Clearwater Florida – Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Clearwater Florida – You may not know but Florida’s attracts more than snowbirds this time of year. Florida is a bird watching mecca and Clearwater has many spots to view them.
I love photographing various birds when I come to on our Tampa Bay Beaches. I’ve shared a few of my Fowl Friend photos here.
There have been over 500 species of birds spotted in Florida along our Great Florida Bird Trail. This “Fowl” Trail is made up of 2000 miles of self guided Florida birding along our highway trails. Yes, you read right – I said 2000 miles!!!
We have several spots here along our Pinellas County highways and you might have noticed the Great Bird Trail Markers as seen below along US Highway 60 about halfway across the road connecting Clearwater to Tampa Florida. Also one of my favorite spots on the trail is in Tierra Verde Florida at Fort Desoto Park and Beach. If you stop by the ranger’ s station they have free guides as well.
Did you know that the state of Florida has:
- 445 birding sites located throughout Florida.
- over 481 birds native to Florida;
- 12 non-natives;
- and 4 native birds that are currently on the extinction list.
Information provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Your Guide to Bird watching in Tampa Bay Florida
These trails were designed to conserve and promote “Florida’s bird habitat by promoting birdwatching activities, conservation education and economic opportunity” (Source: GFBT Home page)
The Great Florida Bird trail is divided into 4 Sections and each one has it’s own birding trail guide.
If you are interested in looking for birds in Pasco County, Pinellas County and Hillsborough County you will find all the birding sites and trails listed in a down-loadable guide – the West Section Guide
I have enjoyed checking out the sites in Clearwater, Dunedin, Tierra Verde, St Petersburg and Tampa.
The information for the Great Florida Birding Trail is also available in Spanish.
FREE Things to do in Clearwater Florida
In this day and age where the cost of everything seems to be rising it’s great to know you can have fun in Clearwater Florida (or any of the other Tampa Bay birding hot spots) while you learn by participating in the Wings Over Florida program. The Wings Over Florida , a FREE award program, is open to everyone – whether you’re a Clearwater | Tampa Bay resident or not.
The Wings Over Florida program encourages everyone to identify as many Florida native birds as you can. Earn levels for your birdwatching from “Beginner” to “Elite Florida Birder” and you’ll be awarded your Florida bird watching certificates.
Bird watching For Kids in Pinellas County
There’s also a great program to introduce younger kids (those ages 3rd grade and up) to birding in Florida – it’s called the Wings Over Florida Junior Birder Program. Check it our online – They provide Student / Teacher resources so you can create your own bird scavenger hunt and other fun activities. It’s great for Florida home schooled children too.
The Great Florida Bird Trail website has lots of tips and techniques for the beginner to the most experienced bird watcher.
They provide:
- birding checklist,
- bird guides,
- info on which sites you can expect to see which birds.
Hope this provides you with some new ideas of things to do in the Clearwater | St Petersburg | Tampa Bay area.
Have you ever tried bird-watching? What’s your favorite spot or story?
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The above information and images are Copyright © 2007 Jack and Cyndee Haydon, REALTORS and your Tampa Bay Real Estate Consultants and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed or published. All rights reserved. Plagiarism will be detected and is punishable by law.
