A. J. Henry Park is a small city property with some nice topography and habitats, including hardwood forest-covered slopes which descend down to a lake. Accordingly, this park attracts fallouts of migrants like Veery, Ovenbird and Magnolia Warbler, among others.
Slowly hike the trails at the Lake Hall Recreation Area for wintering Orange-crowned Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos. A few Dark-eyed Juncos make an appearance here in winter; Brown Creepers and Winter Wrens may also be present.
This small boat landing is Tallahassee's most reliable site for Limpkins. Wintering ducks, gulls and coots are plentiful on the lake in winter, as are wading birds like Snowy Egrets and Little Blue Herons.
Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park on Lake Jackson has areas of longleaf pine restoration, but its real asset is the beautiful deciduous slope forest following the trickle of small streams down to the big lake. Eastern Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings and Wild Turkeys use open grassy areas along the powerline entrance and horse trailer entrance.
Another access to Lake Jackson, this one is a little more rustic, and your tires (not to mention your feet!) may get muddy at times of higher water. It's best to park back from the landing and walk in, watching fence posts and small oaks for flycatchers and warblers.
This site offers extensive hiking trails that are blazed in orange (compared to horse trails in pink or yellow). Pick up a map at the entrance and bring water. One of the best trail choices is the Center Loop: hike north from the parking area and stay right at every split on the orange-blazed trail to make a 2-mile loop back to the parking area.
This small park has a well-developed center, but down by the lake its sunny, woody edges are a haven for birds like Orange-crowned Warblers and the occasional Yellow-breasted Chat. A boardwalk and pier provide a view of Lake Jackson, where you can look for a diversity of wading birds like Wood Storks as well as wintering ducks and coots.
From the parking area follow the trail due east across the first pasture (watch for Purple Martins and Eastern Bluebirds around the gourds and nest boxes) and veer either way at the fork to continue through a series of open fields. Watch overhead for Red-tailed Hawks.
An extensive system of side roads closed to vehicles is open to exploration via foot, bicycle and equestrian traffic, and will yield wintering mixed flocks of warblers, Wild Turkeys in the open fields and Northern Bobwhites in the pinewoods.
An oasis of woods, water, and wildlife in southeast Tallahassee. Fishing finger #2 is ADA accessible and offers two viewing docks. Look for Common and Purple Gallinule, Wood Duck and occasional Limpkin and Forster's Tern. Birders can frequently observe Bald Eagle, Osprey, Wood Stork and a variety of wading birds and waterfowl.
This recreation area in the east portion of the Apalachicola National Forest is different from the lower, longleaf savannah habitats of the tracts closer to the river. Here, higher sandhills of pine and turkey oak are broken by erosion in the underlying limestone, causing deep, dramatic crystal blue sinkholes which are rimmed with hardwoods.
A. J. Henry Park is a small city property with some nice topography and habitats, including hardwood forest-covered slopes which descend down to a lake. Accordingly, this park attracts fallouts of migrants like Veery, Ovenbird and Magnolia Warbler, among others.
Slowly hike the trails at the Lake Hall Recreation Area for wintering Orange-crowned Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos. A few Dark-eyed Juncos make an appearance here in winter; Brown Creepers and Winter Wrens may also be present.
This small boat landing is Tallahassee’s most reliable site for Limpkins. Wintering ducks, gulls and coots are plentiful on the lake in winter, as are wading birds like Snowy Egrets and Little Blue Herons.
Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park on Lake Jackson has areas of longleaf pine restoration, but its real asset is the beautiful deciduous slope forest following the trickle of small streams down to the big lake. Eastern Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings and Wild Turkeys use open grassy areas along the powerline entrance and horse trailer entrance.
Another access to Lake Jackson, this one is a little more rustic, and your tires (not to mention your feet!) may get muddy at times of higher water. It’s best to park back from the landing and walk in, watching fence posts and small oaks for flycatchers and warblers.
This site offers extensive hiking trails that are blazed in orange (compared to horse trails in pink or yellow). Pick up a map at the entrance and bring water. One of the best trail choices is the Center Loop: hike north from the parking area and stay right at every split on the orange-blazed trail to make a 2-mile loop back to the parking area.
This small park has a well-developed center, but down by the lake its sunny, woody edges are a haven for birds like Orange-crowned Warblers and the occasional Yellow-breasted Chat. A boardwalk and pier provide a view of Lake Jackson, where you can look for a diversity of wading birds like Wood Storks as well as wintering ducks and coots.
From the parking area follow the trail due east across the first pasture (watch for Purple Martins and Eastern Bluebirds around the gourds and nest boxes) and veer either way at the fork to continue through a series of open fields. Watch overhead for Red-tailed Hawks.
An extensive system of side roads closed to vehicles is open to exploration via foot, bicycle and equestrian traffic, and will yield wintering mixed flocks of warblers, Wild Turkeys in the open fields and Northern Bobwhites in the pinewoods.
An oasis of woods, water, and wildlife in southeast Tallahassee. Fishing finger #2 is ADA accessible and offers two viewing docks. Look for Common and Purple Gallinule, Wood Duck and occasional Limpkin and Forster’s Tern. Birders can frequently observe Bald Eagle, Osprey, Wood Stork and a variety of wading birds and waterfowl.
This recreation area in the east portion of the Apalachicola National Forest is different from the lower, longleaf savannah habitats of the tracts closer to the river. Here, higher sandhills of pine and turkey oak are broken by erosion in the underlying limestone, causing deep, dramatic crystal blue sinkholes which are rimmed with hardwoods.
The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a network of more than 500 premier wildlife viewing sites across the state. When you want to know where to go in Florida to see native birds, butterflies and more, head for the Trail.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Russell Office Park
1875 Orange Ave. East
Tallahassee, FL 32311