BIRDING SITES

Okaloosa Birding Sites

A Local Supplement to the Florida State Birding Trails

The purpose of this brochure is to offer the visitor and

resident birder the opportunity to explore some of the

less well known birding sites in Okaloosa County. Most

are especially productive in the spring, fall and winter

but if you are visiting in the summer, you may be

surprised what you will see especially if you go very

early.

We encourage you to visit our website at

Choctawhatcheeaudubon.org

for additional information and contact us for

feedback on the usefulness of the brochure and any

suggestions you might have for future editions.

1 Bluewater Bay Marina & Swamp2 Lions Park & Cedar Ave. Wetlands3 Bayou Plaza Shopping Center

& Kiwanis Park

4 Florida Park5 Fort Walton Beach Landfill, Spray Fields & Holding Pond6 Okaloosa County Holding Ponds

7 Ferry Park

8 Oak Tree Nature Park

9 Destin Bridge West Side/Jetties

10 Mattie Kelly Park, Kelly St. 

& Main Street Park.
1. Bluewater Bay Marina & Swamp. Park in the marina parking

lot and walk around the wooded lot looking for birds. In the winter find

American Robins, Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers, Yellow-Rumped

Warblers, Tufted Titmice, Finches, and sometimes more exotic species

such as Western Tanagers. From the boardwalk in front of the marina,

you can spot Herons, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and sea birds including

Brown Pelicans, and Gulls and Terns. Rails have been seen in the

marsh grass here. Next, walk back through the parking lot and back

up Bay Dr. towards the tennis club. Look at the swamps on both sides

of the road. See Brown Thrashers, Ospreys, Herons, Egrets, RedHeaded Woodpeckers in winter, and such common birds as Northern

Cardinals, Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds, year around.

Directions: From High School in Niceville, take Hwy 20 (John Sims

Pkwy) approx. 4 miles east and turn S.W. on Bay Rd. Follow Bay

through two stop signs to the marina at the end of the road (passing

the swamp on the way).

2. Lions Park & Cedar Ave. Wetlands.

Lions Park, a City of Niceville park, offers

mostly views of sea and shore birds especially winter varieties of gulls. Pelicans,

Cormorants, and Terns. The grassy area of

the park is also frequented by other birds

common to the area. Go east on Byrne St.

(just south of the fuel farm). Watch Cuckoos and Flycatchers in the

moss covered Live Oaks. Turn south on Cedar Ave. about one

block and look for the swamp and the communications tower on

the left. Turn left and park. Red-winged Blackbirds are plentiful and

Purple Gallinule and other wading birds have been seen here along

with Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Gray Catbirds and Common

Snipes.

Directions: From Hwy 285 at Hwy 20 (John Sims Pkwy) in

Niceville, continue on Partin Dr. to Bayshore Dr. The park is a few

blocks southeast (to the left) along the bayou which is on the right.

3. Bayou Plaza Shopping Center & Kiwanis Park. Park in the

parking lot in front of Badcock’s Furniture. Check the small park East

toward Niceville, continuing as far as Turkey Creek Bridge. Look for

wading/marsh birds, and check the power lines for perching birds. In

the marsh area beside and behind the shopping center, look for

Sparrows, Catbirds, Robins and Woodpeckers. The head of the Bayou

often has water fowl and shorebirds.

Directions: From Turkey Creek Park, continue around the head of

Boggy Bayou on Hwy 20 and turn left into shopping plaza parking lot. 

4. Florida Park. This is another delightful community park located

in Valparaiso. The park is mostly an open grassy area with a few trees.

In late winter, it is home to Robins, Red-Headed Woodpeckers, and

other small birds. It also offers a view of Boggy Bayou which might

include Ospreys, Bald Eagles, and various sea and shore birds and

water fowl. 

Directions: Go south on Hwy 20 (John Sims Pkwy.) through

Valparaiso and crossing Tom’s Bayou Bridge. Turn left on Bayshore Dr.

or Florida Ave. to the park.

5. Fort Walton Beach Landfill, Spray Fields & Holding Pond.

These are the most consistently productive

sites in the area. Although permission is

required for entrance to these sites, it is mostly a formality. There is a guard shack at the

entrance to the landfill, so notify the guard by

showing your binoculars. Once in the landfill,

view the lake on the left for various waterfowl, shorebirds, and

waders. Also check for flyovers of raptors. Continue along the road for

a short distance to a road to the right. It is a good idea to park here

and walk this road as the road surface is fairly deep sand. This road,

which continues along the fence, is called the sparrow trail or the

migrant trail for good reason. Many species of small birds, especially

sparrows and wrens are to be seen. Hummingbirds and many other

migrants even such rare birds as Anis are present during the spring

and fall migrations. The entrance to the spray fields and holding pond

is on the East side of the road (Beal St. Extension) just outside the

landfill. Be sure to check in with the office personnel before proceeding. The holding pond is a good spot to view various waterfowl,

wading birds, gills, terns and raptors. Drive to the back of the holding

pond for a better view, and then continue around the edge of the spray

field checking for Raptors and Flycatchers on the spray heads and

Warblers, Sparrows, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers in the woods

bordering the spray fields.

Directions from the north (Niceville):

Take Hwy 85 S. past the Northwest Florida Regional Airport to Hwy

189 (Lewis Turner Blvd). Turn west and proceed for several miles.

