Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Birding and Biking the Withlacoochee State Trail

Saturday, October 31, 2026

The trip size is limited so please reserve your spot with: Claudia 

camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-0305

Meet at Lake Townsen Preserve Park, 28011 Lake Lindsey Road (County Road 476). We will ride a total of about 8 miles: 4 miles south from the park and then return. This is a beautiful section of the state trail that passes through forests and fields. We will stop periodically to look for birds and other wildlife. This is a no-stress, no-rush ride.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Jenkins Creek Park and Linda Pedersen Park at Jenkins Creek

Saturday, November 7, 2026

Make reservations with Ron: rsmthbirds@gmail.com or 727-657-9154

Note the 7:30 start time. Meet at Jenkins Creek Park, 6401 Shoal Line Boulevard, Spring Hill, at 7:30 a.m. We will look for birds there and then go across the street to Linda Pedersen Park, 6300 Shoal Line Boulevard. Birds we expect to find include various herons and egrets, Wood Storks, Swamp Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, and Soras.

Restrooms are available at both parks.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Big Pine Tract

Saturday, November 21, 2026

Make reservations with Clay:

cjbird@bellsouth.net or 352-592-4949

The entrance to the Big Pine Tract, at 12060 Old Crystal River Road, is 1 mile north of where Old Crystal River Road intersects with U.S. 41, just north of Brooksville. Meet in the parking lot, which is on the east side of the road. 

We will walk the upland trail through longleaf pine habitat. The trail eventually leads down to the lowlands and into a lovely oak hammock. There is a forty-foot change in elevation making for a variety of vegetation and birds. Expect to see many woodpeckers, hawks and other birds. The walk is about 2 miles. There is a restroom, but no drinking water.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Beginning Birding

Friday, November 27, 2026

Make reservations with: Bev

bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460 (Cell phone on the day of the trip: 352-442-5598)

Learn to identify birds or hone your existing birding skill. We meet on the deck behind the Conservation Center building to watch the feeders for birds.  A short hike to the wetland at May's Prairie, where we can see more species, is optional. Binoculars will be available for use, but please bring your own if you have them.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Brooksville Wetlands

Saturday, December 5, 2026

Make reservations with: Linda

lindalark85@gmail.com or text 352-428-2629. 

Meet at 8 a.m. at the southwest retention pond at Walmart, 7305 Broad Street, Brooksville (the intersection of U. S. 41 and Wiscon Road), Hernando County. From there we will drive to look for ducks, waders, and songbirds at various wetlands near Brooksville.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please reserve your spot as indicated below so that you are informed of any change in plan.

Travelers Rest RV Resort and Golf Course

Saturday, December 12, 2026

Make reservations with Bev: bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460, (Cell phone on the day of the trip: 352-442-5598.)

Tom Butler, a resident of the RV park, will guide us to view some of the eight bodies of water that attract various water birds and the wooded areas where Barred Owls, hawks, woodpeckers, and songbirds live. Tom has done a lot of work in the park to create an attractive habitat for birds and viewing areas for folks interested in seeing the birds. In recent years 181 species of birds have been reported on eBird!

When you reach the park entrance, continue straight and park at the Post Office, the large building on the right. There are restrooms there.      

Aripeka-Bayport Christmas Bird Count

Thursday, December 17, 2026

The time listed may NOT be the time frame you are given. 

Help count all the birds in a circle that extends from Pine Island to Crews Lake. 

To be assigned to a team, contact Bev: bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460

ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

Excerpted from the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count Website.

From December 14, 2026 through January 5, 2027, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas will take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. This will be the 127th count!  Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission -- often before dawn. For more than a century, the desire both to make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations -- and to help guide conservation action.

Brooksville Christmas Bird Count

Saturday, December 19, 2026

Help count all the birds in a 7.5-mile-radius circle around Bystre Lake.

To be assigned to a team, contact: Ron: rsmthbirds@gmail.com or 727-657-9154

ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

Excerpted from the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count Website.
From December 14, 2026, through January 5, 2027, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas will take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. This will be the 127th count!  Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission -- often before dawn. For more than a century, the desire both to make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations -- and to help guide conservation action.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Cooter Pond Park

Saturday, December 26, 2025

Make reservations with: Clay 

cjbird@bellsouth.net or 352-592-4949

At 8 a.m. meet in the parking lot at 101 North Mill Ave, behind the Sheriff’s office, for a 1.5 mile walk around Cooter Pond. The first section of the walk is on a boardwalk crossing the middle of Cooter Pond. The second section of the walk is on the paved Florida Trail. We will make a side trip to Henderson Lake before returning to the parking lot. Expect to see water birds in the pond and forest birds along the trail. 

