Jan. 26, 5:30am-12:00pm; Limited to 26 registrants; $45; BUS

Mark & Selena Kiser (Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail), Jim Blush, Casey Dorsch and Toby Evy (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission)

Meet at bus circle at BCC.

This is a hike of intermediate skills. Trails may be wet, so please wear appropriate footwear, and bring snacks and water.

With 30,700 acres and 60 miles of multiuse trails and dirt roads to wander, Tosohatchee WMA has plenty to offer birders and wildlife watchers (see Tosohatchee I description). While one visit barely scratches the surface of this wild and scenic property, this new tour showcases some of Tosohatchee's wilder spots and features destinations not included on the original tour. You'll want to lace up your hiking boots for this one; we'll be walking several miles of trails away from the main roads. Depending on pre-festival scouting results, we'll choose from among the wide array of ponds, wooded creeks, hammocks, pine forests and marshes in search of ducks, wading birds, rails, raptors, owls, songbirds and more. The WMA's checklist includes roughly 220 species, with rarities such as Crested Caracara, Short-tailed Hawk, King Rail, Limpkin and Rusty Blackbird.

Jan. 28 & 29, 8:00am-12:00pm; Limited to 24 registrants; $25; MOS

Bruce Anderson and Murray Gardler (Florida Ornithological Society)

Meet at Parrish Park boat ramp area located on the left (north side by the picnic pavilions) just across the Titusville Bridge.

28° 37' 25.56" N 80° 47' 41.70" W

The Indian River Lagoon and MINWR host more than a dozen species of ducks each winter. There are several species there that you likely won't see elsewhere in the area, or at least have the opportunity to study leisurely and up close. A Eurasian Wigeon or two are almost annual, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, various scoters and occasionally geese visit.
Let them guide you through the identification of the often brightly colored and distinctly patterned drakes and the often plainer and not-always-so-easy-to-identify hens. You will be introduced to the topography of a duck, and the field marks used to identify each species. In addition, learn interesting facts about waterfowl, such as their distinctive molt cycles and where they breed.
The workshop convenes on the Indian River Lagoon to view diving ducks as well as loons and grebes, often mistaken for ducks. The group will continue on to Black Point Wildlife Drive where the dabbling ducks congregate with abundant American Coots which are sometimes mistaken for ducks. Along the way you will see gulls, terns, waders, and shorebirds including Roseate Spoonbills and American Avocets, and sometimes a Peregrine Falcon (formerly known as the Duck Hawk) that is attracted to the waterfowl smorgasbord!

Jan. 28, 2:00pm-5:00pm; Limited to 25 registrants; $20; MOS

Eric Stolen, PhD (Innovative Health Applications)

Meet at MINWR Visitor Center.

28° 38' 28.39" N 80° 44' 9.56" W

Intro at MINWR Visitor Center followed by Black Point Wildlife Drive field trip.

The northern Indian River estuary is a complex and biologically rich ecosystem that is home to a staggering 3000+ species of plants and animals. Over the past half-century, humans have drastically altered the wetland habitat within this estuary. Some species have benefited from these changes while others have suffered. Efforts currently underway are attempting to restore much of the wetland habitat in the northern IRL to its original state. The affects of restoration on waterbird populations here remains to be seen.
A valuable presentation on the ecology and management of wetlands in the northern Indian River estuary will be followed by a field trip that will traverse the famed Black Point Drive to explore the history and current practice of structural marsh management on the MINWR. There, we will also examine a variety of waterbird habitats and see examples of restoration in action. Throughout the journey, we will observe and identify the abundant waterbirds, salt marsh plants, and other salt marsh and estuarine organisms we encounter.

Jan. 25 & 27, 8:00am-3:30pm; Limited to 20 registrants; Free; MOS

Jim Stahl and Jay Barnhart (Florida Native Plant Society and Friends of the Enchanted Forest)

Meet at MINWR Visitors Center for intro, followed by carpool field trip.

28° 38' 28.39" N 80° 44' 9.56" W

Moderate amount of walking on dry trails will be required. Please bring money for lunch at one of Titusville's fine historic downtown dining establishments.

Florida was named for the abundance of flowering plants that early explorers found here. Today the many habitats of Florida (hardwood and palm hammocks, deciduous forest, pine flatwoods, scrub, sand hills, prairie, coastal dunes, roadsides, marsh, swamp and riverine) support over 4000 species of native and naturalized wildflowers plus numerous exotics from the horticultural trade. This program will present slides of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, ferns and other plants with comments on their natural history, uses by people and wildlife, home landscaping values and occurrences. The presentation will highlight plants that can be seen during the festival week. Information on books for identifying and locations for finding Florida plants will be included. The field trip will present diverse habitats in and around Brevard County including mature deciduous/semi-tropical forests, pine flatwoods, oak-palm hammocks, cypress swamps, freshwater marshes, brackish lagoons; Lakes, scrub, sedge meadows, coastal dunes and ruderal (disturbed). With so many habitats, the region supports numerous plant species - majestic trees, shrubs, beautiful wildflowers, grasses and sedges and ferns. On this trip we will observe and discuss many species of plants and their habitats, plus anything else (birds, reptiles, butterflies and other insects) that we might come across. The sites we will visit will be selected during scouting trips just prior to the field trip so that areas with the best blooming plants will be on the itinerary.

