Celebrate the Completion of the Great Florida Birding Trail!
Snail kites will dazzle you. Mangrove cuckoos will amuse you, and black-whiskered vireos will lure you in now that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has unveiled the long-awaited South Florida Section of the Great Florida Birding Trail.
With completion of the 2,000-mile trail, bird watchers can glimpse some of Florida’s remarkable avian attractions at 446 premier sites throughout the state. The unveiling and dedication happened Jan. 14 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, best known for its flocks of nesting wood storks each winter.
The trail is a conservation tool, fueled by the rapidly expanding popularity of bird-watching. FWC selected the sites based on the quality of bird-watching experiences they offer and their resilience. The agency compiled and published trail guides representing four geographic regions.
The south leg is the fourth and final section of the birding trail and has 116 sites. It winds through 12 counties, including Broward, Charlotte, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach and Sarasota. The East Florida portion debuted in 2000, followed by West Florida and the Panhandle.
 The trail includes nine “gateway sites,†including the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. At these sites, both beginning and avid birders can borrow binoculars, pick up field guides, and gather other educational materials. Even if you’re not a hard-core birder, the field guides will point out more hiking trails to explore. Completion of this final section is a conservation coup, harnessing the might of Florida tourism to benefit our delicate wild lands. For more information, visit www.floridabirdingtrail.com
(submitted by Mark Kiser, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
FTA Staff @ January 25, 2006