On the way home, we will stop by the Inverness Airport Wastewater Plant and scan the sewage ponds and spray fields. Expect to see water birds, grassland birds, and raptors.

Adopt-A-Road Cleanup

Saturday, January 2, 2027

To volunteer: Steve.Smetko@frontier.com or 352-247-9793

Hernando Audubon Society participates in Hernando County’s Adopt-A-Road program by doing a 1.25 mile cleanup on Northcliffe Boulevard between U.S. 19 and Deltona Boulevard three times a year. Garbage bags and safety vests will be provided. Expect this task to take 2 hours.

High school students will receive credit hours for helping in this community service.

Meet at 8 a.m. at the parking lot of Good Shepherds Plaza, 8417 Northcliffe Blvd., on the north side of Northcliffe Blvd, just east of U.S. 19, in Spring Hill.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.  

Skinner Lake 

Thursday, January 7, 2027

Make reservations with Ron: rsmthbirds@gmail.com or 727-657-9154

There is no public access to Skinner Lake, but it can be viewed from the private road to CEMEX: 16301 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Brooksville. Once you turn off U.S. 98, immediately park in the grassy field on your left before the gate. Do not walk or drive down the road to the lake. We will meet where we parked and walk slowly down the road together, looking for sparrows. Then we will walk toward the lake to concentrate on finding ducks. Since the lake is far from the road, bring a scope if you have one. There are no bathrooms available. 

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Pine Island and Bayport Parks

Thursday, January 14, 2027

Make reservations with Clay:

cjbird@bellsouth.net or 352-592-4949

There are restrooms and drinking water at both parks. The entrance fee at Pine Island is $5 and at Bayport is $10, payable through ParkMobile. (Pay with your phone at the park or pay in advance at https://app.parkmobile.io/venue/hernando-county-fl-annual-parking-pass/events) The trip is free, open to all.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

McKethan Lake Day Use Recreation Area

Saturday, January 16, 2027

Make reservations with Ken:

klarsson55@gmail.com or 352-346-4132

McKethan Lake Day Use Recreation Area is on U.S. 41, 0.5 mile north of Lake Lindsey Road (County Road 476), north of Brooksville. At 8 a.m. meet in the parking lot on the left, just inside the entrance.

There is a $2 per person park fee. The trip leader will collect the $2 fee from participants and pay Forestry a lump sum. Please bring exact cash.

McKethan Lake Day Use Recreation Area habitat includes a hardwood hammock, a marsh, and a wetland prairie as well as open water on the lake itself. This provides an opportunity to view a variety of birds including waterfowl, herons, egrets, songbirds, and raptors. We will walk on a trail through the hardwood hammock and observe the lake, marsh, and wetland prairie. Total walking distance will be approximately 1.5 miles. There are rest rooms and drinking water.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Beginning Birding

Friday, January 22, 2027

Make reservations with: Bev

bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460 (Cell phone on the day of the trip: 352-442-5598)

Learn to identify birds or hone your existing birding skill. We meet on the deck behind the Conservation Center building to watch the feeders for birds.  A short hike to the wetland at May's Prairie, where we can see more species, is optional. Binoculars will be available for use, but please bring your own if you have them.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Saturday, January 30, 2027

Make reservations with: Claudia

camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-0305

Meet in the parking lot at 8 a.m. There is a $5.00 per vehicle fee, $2 per person. Please bring correct change as this is an "honor" pay station. A restroom is available at the covered pavilion near the parking lot.

Sweetwater Wetlands is a 125-acre park with 3.5 miles of crushed gravel and boardwalks for viewing wetlands and ponds that were created to improve the water quality of Paynes Prairie and the Floridan Aquifer. There are several viewing platforms. Participants should be aware that there is no shade on the trails. 

The trip is well worth making because of the many species of wading birds, including many Purple Gallinules. It is also possible that we will see sparrows and several duck species. If we are very fortunate, we might even see an endangered Snail Kite as this species has recently made a home for itself in the park.