Jan. 28, 6:45am-12:00pm; Limited to 14 registrants; $30; MOS

Maria Zondervan (St. Johns River Water Management District) with Alvaro Jaramillo (Alvaro's Adventures) and Mitchell Harris.

Meet at the Little-Big Econ State Forest at 6:45am - 1350 Snowhill Rd., Geneva. From the intersection of US 1 and SR46, drive west on SR46 for 16.4 miles. Turn left at traffic light in Geneva: go south on CR426 for 0.8 miles. Bear left onto Snowhill Rd., drive 2.3 miles. Turn right into parking lot of Little-Big Econ State Forest.

28° 41' 10.70" N 81° 6' 52.15" W

Participants are encouraged to bring pick-ups or SUVs, ideally with 4WD. Some walking will be necessary (2-3 miles), depending on road conditions and water levels. Portions will be wet and muddy - dress appropriately. Bring snacks and water. There are no restrooms here and no restrooms are available during the trip.

This 5000+ acre site contains the confluence of the Econlockhatchee River with the St. Johns River and includes a portion of Puzzle Lake. Approximately 7 miles of the Econlockhatchee River and 2 miles of the St. Johns River and Puzzle Lake lie within its borders. Riparian woodlands, oak hammocks, cypress swamp, marshes and wet prairies make up much of the property. Over 125 species of birds have been recorded here thus far including Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, American White Pelican, Wood Stork, Bald Eagle, Crested Caracara, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Sandhill Crane, Willet, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, Red-headed Woodpecker, Sedge Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Pipit, Clay-colored Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow.

Jan. 26, 27 & 28, 5:30am-4:30pm; Limited to 26 registrants; $75; BUS

Jan. 26 Jim Peterson (St. Johns River Water Management District) with Al Brayton (Merritt Island Wildlife Association) and David Hartgrove (Halifax River Audubon Society); Jan. 27 Pam Bowen (St. Johns River Water Management District) with Adam Kent (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission) and Gina Kent (Avian Research & Conservation Network); Jan. 28 Gian Basili (St. Johns River Water Management District) with Wes Biggs (Florida Nature Tours) and Dave Goodwin (Florida Nature Tours)

Meet at bus circle at BCC.

Box lunches by Mr. Submarines & Salads.

Despite its long history of great birding, this area may be one of the very best but least-known birding areas on the Eastern Seaboard. Thousands of acres of marshes on the north shore of Lake Apopka were drained back in the 1940s, creating huge muck farms that produced row-crops. A series of dikes and canals were created, and the farms fed millions for more than a half-century. Common farming practices required that the fields be flooded each summer to kill nematodes. Over a period of several weeks the water was drained back into the lake, creating an ideal habitat for migrating shorebirds at exactly the right time. By the early 1950s birders began to visit the area and always received great cooperation and understanding from the land owners, from the early farmers to the St. Johns River Water Management District which purchased the farmlands in the late 1990s in order to restore wetland habitat and improve water quality in Lake Apopka.
The summer of 1998 was the last time that the farmers flooded the fields, and many of them remained flooded when SJRWMD took ownership. By that fall a unique habitat consisting of impoundments of varying depths and fields of mud and weeds was created. Shorebirds that would have left in previous years remained into winter and were joined by unprecedented numbers of waterfowl and large numbers of sparrows, flycatchers and other passerines. Foreseeing the possibilities, Wes Biggs assembled a team of birders, and the first Zellwood/Apopka Christmas Bird Count tallied an amazing 174 species with another 10 seen during count week - a new North American high count for an inland location. As the winter progressed, however, a major bird die-off took place. Apparently years of farming left residual pesticides in the soils, and fish that moved from canals into the flooded fields accumulated toxic levels of pesticides in their tissues. Unfortunately, fish-eating birds such as American White Pelicans began dying off, a result of pesticide-induced toxicosis. Flooded areas were drained and the area was closed to the public. Years of research have resulted in a better understanding of how these pesticides behave in wetland systems, and how to clean up problematic areas and create high quality wetland habitats.
About half of the area remains closed to the general public, but more areas will be opened in the near future. Despite having limited access, the SJRWMD has been very supportive of the birding community, allowing continued access under special circumstances. They encourage people to participate in their monthly bird surveys, and provide a great deal of help each year with the Christmas Bird Count which still records 150 or more species each year. Highlights in past years include as many as 13 species of sparrows, including rarities such as LeConte's and Clay-colored, and large numbers of flycatchers. In recent years Western, Cassin's, Tropical and Gray Kingbirds have shown up as well as Ash-throated Flycatchers.
SJRWMD staff has also made special accommodations for viewing rare birds when they are found. The first state records of Roughlegged Hawk and Eurasian Kestrel are examples. The first state record of Ferruginous Hawk, second state record of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, White-cheeked Pintail and Ross' Goose are among the other rarities that have been found there over the years. During past festivals, this field trip has accumulated as many as 117 species per festival.