Join the Choctawhatchee Audubon for birding programs and field trips.
February 1: Bird Walk – Master birder, Bruce Purdy, will lead a bird walk to the Okaloosa County Landfill and Ft. Walton spray fields. This location consistently produces the highest species counts in our area, with wintering shorebirds, raptors, ducks, songbirds, and more on display. Wear good shoes and bring water and insect repellent. Meet at Coach and 4 Restaurant at 1313 Lewis Turner Blvd., Ft. Walton at 7:30 a.m. Call Bruce at 305-359-5334 for more info..
February 6: Monthly Meeting Program – Alabama and Florida Hummingbirds, a Lot More Than You Think by Fred Bassett, certified master bird bander. The program will discuss Ruby Throated Hummingbirds in detail and introduce several western humming bird species that winter in the Southeast that have been banded and sighted often.
The meeting will be held in Room 130 on the ground floor of the Student Services Center at the Niceville campus of Northwest Florida State College, and will begin at 6:30 p.m. with socializing and light refreshments. The meeting is free and open to the interested public. For more information, call Walt Spence at 850-582-7064.
February 8: Bird Walk – Learn about our wintering shorebirds with ornithologist, Alan Knothe, on a bird walk to be held at Okaloosa Island’s East Pass and Gulf Beach adjacent to the West Jetty. Learn how to identify the various species of gulls, terns, plovers, and hopefully, Black Skimmers. Be prepared for a walk of about two miles. Meet at the parking area on the south side of Hwy 98 adjacent to the western end of the Marler (Destin) Bridge at 7:30 a.m. Call Alan at 850-862-3498 for more info.
February 22: Field Trip – Visit the Coffeen Nature Preserve with Susan Paladini, Preserve Manager. See 200+ acres of dune and dune lake habitat, along with the historic Army Air Force “buzz bomb” test site in South Walton county. Meet at the Winn Dixie on Hwy 20 in Bluewater Bay at 7:30 a.m. Call Susan at 850-267-2312 for more info.