Clay County is home to three locations featured along the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, a network of more than 500 premiere wildlife viewing sites across the state.
Camp Chowenwaw Park, Jennings State Forest and Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park make up the county’s locations highlighted along the trail. At each of these locations, visitors can have educational and first-hand experiences spotting native and migratory birds from the region.
Here’s what to expect while birding in Clay County –
Camp Chowenwaw Park
Dating back to 1933, Green Cove Springs’ Camp Chowenwaw Park was once Florida’s first Girl Scout Camp. Today, the public park offers 150 acres, a swimming pool and numerous trails for exploring and pristine conditions for overnight camping too.
Explore the the 750-foot Jungle Trail boardwalk to the park’s fishing pier/observation deck on Black Creek for sightings of Bald Eagle, Anhinga, Wood Stork, Green Heron and River Otters. In the shaded areas of the park, birders may also see Orange-crowned Warbler and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Winter and Eastern Wood-pewee, Yellow-throated Vireo, Veery, Yellow Warbler and Summer Tanager during the Spring and Fall months.
While at the park, stop by the Pawpaw Nature Center to learn about the animals and habitats that make up Clay County. At the nearby pollinator garden, visitors can learn how to attract and support butterflies and other pollinators at home. Open on the third Saturday of each month, the Camp Chowenwaw Park History Museum tells the stories and history of the Girl Scouts that once used this same property.
Jennings State Forest
At nearly 24,000 acres, Jennings State Forest located just outside of Oakleaf is home to 15 different biological communities including sandhill, slope forest, flatwoods, seepage slope, dome swamp, blackwater stream and seepage stream.
Resident bird species found in the area include like Bachman’s Sparrow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Northern Bobwhite, American Kestrel, and Red-headed Woodpeckers. The 12.8-mile Pioneer Trail offers a variety of viewpoints and interactions with numerous ecosystems making the trail a popular spot for birding. The forest also welcomes active Frosted Elfin and Sleepy Duskywing butterflies from late February to early April. Maps and trail guides can be found at every trailhead to help visitors navigate the terrain and pathways.
Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park
Known as one of Florida’s first state parks, Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights is home to 2,000 acres with 5.44 miles of trails along the Florida National Scenic Trail.
The park is a popular destination for migratory songbirds in season, including Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Swainson’s Thrush, Prairie Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Sandhills and scrubs are most commonly seen along the park’s upper ridge of the ravine area making up a 1.5 mile area.
Along the park’s lakefront area, be on the lookout for lakefronts for Hooded Mergansers and American Bittern in the winter and resident wading birds such as Wood Stork and Great Blue Heron along with Bald Eagles and Swallow-tailed Kites.
As a full-facility campground with 73 camp sites, overnight accommodations are available for RVs, tents and cabin rentals.
