 Red-cockaded Woodpecker at the Babcock/Webb WMA.
The Babcock/Webb Wildlife Management Area provides excellent birding opportunities with a total of 212 species recorded on eBird. Some residents, such as Northern Bobwhite, Least Bitterns, King Rail, Sandhill Crane, Wild Turkey and Brown-headed Nuthatches are easy to see all year, while others including Bachman’s Sparrows are more visible seasonally.
Located near Punta Gorda and Fort Myers, this site offers some of the best opportunities in the state to see the rare Red-cockaded Woodpecker. This bird is endemic to the Southeastern U.S., meaning it is found nowhere else in the world! They are often most visible during the nesting season from late April to July. Please respect these busy parents by never using recorded calls and by maintaining a long distance from marked trees. A spotting scope is helpful. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers were previously on the decline due to habitat loss from the 1970s onward, but their population is stabilizing today thanks to careful management of the pinelands these birds call home. FWC biologists have been hard at work at the Babcock/Webb WMA banding and monitoring this year’s young Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, so we can keep enjoying these birds for many years to come.
The woodpeckers are drawn to the site’s vast fire-maintained pine flatwoods but this WMA also features freshwater marshes with a smattering of hardwood hammocks and dry prairie. Whether you prefer to drive, bike or walk, exploring is easy using the site’s network of roads and trails. You can even canoe on Webb Lake. While you’re there, keep an eye out for other wildlife including Southern Fox Squirrels and Florida Bonneted Bats.
Visit the GFBWT website to learn more about the Babcock/Webb Wildlife Management Area. The Babcock-Webb WMA wildlife page provides additional information about the area and how you can experience it.
 Sweadner's Hairstreak by Barbara Woodmansee.
There’s nothing quite like a bird in flight but Florida’s butterflies have their own appeal. Over 190 butterfly species have been recorded in Florida, the most of any state east of the Mississippi River. Florida’s famous sunshine and mild temperatures help a variety of butterfly species thrive throughout the year. These colorful insects are found across the state everywhere from the wildest trail to your own backyard, making butterfly watching a fun and easy activity for the whole family.
Butterfly watching is perfect for mornings when you want to sleep in, as butterflies are most active between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Like humans, they tend to be out on pleasantly warm days without strong winds or excessive rain. This welcoming weather can make it easy to observe key features used for identification, such as size, flight pattern, behavior, and the proportions, color and shape of the wings. Conveniently, butterflies and humans share a preference for using movement corridors to get around, so they are often found along pathways and trails, streams, power cut lines and woodland edges.
Butterflies are best known for their attraction to flowers, where they feed on nectar. You can also look for plants being munched on by caterpillars, as there may be mature butterflies nearby. Home gardens and neighborhood parks are classic butterfly watching hotspots. However, some butterflies enjoy a different sort of meal. Species such as the Question Mark, Hackberry Butterfly, Malachite and the Southern Pearly-eye are attracted to rotting fruit, animal dung, dead animal remains or tree sap. You can also find butterflies near moist soil, mud puddles or stream banks where they may gather to drink water and to get other nutrients, such as salts and minerals.
Check out our website to learn more about Florida’s butterflies.
Learn how to provide habitat for butterflies and other wildlife by ordering Planting a Refuge for Wildlife.
 New checklist cover art.
The 2022 editions are here! The new bird and butterfly checklists feature new cover art and the most up-to-date lists available. Visit our website to order yours today!
 Lauren Ali is the new GFBWT Coordinator.
“I have always been highly impressed with Florida’s wildlife and opportunities for wildlife viewing, and I am thrilled to be helping continue this tradition of excellence.” – Lauren Ali, GFBWT Coordinator
This month, the GFBWT is welcoming Lauren Ali as its new coordinator. Lauren hails from the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago, which has an extremely diverse bird population including many North American migrants. She fell in love with Florida’s birds after seeing Roseate Spoonbills and Glossy Ibis on a family vacation, and again while attending college in Sarasota, where she saw her first Bald Eagles nesting by the seaside. She currently lives in Tallahassee, where her favorite neighbor is a Red-shouldered Hawk.
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