SCC Audubon Club Field Trips Dates and Information

FIELD TRIPS ARE IN DRIVING DISTANCE. WE CAR-POOL WHEN POSSIBLE.

Members of the club and their guests can join us on our field trips. Details and a sign up sheet are available at our meetings, and there is a sign-up form at the top of this page. You may also call the field trip leader (announced at our meetings) to sign up. Once you sign up, you will receive further instructions from the trip leader. Most of the time, we meet in a parking lot to carpool. Sometimes we go to lunch together after we tour the site. Details, again, will be available when you submit the form here, or when you sign up at our meetings. YOU MUST SIGN UP TO ATTEND A FIELD TRIP. REMEMBER TO HIT THE RED 'SUBMIT' BUTTON TO SIGN UP! And remember to include your telephone number.

GUESTS MAY ATTEND ONLY ONE FIELD TRIP BEFORE THEY NEED TO JOIN THE CLUB AND PARTICIPATE IN ADDITIONAL FIELD TRIPS.

Monday, March 10, 2025 - Gibbons Nature Preserve, Riverview

One of the few remaining natural tracts of land on the lower Alafia River, it is a refuge for wildlife and contributes to the protection of water quality in the river. This 60-acre site is protected by the Tampa Bay Conservancy. Bell Creek meanders through oak and pinewoods and mixed hardwood and cypress wetlands before its confluence with the Alafia River.

We will meet at 9AM at the Community Hall on South Pebble Beach Blvd., and carpool from there. We plan to luncheon at the Tiki Docks Restaurant following our trip.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - Camp Bayou, Ruskin

Discover the 'wilds' of Florida right here in south Hillsborough County at the 160-acre Camp Bayou Nature Preserve and Outdoor Learning Center! The canoe launch, Visitors' Center, Nature Center, trails and butterfly habitat are open for us to visit. Both the Eagle Audubon Society and our Sun City Center Audubon Club have invested time and effort in the improvement of this beautiful local property.

We will meet at 9 AM at the Community Hall on South Pebble Beach Blvd. Following our visit there, we will return to CR 674 for lunch at Bob Evans Restaurant. 

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - Seven Wetlands Park, Lakeland

This park, also known as Se7en Wetlands Park, is part of a 1,600-acre area in Mulberry (just south of Lakeland) comprised of marshes, swamps, and lakes. It has an extensive trail system; the trails we will use are boardwalks. They offer a tram, which will hold ten people; the rest of us will explore the boardwalks. We are in the process of setting up a luncheon for the group.

We will meet at 8:30 am at the Community Hall on South Pebble Beach Blvd. and carpool from there.

Thursday, April 24, 2025 - Crossbar / A1 Bar Ranch

This date had been reserved for a field trip to Fort DeSoto Park. Due to hurricane Milton; the October field trip to Crossbar Ranch was postponed and has been rescheduled for this date. The Fort Desoto trip has been cancelled.

Crossbar Ranch is located in Spring Hill, Florida. we will be taken on a guided wagon ride at the Ranch. Species that may be seen include Florida scrub jay, burrowing owl and southeast American kestrel. THIS TRIP IS LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS.

Note: We now have 20 participants signed up. Any further signups will go into a standby file, first come, first served.

We will meet at 8:30 AM at the Community Hall on South Pebble Beach Blvd. and carpool from there; we are expected on-site by 10 AM. Luncheon plans have as yet not been set.

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This is the last Field Trip for our regular 2024-25 season; we are in the process of setting up our 2025-26 schedule, which will begin in May.