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Places to Explore

Ollie’s Pond

When everything was shut down for a Covid-19, I decided it was a good time to check out some local birding hot spots.  Ollie’s Pond is one of those places I put off going to because I didn’t think it would be all that exciting. It’s just a big pond in the middle of a neighborhood.  My expectations were pretty low.  I was pleasantly surprised!  The first time I went, I saw seventeen species of birds. Not a huge number, but it was a fun variety.  Yesterday, there weren’t quite as many birds, but the few I did see were pretty exciting. There were black-necked stilts, white pelicans, and a roseate spoonbill, along with the usual suspects like red-winged blackbirds and osprey.

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Places to Explore

What is there to do?

You could drive around the state looking for brown signs indicating scenic areas and parks, or you could check out some of this info I’ve gathered here for you.  I’ve spent an awful lot of time seeking out some of the best (in my opinion) places for exploring nature in Florida.  This is not a list of every specific place to explore, but a list of ways for you to find those places for yourself and go explore.  There are a lot of great resources available for finding things to do.  It’s not always easy to find those resources though.  This is a list of some of my favorites.  I hope you’ll find this compilation helpful.

Categories
Places to Explore

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

It was pretty easy deciding which place I wanted to share first.  I have a lot of favorites, but my absolute favorite is easily Corkscrew Swamp.  Cypress swamps are my favorite, and this place has the largest old growth bald cypress forest in the world.  It’s also home to one of the largest nesting colonies of endangered wood storks in the U.S.