Panhandle
The Panhandle Section of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail spans 16 counties, from the Perdido River in Escambia County on the Alabama border to the Aucilla River in Jefferson County. The Panhandle is Florida’s least populated region and includes some of the state’s most spectacular scenery, from upland hardwoods and slope forests with dramatic bluffs and deep ravines, to stately longleaf pines, to vast salt marshes, scenic rivers and pristine white sand beaches.
photo: St. Marks Lighthouse located in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Exploring the Panhandle
Whether you bird by foot, car, bicycle, kayak or horseback, amazing birding opportunities await you. The Panhandle offers species such as Mississippi Kite, White-breasted Nuthatch and Swainson’s Warbler, as well as occasional western vagrants like Calliope Hummingbird, Western Tanager and Groove-billed Ani. The Apalachicola National Forest harbors the largest population of endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in the U.S. Winter brings a host of northern birds that are difficult to find elsewhere in Florida, including American Black Duck, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Rusty Blackbird, Dark-eyed Junco and Fox Sparrow.
