Heinle is a lifelong outdoorsman and birder. A former outdoor adventure leader, he graduated with degrees in biology and geography from the University of Richmond in 2023, and now helps agencies, communities, and governments in Florida, Latin America, and the Caribbean make decisions about sustainability and conservation with environmental data analysis. He has also published research on his fascination with reptiles and amphibians, and has participated in numerous bird counts, hawk watches, rarity roundups, and big days with friends across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, and now, northern Florida. William can commonly be found at Lake Jackson before sunrise, out in Apalachicola, or working with his family restoring lands along the Suwannee River.