To carpool from Hernando County, meet at 6:20 a.m. at McDonald’s, 31038 Cortez Blvd, on the southside of State Road 50, just east of Interstate 75.

Directions:
If coming from the south on Interstate 75, take exit 382 toward State Road 121N/Gainesville. 

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages.Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Bird Box Cleaning and Work Day at Audubon Florida's Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary

Saturday,  February 6, 2027

Make reservations with Tom: 

tomstclair8@gmail.com or 904-303-0919.

Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary is at 24268 Lake Lindsey Road (County Road 476). A fire station is just east of U. S. 41 on County Road 476/Lake Lindsey Road. The entrance to the sanctuary is just east of the fire station. If you are traveling west on County Road 476 and you see the fire station, you have gone too far.

We will do annual maintenance on Eastern Bluebird nest boxes, removal of exotic plants, and other clean-up projects on the property. Please bring your own work gloves and wear a long-sleeved shirt.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Surrounded by publicly protected land, including the Withlacoochee State Forest, 270-acre Ahhochee Hill Sanctuary is part of a large greenway that remains untouched by urban sprawl. The property was left to Audubon Florida by Lisa von Borowsky, one of Hernando Audubon's first board members and a longtime supporter of Audubon Florida.

The property is open to group visits, with prior arrangements. Volunteers are very important to maintaining it for wildlife.

Field Trip Guidelines:  Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome. All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Orlando Wetlands

The Orlando Wetlands is an advanced water reclamation facility for the city of Orlando. This man-made wetland is a place where engineering and nature work together to protect and preserve the environment. Expect to see a variety of herons and egrets, bitterns, and a few species of shorebirds and ducks.

A reservation has been made for the group to ride a free tram to tour the wetlands. THE TRAM RIDE HAS LIMITED SEATING. RESERVE YOUR SPOT BEFORE JANUARY 25 by contacting Claudia: camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-0305. 

Meet at 12:30 p.m. at the visitor center. The tram leaves promptly at 1:00 p.m. from the new visitor center, which is just past the entrance kiosk. The tram ride is a two-hour tour of the wetlands. Come as early as you wish to walk the boardwalk, explore the visitor center, and have a picnic at the pavilion. There will also be time after the tram ride for strolling around. 

Our trip leaders, Eileen and Jim, live in the area and are very familiar with this preserve.

Most participants will make this a two-day trip, visiting Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday morning. Those staying over on Wednesday night are welcome to meet for dinner at 6 p.m. at Dixie Crossroads, 1475 Garden Street, Titusville, before checking into one of the nearby hotels.

Directions to Orlando Wetlands Park:

Take State Road 50 east to the town of Christmas. Turn left (north) onto Fort Christmas Road (County Road 420) and travel 2.3 miles. When Wheeler Road leads off to the right, turn right (east) and travel 1.5 miles. Parking will be on the left.

Field Trip Guidelines:  Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Sand Point Park. It is on the north side of Max Brewer Parkway, the second entrance immediately before the bridge. There are restrooms available. From there we will make two other stops before beginning the seven-mile Blackpoint Drive. For the drive there is a $10 admission fee per car or an America the Beautiful pass. There are restrooms at approximately the half-way point. After Black Point Drive, there is a nice restaurant nearby, with outside tables, or you can bring your own lunch.

Afterward we can go to Haulover Drive if the American Flamingos are there. 

Or we can go to Canaveral Seashore to see Florida Scrub-Jays and to look for shorebirds and hopefully to see the Northern Gannets diving. The admission fee for the National Seashore is $25 or the America the Beautiful pass.

Our trip leaders, Eileen and Jim, live in the area and are very familiar with this wildlife refuge.

Most of the participants will have made this a two-day trip, having visited Orlando Wetlands on Wednesday afternoon.

Hernando Big Day/Birdathon

Saturday, February 13, 2027

Can we identify 125 bird species in Hernando County on Saturday, February 13? It's up to you!

EVERYONE can participate in the Big Day/Birdathon! A birdathon is a fundraising event like a telethon or a walkathon, but with a focus on birds. 

There will be two levels of competition: backyard observations and team formation. The backyard component will involve individuals counting bird species in their yard and reporting the species observed. The team component will involve formation of teams consisting of 3 or 4 birders trying  to find the greatest number of bird species that they can. We are encouraging each team to include a beginning birder. 

