Whether you watch the birds from a balcony or local dock or you head out to the wildlife refuge in a boat or sea kayak, you will be amazed at the number of species you'll see in Cedar Key.The Cedar Keys are in the heart of Florida's Nature Coast. Wildlife viewing is something that pretty much happens whether you go looking or not. Just up the road from Cedar Key is Chiefland next door to Manatee Springs, another excellent park for viewing birds and manatees. The Suwannee River is just north of Cedar Key and is a terrific day trip for canoeing/kayaking.
Great Egrets are common year round.
- GORP Guide to Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
- Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1929. Three of the islands are designated as breeding grounds for birds including: herons, egrets, brown pelicans, and ibises. Sea Horse Key, in particular, is off-limits to people during breeding season (approximately March through June), but the birds are very visible on other islands and in the town of Cedar Key.
- Official Site: Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
- Statistics, town, brochure of the refuge, wildlife list, and information about other area wildlife refuges.
- Manatee Springs State Park
- Manatee Springs is a 1/2 hour drive north and east of Cedar Key. Situated on the Suwannee River, the park is a terrific day trip. There's an excellent boardwalk through a cypress swamp out to the Suwannee where the dock offers excellent views of the river and often manatees swimming. Along the banks of the river are trees that are home to the largest collection of vultures we've ever seen. These birds are fascinating to watch. Canoe rentals available, diving in the incredibly blue springs is a favorite for scuba divers. The park also has walking trails, a children's play area, and a swimming beach. This is a terrific trip!
- Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve
- Twelve miles of marked walking trails located off of Rt. 24 just outside of Cedar Key. This is a nice trail for folks interested in the area flora and fauna. It's not a trail really suitable for kids or visitors looking to be "awed" or entertained. Quiet, sandy, and extremely hot in summer.
- Birds of Cedar Key - PDF!
- This is an Adobe Acrobat file that we assembled for visitors to Tranquility who were wondering what kind of birds they were seeing from the balcony. Be warned, this is a fairly large download (1.1 mb), but well-worth it if you're nuts about birds!
- The Misunderstood Vulture
- published 9/02/03
- Roseate Spoonbills
- published 8/09/03
- Birding.com
- Excellent resource for birding around the world - reviews, lodging, discussion, etc.
- Cornell's Birding Info
- Everything you have always wanted to know about birds.
Our resident Osprey.
Yellow Crowned Night Herons live along shore.
Dowitcher feeding on the beach.
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