Month: January 2019

We were offered suite passes to the Florida / South Carolina football game by a long-time business consultant and of course, we had to go. We decided to spend the night close to Gainesville since it was a noon kickoff. Our room at the Shamrock Historic Inn in Ocala is a quaint place just a couple of blocks from downtown. This area is really happening, especially on weekends and we had a very nice dinner at La Cuisine Restaurant.

Getting up early, as usual and we are off the to La Chua trailhead on the north end of the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to look for birds and wild horses. Right away we meet up with one of the rangers who tells us all about the changes at the preserve due to the high water levels the last few years. The main trail used to lead to the dykes but ends just past the observation deck. Snail kites are now seen regularly here because of the introduced non-native vegetation that contained invasive apple snails. We also saw many more Limpkin than we have ever seen here in the past.

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A pair of wild boar feeding on vegetation in the shallows was a real treat too. Some of the highlights from our 30 species include Bald Eagle, Blue-headed Vireo, and Pileated Woodpecker.

Next stop is Sweetwater Wetlands Park a short drive away and what a great find this place is. Finally, we get to see the famous wild horses after several previous near misses. The wetland trails and boardwalks are amazing and we find a Sora, several Glossy Ibis, and a skulking Purple Gallinule.

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Finally, we left Sweetwater to head for Gainesville and the football game. On the way, we passed a mural tribute to Gainesville’s favorite, Tom Petty.

We arrived in time to watch the University of Florida band make their way to the stadium. The game had us on edge but the Gators pulled off a 35-31 win in the fourth quarter.

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It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

Trip Birds: 42   Life Birds: 0

Next Up: NYC Central Park Birding