The time period for the Birdathon is from midnight to midnight on February 13. All birding must be done within Hernando County. Winners will be determined for both the individual seeing the most birds in a backyard and the team that sees the most species in the county. The winners will be recognized in the next issue of our newsletter, eNews.  

This is our single biggest fundraiser of the year, and we are hoping to establish a new record. We encourage each individual or team to find sponsors willing to pledge based on the number of species that person or team observed. Please consider being a participant in this important Hernando Audubon event and making a donation.

Please click here to download the pledge form. We assure you that 100 percent of your donation will be used to help Hernando Audubon provide conservation and wildlife education programs and work to protect wildlife habitat. Please fill out the form and make your check payable to Hernando Audubon Society. If your employer will match your donation, please include a matching gift form. Your contact information will only be used to acknowledge your tax-deductible donation. This information will not be shared with any other organization or individual. It will also not be added to the Hernando Audubon mailing list.

At the end of the day, please enter your species in eBird and generate a trip report. If you don’t use eBird, a list of species can be written down. Email the list to Tom: tomstclair8@gmail.com or 904-303-0919.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.  

Peck Sink Preserve

Saturday, February 20, 2027

Trip leader: Tom

tomstclair8@gmail.com or 904-303-0919

Peck Sink is one of the properties acquired by Hernando County’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program. The preserve features a deeply cut drainage channel leading to a sinkhole complex with 5 impressive swallet holes where water runs directly into the Floridan aquifer. The preserve helps to manage stormwater from the western half of Brooksville. Public access is not yet provided to Peck Sink Preserve except by appointment but should be available soon. 

Hernando Audubon placed five Eastern Bluebird nest boxes at the preserve, several of which were occupied during nesting season in the summer of 2026. We plan to install another five boxes, including an American Kestrel box. On this trip, among the birds we expect to see are Eastern Bluebirds, American Kestrels, and Wood Ducks.

Directions: If coming from the east, from U.S. 41, drive west on Wiscon Road 1.4 miles to the entrance gate on the right. If coming from the west, from Cortez Boulevard (State Route 50), drive east on Wiscon Road 2.8 miles and turn left at the gate.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Beginning Birding

Friday, February 26, 2027

Make reservations with: Clay 

cjbird@bellsouth.net or 352-592-4949

Learn to identify birds or hone your existing birding skill. We meet on the deck behind the Conservation Center building to watch the feeders for birds.  A short hike to the wetland at May's Prairie, where we can see more species, is optional. Binoculars will be available for use, but please bring your own if you have them.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.  

Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area

Saturday, March 6, 2027

Make reservations with: Claudia

camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-0305

Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot on the west side of U.S. 19 at 13243 Commercial Way, 6.7 miles north of S.R. 50. Entrance fee is $3.00 per person or $6 per car (free with senior free hunting and fishing license). 

Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area preserves 24,243 acres of sandhill, mesic hammock, and forested wetland habitat. We'll carpool and drive on hard-packed roads, watching and listening for birds. Occasionally we will take short walks in areas that seem promising. A 0.4 mile walk through the swamp on a boardwalk to lovely Buford Spring is optional. 159 species of birds have been reported to eBird from this property, so we expect to see a variety of birds.

The group size is limited, so please reserve your spot with the trip leader.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Birding and Biking the Withlacoochee State Trail

Saturday, March 13, 2027

The trip size is limited so please reserve your spot with: Claudia 

camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-0305

Meet at Lake Townsen Preserve Park, 28011 Lake Lindsey Road (County Road 476). We will ride a total of about 8 miles: 4 miles south from the park and then return. This is a beautiful section of the state trail that passes through forests and fields. We will stop periodically to look for birds and other wildlife. This is a no-stress, no-rush ride.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Hunters Lake

March 20, 2027

Make reservations with: Bev

bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460 (Cell phone on the day of the trip: 352-442-5598)

Meet in the boat ramp parking lot at Hunters Lake in Spring Hill. To reach the boat ramp, from the intersection of Kenlake Avenue and Applegate Drive, go south on Kenlake Avenue, and immediately turn left.

We expect to see herons and egrets, resident songbirds, and perhaps some early arriving migrating songbirds. The section of the trail approaching the lake may be muddy, so wear appropriate shoes. We’ll walk about 1.5 miles. 

