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Gainesville area in July (1 Viewer)

ulfg

Well-known member
Hi!

I'm a Swedish birder who will be in Gainesville (FL) July 7 - 13, 2017. Is there someone here with some advice on where to go... and maybe what to avoid... when it comes to birding in the area at that time of year?
 
I imagine in July its going to be pretty hot and not that active, bird-wise. That being said, you should still be able to see some great birds. Paynes Prairie Preserve is one of the better spots in that area. I would recommend looking at eBird closer to the trip to see where the most birds are being seen and go there.
 
Thank you, Little SuperBirder! Payne's Prairie is now on my list. I guess that the birds will be as inactive as I during daytime, but I hope that early mornings will be fine.

And I will follow your advice an check out e-bird!
 
As you are aware this time of the year is hot, humid, rainy and buggy here in Gainesville. Birding is on the slow side at this time of the year as the breeding season is practically over. Having said that there should still be a good variety around, including locally breeding Neotropical migratory birds. Some of the best birding spots:

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park: mostly a large wetland but it also has forest and scrub (brush and grassland), lots of alligators too. A good area to sample this large preserve close to town is the La Chua trail at Paynes Prairie.

Sweetwater Wetlands Park: this is an artificial wetland built to restore the slow flow of Sweetwater Branch creek into and through Paynes Prairie. Same birds as the prairie but in more comfortable surroundings (boardwalks, ample flat paths etc), has a very large concentration of Limpkins.

San Felasco Preserve State Park: most of this large preserve is mature deciduous forest which in Spring and Summer harbors some birds at the southernmost part of their range, such as Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-peewee, Hooded Warbler.

Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve: this preserve protects a large remnant of Longleaf Pine forest and has some birds characteristic of this habitat such as Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pine Warbler and Bachman's Sparrow.

On the skies over the town at this time of the year you can see, besides the omnipresent Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Ospreys, Cooper's Hawks, Mississippi Kites and Swallow-tailed Kites, not to mention the numerous Turkey and Black Vultures and the occasional Bald Eagle. With lots of luck you may see Broad-winged Hawk and Short-tailed Hawk.

Besides eBird consult the web site of our local chapter of the Audubon Society, Alachua Audubon. This chapter of the nation-wide, conservation-orienged Audubon Society, is very active in birding and has some birding resources in its website such as information on local birding.
 
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