Levy

Andrews WMA’s old-growth hardwoods, wetlands, uplands and open understory are good for many species of birds. The Suwannee River Trail offers waterbirds, and there is an extensive system of roads passable to two-wheel-drive vehicles. Other scenic hiking trails provide access to more remote areas with former state champion trees. Don’t miss the wetland boardwalk on the Suwannee River Trail and the wildlife viewing blind off Fanning Rd. Two observation towers located near Randall Rd are great for photography.

Bird Creek Park is located at the end of CR 40/Follow That Dream Trail, which winds through salt marsh and tidal creeks down to Withlacoochee Bay and the Gulf of America. Several kayak put-in points (bring your own) alongside the road and at the park offer nice access to the salt marsh, the Withlacoochee River and Withlacoochee Bay; take water and insect repellant. For larger boats, a ramp is provided past the park entrance at the end of CR 40.

Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-Herons linger on pilings in the marina, Spotted Sandpipers bob on the rocky shore and flocks of White Ibises and Magnificent Frigatebirds cruise overhead on occasion. Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls are common around the massive fishing pier at the corner of C St. and Dock St. Just east of the marina, sandy spits off the city park’s small beach are teeming with peeps in winter; Black Skimmers and other terns may be present as well.

The spectacular Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve is divided by CR 347 into east and west tracts. The east side has 4 miles of color-coded, multi-use trails and firebreaks available for exploration, and features flatwoods, sandhills and scrub. The latter provides habitat for the colorful Florida Scrub-Jay, the Sunshine State’s only endemic bird species. This reserve represents the northern end of its range on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The major natural community type here is upland mixed forest, with small amounts of floodplain forest and floodplain swamp. A boardwalk through cypress trees down to the spring returns through a patch of upland hardwood hammock. A 0.75-mile nature trail behind the bath house runs through woodlands where migrants like Veery, Ovenbird, Chestnut-sided Warbler and Scarlet Tanager gather in season.

The headquarters and the southern portion of this scenic refuge lie in Levy County. Stop at the office for maps and information, and drop by the large bat house and interpretive display nearby. The 0.3-mile River Trail is a brief lowland walk through a cypress and maple swamp to a boardwalk and a two-level deck at the water’s edge. For driving access, visit the 9-mile, unpaved Lower Suwannee Nature Drive and cruise through upland pine forests and dark, cool lowlands and swamps good for songbirds.

In late fall and winter, flats in the channels between the islands of Cedar Key host a tremendous diversity of shorebirds and waterbirds which can be viewed from this easily-accessible vantage point. Low tide is best and a spotting scope is quite helpful here—set up your tripod on the 215-foot pier or at the edge of the ample parking lot—there are plenty of great views to go around. Don’t forget to scan the salt marsh on the west side of the parking lot for more wading birds and rails.