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Beginning Birding

Friday, March 26, 2027

Make reservations with: Claudia

camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-0305

Learn to identify birds or hone your existing birding skill. We meet on the deck behind the Conservation Center building to watch the feeders for birds.  A short hike to the wetland at May's Prairie, where we can see more species, is optional. Binoculars will be available for use, but please bring your own if you have them.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan. 

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Early Spring Migrants, Croom Tract, Withlacoochee State Forest

Saturday, April 3, 2027

Make reservations with: Bev

bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460 (Cell phone on the day of the trip: 352-442-5598)

At 6:45 a.m., park on the south side of the intersection of Croom Road and Trail 7. There is a wood corral there and an open area for parking. Trail 7 is 7 miles east of U.S. 41. Croom Road is on the north side of Brooksville. We will walk through brush, so wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. Restrooms and drinking water are a mile away.  We will see Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Bachman's Sparrows, and some recently arrived migrants and summer breeders.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.  

Weekiwachee Preserve

Saturday, April 17, 2027

Make reservations with: Ken 

klarsson55@gmail.com or 352-346-4132

Meet at the entrance gate one mile west of U. S. 19 on Osowaw Blvd., north side of the road. We will look for birds along trails for about 2 miles. 

When a limerock mine closed in coastal Hernando County, the area now known as Weekiwachee Preserve was slated to become a housing development. After a large public outcry in opposition, Southwest Florida Water Management District began purchasing the property in 1993. Subsequent acquisitions have increased the size to 11,206 acres. The main section of this property is a mix of xeric scrub, sandhill, and pine flatwood communities surrounding several deep lakes that were dug during limerock mining.

After the property was opened for public access, 260 species of birds have been sighted on the preserve, as well as 74 species of butterflies, in addition to larger animals such as black bear, deer, bobcats, coyotes, and rabbits, as well as gopher tortoises, a variety of snakes and other critters. Bird rarities include the third state record of a Hooded Oriole seen by scores of birders in December 2019. You can learn more about the preserve by clicking here: https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/weekiwachee-preserve

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please contact the trip leader to indicate that you plan to attend and to get any information about changes in plan.

Beginning Birding

Friday, October 23, 2027

Make reservations with Claudia:

camsler36@gmail.com or 813-244-03059.

Learn to identify birds or hone your existing birding skill. We meet on the deck behind the Conservation Center building to watch the feeders for birds.  A short hike to the wetland at May's Prairie, where we can see more species, is optional. Binoculars will be available for use, but please bring your own if you have them.

Field Trip Guidelines: Field trips are open to anyone interested in birding. Non-members are welcome.  All trips are free unless the locale has an entrance fee or a charge for parking. We recommend sturdy shoes, comfortable clothing, insect repellent, sunscreen, and water or other suitable beverages. Please reserve your spot as indicated below so that you are informed of any change in plan.

Kayak the Chassahowitzka River

Wednesday, April 28, 2027

Participation is limited, so please reserve a spot with Tom:

tomstclair8@gmail.com or 904-303-0919.

Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the parking lot of the Chassahowitzka River Campground near the boat launch. The Chassahowitzka River Campground is located south of Homosassa Springs and west of U. S. 19 at 8600 W. Miss Maggie Drive, in Citrus County.

We will kayak the Chassahowitzka River for approximately two hours and expect to see various herons, egrets as well as Limpkins and nesting Ospreys. We hope to see migrating birds as they fly north to their breeding grounds. If lucky, we may also see manatees and river otters, which are always a highlight of this trip.

This outing is limited to experienced kayakers who can bring their own kayaks to the river. 

Adopt-A-Road Cleanup

Saturday, May 8, 2027

To volunteer: Steve.Smetko@frontier.com or 352-247-9793

Hernando Audubon Society participates in Hernando County’s Adopt-A-Road program by doing a 1.25 mile cleanup on Northcliffe Boulevard between U.S. 19 and Deltona Boulevard three times a year. Garbage bags and safety vests will be provided. Expect this task to take 2 hours.

High school students will receive credit hours for helping in this community service.

Meet at 8 a.m. at the parking lot of Good Shepherds Plaza, 8417 Northcliffe Blvd., on the north side of Northcliffe Blvd, just east of U.S. 19, in Spring Hill.