The massive fort and surrounding trails cuckoos and hairy woodpeckers along offer a great vantage point for viewing the Chain of Lakes Trail. The Hutton sentinel flycatchers, gray kingbirds, Unit nearby is worth a stop to hear Tennessee, Cape May and magnolia the song of Bachman’s sparrows, and warblers. Fallouts can be seen in April the Three Notch Road site is perfect as migrants reach land for the first time. for sighting a red-headed woodpecker. Photo by David Moynahan 8 a.m. to sunset. Far western end of Free binoculars and field guides Fort Pickens Rd. (850) 934-2600, nps. are available. Dawn to dusk. 7720 org/guis Deaton Bridge Rd., (850) 983-5363, floridastateparks.org 12. Gulf Islands National Feathery Finds Seashore: Naval Osprey: Known as Florida’s fishing Live Oaks. The eagles, osprey have a distinct M wing national park’s shape and make their habitat near visitor center on brackish estuaries where they can scan Santa Rosa Sound the surface for fish. Osprey mate for is also a prime spot life – birds of a feather really do stay for sighting goldeneye, scaup, ducks, together! black-and-white warblers. 8 a.m. to sunset. 1801 Gulf Breeze Pkwy., (850) Brown Pelican: A symbol 934-2600, nps.org/guis of the Gulf Coast, the brown pelican is making A 1.5-mile loop trail 13. Garcon Point. a comeback. These runs through live oaks and picturesque water birds weigh 6-7 wetland. Wet prairie sparrows such as pounds and have a Henslow’s and LeConte’s can be seen 7-foot wingspan. The along with pine warblers and Cooper’s pelicans can fly as fast hawks. Dawn to dusk. 1-10 South of as 30 miles per hour and Milton to SR 281/CR191. (Trailhead on can often be seen perched on a piling in east side). (850) 484-5125 the bay.

14. Blackwater Blue Heron: These graceful natives can River State Park. be found along the shoreline hunting The Blackwater for fish. The birds have long legs and a River is one long, S-shaped neck. of the purest in the country and the woods What to Bring: that surround • Binoculars are ideal for birdwatching. Birders • Walking Shoes Photo by Jim Roberts can see broad-winged, red-tailed • Sunscreen and re-shouldered hawks along with • Bottled Water brown-headed nuthatches, low-billed • Insect Repellant

1401 E. Gregory St., Pensacola FL, 32502 | (800) 874-1234 | www.VisitPensacola.com 3. Tarkiln Bayou Reserve State Park. the shoreline and providing essential 1. Gulf Islands National The 4,200-acre preserve protects habitat for wildlife propagation and Seashore: Johnson Beach. rare and endangered plant species conservation. The oyster reef and Perdido Key is a hotspot for The Pensacola Bay Area such as white-topped pitcher plants, seagrass habitat has attracted as many migrating birds in the spring and fall. one of two carnivorous plants in the as 300 water birds, including osprey, is a birder’s paradise. Watch for pine warblers, towhees, world. The half-mile trail and elevated pelicans, herons, semipalmated plover Located between two major clapper rails, spotted sandpipers and boardwalk lead to an observation and black-necked stilts. Dawn to dusk. fly zones, Gulf Islands wintering ducks. Fallouts can be seen area at the bayou, while the 6.5-mile Bayfront Pkwy. and 14th Ave. (850) in April as migrants reach land for the National Seashore, the Perdido Bay Trail leads to the beach. 436-5655 first time. 8 a.m. to sunset. Eastern end Listen for brown-headed nuthatches, longest stretch of protected of Johnson Beach Rd., (850) 934-2600, white-eyed vireos, pine warblers and 8. Wayside Park. seashore in the country, is nps.org/guis bobwhites. 8 a.m. to sunset. 1.5 miles The waterfront the first stop for hundreds of south of U.S. 98 and County Rd. 293. park at Bayou 2. Big Lagoon State Park. Acting as a (850) 492-1595, floridastateparks.org Texar and migrating birds and monarch gateway for the Great Florida Birding Pensacola Bay is butterflies flying north in Trail, this 600-acre park along the 4. Trout Point. The half-mile boardwalk home to herring, the spring. The Pensacola Intracoastal Waterway is home to at NAS Pensacola winds through the ring-billed and shorebirds; wintering ducks; dunlin; Bay Area also features bays, interdune area with sandy shore on laughing gulls as redhead, bufflehead and red-breasted one side and freshwater marsh on the well as Forster’s bayous, beaches, rivers mergansers; black-bellied plovers, other. Visitors can find herons, snowy and royal terns. and woodlands, where yellow-billed cuckoos and flickers. The egrets, shorebirds, terns and gulls. Birders can also more than 300 species of park offers five miles of nature trails Nearby pines are home to songbirds spot loons, osprey and a 40-foot observation tower with birds call home. So pick and brown-headed nuthatches. 6 a.m. and pelicans. stunning views. Birders can even stop at to dusk. The trail is located a half-mile Stop by the Visitor up those binoculars and the visitor center and borrow a free pair from the Radford Blvd., security gate. Information Center for more birding come experience our great of binoculars. 8 a.m. to sunset. 12301 (850) 452-4611 and travel resources. 1401 E. Gregory outdoors. Gulf Beach Hwy., (850) 492-1595, St., (850) 434-1234 floridastateparks.org 5. ECUA Bayou Marcus Wetlands. Take the boardwalk through wetlands 9. Shoreline Park South. The small site created by the wastewater treatment on Santa Rosa Sound in Gulf Breeze is facility to see blue-winged teal, hooded on the path of migrating birds, perfect merganser, bufflehead and goldeneye. for viewing grebes and loons, lesser Swamp, song and white-throated scaup, bufflehead, goldeneye, Carolina sparrows can also be spotted along chickadees, orchard orioles, Swainson’s with the grove-billed ani. 7 a.m. to 5 thrushes, pileated woodpeckers, p.m. 3050 Fayal Dr., (850) 458-1658 black-throated blue and worm-eating warblers. Shoreline Dr. to Colley Dr. 6. Edward Ball Nature Trail. The small (850) 934-5140 site on the University of West Florida’s campus features a boardwalk through 10. Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier. From the swamp where birders can spot one of the longest piers in the Gulf egrets, northern parulas, summer of Mexico, birders can spot loons, tanagers and great crested flycatches. plunging gannets, bridled and sooty Dawn to dusk. 11000 University Pkwy., terns along with sooty shearwaters. Building 13, (850) 474-3000, uwf.edu 41 Ft. Pickens Rd., (850) 934-7200, fishpensacolabeachpier.com 7. Project GreenShores and Hawkshaw Lagoon Memorial Park. The award- 11. Gulf Islands National Seashore: winning restoration project runs along Fort Pickens. The island is a hotspot for Pensacola Bay downtown, stabilizing migrating birds in the spring and fall.