Birdwatching & Wildlife Viewing

CELEBRATE THE SPECTACULAR FEAT OF SPRING SONGBIRD MIGRATION

Celebrate one of nature’s most remarkable seasonal events during the Welcome Back Songbird Festival, on Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, 2026. Presented by the Hernando Audubon Society, Citrus County Audubon Society, Chinsegut Conservation Center and sponsored by the Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau, this collaborative, family-friendly festival welcomes visitors of all ages to experience the wonder of spring songbird migration.

Guests will enjoy guided bird walks led by knowledgeable naturalists, engaging talks and hands-on workshops, and interactive children’s activities designed to inspire curiosity and appreciation for Florida’s diverse wildlife. Set amid rolling hills, hardwood hammocks, and open landscapes, Chinsegut provides an exceptional vantage point for observing migratory and resident birds in their natural habitat. Whether you are a seasoned birder or simply enjoy spending time outdoors with family, the Welcome Back Songbird Festival offers a memorable time to connect with nature and celebrate the return of spring.

DISCOVER EIGHT SITES ALONG THE GREAT FLORIDA BIRDING & WILDLIFE TRAIL

Having an abundance of natural spaces and undeveloped coastline, Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachee is brimming with opportunities for wildlife viewing. Many native species thrive here in Nature’s Place to Play, including many endangered or threatened species such as gopher tortoises, bald eagles, red-headed woodpeckers, Florida scrub jays, green sea turtles, southern fox squirrels and the beloved West Indian manatee.

Florida’s Adventure Coast is home to eight locations on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, with hotspots including the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area, Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area (Chinsegut WEA), the Withlacoochee State Forest and McKethan Lake Park, and well as coastal areas such as Linda Pedersen Park, the Weekiwachee Preserve, Pine Island Beach Park, and Bayport Park. 

Brooksville is also home to one of Florida’s strongest populations of Red-headed Woodpeckers. According to Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count data, this area hosts the second highest number of these striking birds in the state. With their fully crimson heads, glossy black backs, and bold white wing patches, Red-headed Woodpeckers are often described as “flying checkerboards.”

Though their numbers are declining in Florida, you can still spot them in open forests, pine plantations, and mature savannas, where they forage for insects and seeds and sometimes snatch prey right out of the air.

If you’re hoping to see a Red-headed Woodpecker on Florida’s Adventure Coast, the Chinsegut Conservation Center—just 7 miles north of Brooksville—is one of the best places to start your search. Here visitors can enjoy educational programs and guided hikes offered throughout the year, as well as seasonal outdoor skills programs for all ages. Learn all about Florida’s environments and wildlife, or simply enjoy a hike on over five miles of trails accessible from the center.

Chinsegut is also home to bat houses, hosting a 2000-member colony of native Brazilian free-tailed bats that emerge just after sunset. You can witness this amazing ritual nearly any evening or attend special events hosted by the center for bat watching and night hikes.

Here on Florida’s Adventure Coast, the Hernando Audubon Society offers great tips, meetings and field trips for birding. Plan your next adventure with their calendar of events, attend a beginner’s birdwatching class at Chinsegut Conservation Center, or download the Birding Sites and Checklist.

You may have the opportunity to spot manatees in our coastal areas. As temperatures dip in the Winter, these gentle marine mammals seek warm, shallow waters commonly found in our rivers and springs; Linda Pederson Park is a popular viewing spot.

Because human interaction can potentially alter the behavior of wild manatees and put the creatures at risk, it’s important to give the creatures plenty of space, and remember that it is illegal to harass manatees in any way.