Destination Dixie Crossroads!
A little background for your visit:
Birdwatching in Titusville
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Destination Dixie Crossroads!A little background for your visit: Birdwatching in Titusville
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Titusville has been a popular destination for lovers of the outdoors for more than two hundred years. Close inspection of nearby natural resources makes it easy to see why. Bordered on the west by the St. Johns, Florida's longest freshwater river and its associated lakes and marshes, and by the Indian River Lagoon, the nation's most diverse estuary on the east, the town is also minutes from the Atlantic Ocean one of the best birding locations in North America. In fact, more than 300 species of birds have been seen here. Located on the Atlantic Flyway, Titusville is an ideal spot to look for migrating birds. Thousands of wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors and songbirds migrate from their northern homes to spend the winter here. The Painted Bunting, North America's most colorful bird, is a winter resident. The fastest growing passive sport in America, birdwatching is an activity that can be enjoyed by families, groups and individuals. Birding is easy and inexpensive, requiring minimal equipment, skill or physical fitness.
With its diverse habitats and favorable climate, Titusville is one of the best birding locations in North America, with numerous charismatic and colorful birds, easily seen and identified with a field guide. The animated Reddish Egret (the rarest heron in North America), spectacular Roseate Spoonbill (the pink bird that many assume is a Flamingo) and the imposing Bald Eagle are not as common in other areas as they are near Titusville. Florida has always been a popular location for aviophiles, who come to see specialties such as the Crested Caracara, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Kestrel, Bachman's Sparrow, Snail Kite, Purple Gallinule, and Florida Scrub Jay.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, with help from the Florida Department of Transportation, is establishing the 2,000 mile-long Great Florida Birding Trail. Modeled after a successful coastal birding trail in Texas, the Great Florida Birding Trail will consist of numerous sites in each of four geographic locations of the state. These sites will be pinpointed on specially designed guide maps and marked by highway signs. The Great Florida Birding Trail is designed to connect birders with the best spots and species the state has to offer. More than 40 Great Florida Birding trail sites are located within an hour's drive from Titusville.
The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a designated Gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail, where visitors can find more detailed information and materials than at other sites. Trained staff members at the Refuge visitor's center are available to answer questions and provide information about birding classes and events, as well as a Great Florida Birding Trail guide. The Refuge Visitor's Center also offers a great selection of field guides and area information. Thanks to the generosity and support of optics companies like Eagle Optics, Redfield and Simmons and Weaver, loaner binoculars are available at the Refuge Visitor Center for anyone to check out. One of the most popular areas of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 7-mile one-way driving loop. The Black Point Wildlife Drive offers visitors an opportunity to observe birds and wildlife without ever leaving their vehicles. The City of Titusville's Blue Heron Water Treatment Facility offers another outstanding opportunity for birding from a vehicle. Thousands of waterfowl, wading birds and marsh birds congregate in the created wetlands at Blue Heron.
In January, Titusville hosts the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. This annual event, Florida's oldest major birding festival, is heralded as a model for environmental festivals nationwide due to the exceptional lineup of presenters and high quality field trips. This exciting five-day affair offers an opportunity to explore the globally significant natural areas of Florida's Space Coast, home of the largest collection of endangered wildlife and plants in the continental U.S. Birders of all levels, wildlife enthusiasts, naturalists, biologists and ornithologists travel from all over North America to support this benchmark tradition. Cooperation of agencies, environmentalists, local business people, Kennedy Space Center contractors and the community at large helps to provide a cultural as well as a historical side to the Festival.
Space Coast Birding
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Canaveral National Seashore
