11311 SW 153rd Court, Cedar Key, 32625
Daily, sunrise to sunset
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. You may also launch a motorboat or kayak from the public boat ramp. Local kayak concessionaires can outfit your paddling adventures in the surrounding waters among the mangroves, where Peregrine Falcons stoop on clusters of sandpipers and kettles of American White Pelicans soar on thermals. Roseate Spoonbills are often present in the summer; other wading birds seen here include Tricolored Herons and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. Gray Kingbirds are also present in the summer, look for them perched on dead snags along the road leading up to the parking lot. In winter, ducks such as Buffleheads, Red-breasted Mergansers and Lesser Scaup are present. A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was recorded here in November 2016.
