We mean that in a very positive way. There are so many places to bird in Gainesville we find ourselves running out of time before we get to half of them. On a weekend trip in January, we visited Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and Sweetwater Wetlands Park. We had been to both places before and knew we wouldn’t be disappointed.
Paynes Prairie Preserve
Just south of Gainesville, this park is like a piece of the “old West” that was uprooted and planted in Florida. Wild horses and Bison roam freely. We’ve physically seen the horses but not the Bison. We’re not doubting their presence, we just seem to miss them whenever we are there. Once we entered the park, we headed to the visitor center for the latest park updates. Parts of the La Chua Trail, Bolen Bluff Trail and Cones Dike Trail were flooded due to high water levels. We decided to check out the observation tower and then hike part of the La Chua Trail.
At the observation tower, we could hear warblers coming from the bushes and trees. The goose-like honking and rattling calls coming from the prairie were Sandhill Cranes that had migrated from the Canada and the upper Midwest. During the next several minutes we could see the inbound flight pattern was heavy with Sandhill Cranes. We decided to move on to hike the La Chua Trail. Other birders told us that a Great Crested Flycatcher had made its presence known on that trail recently and we hoped to catch a glimpse of him.
As birders, we rely on our eyes and our ears to help us find the birds. We have learned the calls of many birds such as the Red-belied Woodpecker, Cardinal, Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher to name a few. However, birding by ear is not as easy as the actor, Jack Black, makes it seem in the movie, “A Big Year.” As we walked the La Chua trail, the birds were letting us know they were there with their calls but they were playing a great game of “you can hear me, but I’m not going to let you see me.” We did see all of the prior mentioned birds as well as a few Red-shouldered Hawks, Palm and Pine Warblers, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet but we felt sure we were missing a lot species because our birding-by-sound skills still need to be expanded.
We had been on the trail for approximately an hour when we noticed the sounds of the Sandhill Cranes getting louder and louder – we had to continue to see what this was all about and we are so glad we did. Just ahead to our right through some tall brush we could several flying into a field. Getting closer, we were thrilled to see what must have been thousands of Sandhill Cranes roosting, dancing and nesting. It was a sight we will never forget. Never had we seen that many birds of any species in the same place at the same time.
Paynes Prairie Preserve
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
This park is a man-made wetland designed to improve the quality of water in Paynes Prairie and the Floridan Aquifer. There are crushed gravel trails with many viewing platforms for nature lovers to observe birds, alligators, butterflies and plants. It is side by side with Paynes Prairie. We enjoy walking the trails particularly because the only traffic allowed in the park is foot traffic. This keeps the noise level down and makes it more enjoyable to listen to the sounds of nature while birding. Birds we spotted, to name a few – egrets, Black-bellied whistling ducks, Bufflehead ducks, Redhead ducks, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue-winged Teal, several types of warblers and we did manage to see a Grey-headed Swamphen.
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
Where to Stay
When we go birding for longer than a day, we stay overnight either by camping, hotel or bed and breakfast. Gainesville has a wonderful Bed and Breakfast “district” and we chose to stay at the Magnolia Plantation Bed and Breakfast Inn and Cottages. They offered a “winter vacation” special which was a significant discount if you opt out of daily breakfast and housekeeping. This was perfect for us as we are up and out early and don’t mind making our own bed. The Ginger cottage gave us plenty of room to spread our gear out. We enjoyed sitting on the antique loveseat with a cup of coffee in our hands while we looked out of the French doors onto the beautifully landscaped property. It was early January when we visited, and Florida was having one of its “cold snaps.” Temperatures fell to 32 degrees during the evening, but we were nice and cozy in our cottage with the gas fireplace going. We thoroughly enjoyed Magnolia Plantation and will surely return for another visit.
Where to Eat
Amelia’s – Italian food, what can we say, we just can’t get enough. We made a reservation at Amelia’s using the Open Table app. It is in downtown Gainesville and was within walking distance of Magnolia Plantation Bed and Breakfast where we were staying. Chef Andy is both the owner and executive chef who takes great pride in preparing classic Italian food using locally grown fresh ingredients. Our server was very attentive and kept the food flowing at an appropriate pace. We started with salads and then for our entrees I had the grouper with a light tomato sauce and Tom had baked ravioli both were outstanding. Finishing the evening we enjoyed cannoli, cappuccino and a double espresso. A few other diners were celebrating birthdays and the Chef came out of the kitchen and played “Happy Birthday” to them on his saxophone.
MOJO Hogtown Bar-B-Que – We’re always on the lookout for good BBQ and MOJO’s didn’t disappoint. I chose the pulled pork shoulder with onion rings. The pork was delicious, and the onion rings were huge. Tom had St. Louis Spareribs with sweet potato mash. MOJO’s was also within walking distance of Magnolia Plantation bed and breakfast.
Flying Biscuit Café – They have indoor and outdoor seating and the overall decorating style is bright and cheery. We had breakfast here with coffee, eggs, bacon, fruit, orange juice, grits and the best biscuits we have ever had. They were moist and flakey and so, so good.
The Fresh Market – Also located in the same shopping plaza as Flying Biscuit Café and Wild Birds Unlimited, we picked up some sandwiches and drinks for our lunch and some goodies for a snack later in the evening.
Side trip – Wild Birds Unlimited
We don’t have a Wild Birds Unlimited store near us, so whenever we are near one, we always stop in. It’s a birder’s wondershop. This time we picked up a few pieces for our feeder poles, a new feeder, some suet blocks, and a seed tube. Since it was January, we chose a Winter Blend seed tube and I’m happy to say we’ve had a great response to it from our bird visitors including a Summer Tanager – a first time visitor at our feeders!
Trip Rating
