Meet AAS board member Renee Slaw at the UF "Hague" Dairy in the usual designated grassy parking area near the classroom (exact location via Google Maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/dSFWvPxyw4y3hBim6) on the western side of the complex, demarcated with a sign reading "Classroom parking", right across from the painted sign that has a gator milking a cow.
Our efforts will focus on observing migrant shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and others) and lingering/late migrant songbirds along with all the typical open-habitat birds found at the dairy.
This trip will be group led.
If you’ve never been to the UF Dairy farm, be prepared to see cows, barns, birds. We will visit the lagoon, loved by shorebirds, where waste from the cows is held until it is sprayed on crops. Species seen in May include a variety of sandpipers and grassland birds, lingering migratory birds and more.
As always, trip participants are asked to respect and defer to the workers and cows in an effort to maintain our amicable relationship with the dairy staff.
After Hague there will be an option to continue at Cellon Creek.
Difficulty: 2 but variable based on rain, some uneven terrain, potential for extreme heat and sun exposure since there are no shade trees. There are good paths throughout. Since this is an active farm, there can be strong smells in some areas.
Full field trip schedule and more information:
http://www.alachuaaudubon.org/events-activities/field-trips/
NON-MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
Here are some items to consider carrying on any field trip: binoculars (a must), water, bug spray, sunscreen, hat, sturdy shoes, rain gear for sudden downpours, notebook, camera, contact information
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