Alachua County Big Day!

Name: Alachua County Big Day!
Start: 2025-01-01T07:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-01-01T18:00:00-05:00
Location: Sweetwater Wetlands Park, 325 SW Williston Rd, Gainesville

Schedule

Wed Jan 01 2025 at 07:00 am to 06:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Sweetwater Wetlands Park, 325 SW Williston Rd, Gainesville | Gainesville, FL

Now starting at 7am!
On New Year's Day, kick off your birding year with our free, guided Alachua County Big Day!
Meet trip leader and Alachua Audubon chapter Vice President Tim Hardin for the first birding trip of the year! Tim is the Alachua County Big Year record holder (282 total species in 2023) and an eBird reviewer for Alachua County.
We'll first meet up in the parking lot of Sweetwater Wetlands Park and bird the wetlands to start your year list off with a bang.
Although we will begin the day there, participants are invited to continue with us to a series of other great local birding hotspots based on input from Tim and the group.
The most likely follow-on destinations include Boulware Springs, La Chua trail, Hague Dairy, and the Gainesville area's other hottest birding hotspots--including finishing out the day at Bolen Bluff for special nocturnal species like Short-eared and Barn Owl and Woodcocks.
Bring plenty of water, snacks, and a lunch. There will not be a lunch break. We suggest comfortable shoes, a hat, bug spray, extra socks, and rain gear.
Tim anticipates that trip participants of this free, guided birding trip can tally at least 100 different bird species by the end of the day but don't be surprised if the day ends up with 120+ bird species seen or heard throughout the day. Last year's (1/1/2024) version of this event tallied 127 total species for the day (https://ebird.org/tripreport/189723)!