Turn right (north) on Beal Pkwy Ext. just opposite the Coach-N-Four

Restaurant. This road goes further west for a short distance past a

small convenience store then turns sharp right (north) and runs into

the landfill entrance after a mile or two.

Directions from the south (Ft. Walton Beach/Wright):

Take Hwy 189 (Beal Pkwy) north for several miles. Past Mary Esther

Cutoff. Past Racetrack Rd. Just past Greenacres Rd. (McDonald’s on

the right), the road changes names to Lewis Turner Blvd. Turn left on

Beal Pkwy Ext. opposite the Coach-N-Four Restaurant. This road

heads back west for a short way and passes a small convenience store

before it turns sharply north and runs into the landfill entrance after a

mile or two.

6.Okaloosa County Holding Ponds.

These two holding ponds are good sites to find

waterfowl, especially ducks of many kinds,

shorebirds, and other water birds. Canadian

Geese come here as well as Egyptian Geese

and some even more exotic species. Swallows

and other insect eating birds such as

Flycatchers and Warblers can be seen. Nesting boxes are provided and

ensure Bluebirds in season. Raptors can be seen flying overhead.

Directions: From Hwy 189 (see above directions to FWB Landfill),

turn north on Roberts Rd. (at Mama Rosa’s Pizza). Proceed north for

several blocks and through a gate, locked after hours. Continue north

until the road ends at a fence and turn right and park between the

holding ponds.

7. Ferry Park. This larger city park has grass areas, wooded areas,

and small creeks. It offers an opportunity to view many different

species of birds from raptors such as Merlins, Kestrels, Broad-Winged

Hawks, etc. to water birds such as Pelicans, wading birds such as

Egrets and Herons, woods birds such as Warblers, Wrens, Tanagers,

etc. and such birds as Robins, White-Winged Doves, Purple Martins

and so on depending on the season. There are paved and unpaved

pathways to use.

Directions: From Eglin Parkway, turn east on Hughes Street, then

right onto Ferry and right into the parking lot.

8. Oak Tree Nature Park.

A City of Mary Esther park, this 25 acre park consists of five native

plant communities. A well-marked interpretive hiking trail of nearly

two miles meanders through the park,

crossing Silver Sands Creek in two places.

The trail markers also identify some of the

many native species of plants which provide food and shelter for wildlife. Insect

repellent is advised during summer

months. Over 103 bird species have been identified, including large

numbers of migratory birds such as Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and

Summer Tanagers. Swainson’s Thrushes and Veerys also stop here on

their way north to fatten up after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. Green

Herons can be seen picking their way along the banks of the creek.

Resident birds such as Brown Thrashers and Mockingbirds are

prevalent but Brown-Headed Nuthatches have also been spotted.

Many warblers have been seen including the Golden Prothonotary

Warbler.

Directions: From Hwy. 98 west of Mary Ester

Blvd. and east of Hurlburt Field, take Doolittle Dr.

north to the traffic circle and proceed west on

Hollywood out of the circle. The park with a

parking lot is located on the south side of the

street just east of the Mary Esther Library/City

Hall complex.

9. Destin Bridge West Side/Jetties.

This site is the east end of Santa Rosa Island

at the foot of Destin Bridge. It includes pass

and gulf beach, sand dunes, salt and freshwater marshes. There is a small wooded area

which sometimes serves as a heron rookery.

Herons are also frequent visitors to the bayside and to the small ponds

within the dune system. Osprey and Bald Eagles can be spotted overhead. Ducks and other water birds can be seen in the ponds. Around

the beach, the Destin East Pass turns into Gulf- front beaches at the

West Jetty. The Gulf beach offers many species of seabirds including

Gulls, Terns, Gannets and Pelicans. Snowy Plovers have been seen

nesting on the Gulf side near the dunes, but should not be disturbed.

This is a long walk through sand, but worth the effort. 

Directions: From Fort Walton Beach and the west, cross the island.

(Called Okaloosa Island locally, but actually the east end of Santa Rosa

Island.) Just before the Marler Bridge to Destin, turn slight right and

go down the hill to the gravel parking lot. The east or far side of the

parking lot is the best viewing area and you can walk the shoreline to

the gulf. Walking on the dunes is prohibited.

10. Mattie Kelly Park, Kelly St. & Main Street Park.

The Mattie Kelly Park offers good parking and

a short boardwalk on the inland side of the

street. The boardwalk passes beside a marsh

and offers marsh birds such as Red-Winged

Blackbirds, Wrens, Sparrows and BrownHeaded Nuthatches. There is a dock on the Bay

side of the street which extends into the mouth of Joe’s Bayou. There

are the usual sea and shorebirds here as well as Grebes, Buffleheads,

Mergansers and other waterfowl in season. These can also be viewed

from the south end of Joe’s Bayou on Kelly Street and from the dock

at the Main Street Park. Across from the bayou on Kelly Street is a

small lake with resident feral Geese and sometimes other waterfowl.

Across from the Main Street Park is another lake on which waterfowl

can sometimes be seen.

Directions: From Hwy 98 in Destin, go north on Beach Drive to near

its end at the Bay. (The road turns left and the name changes to

Calhoun.) Mattie Kelly Park is on both sides of Beach Dr. with the parking lot on the left. Go back south on Beach Dr. to the four-way stop at

Kelly St. Turn left (east) for half a block. Park on the right side of Kelly

St. with the lake to the right and the end of Joe’s Bayou to the north

(left). Continue east to the end of Kelly and turn left (north) on Main

Street. The Main Street Park is a short way north. The park has limited parking.