Flat Island Preserve

The Flat Island Preserve in southern Leesburg provides a wonderful location to explore Florida’s most famous ecosystem: marshes! As a botanist duo, the Daubenmires lobbied Lake County to protect 2,300 acres of natural hardwood hammocks and marshes, resulting in Flat Island Preserve’s creation.
This beautiful preserve has thus become a well-loved park for humans and wildlife. The aptly named Daubenmire trail runs less than 4 miles and cuts through cypress swamps, old oaks, and marshlands. Those with a keen eye can look for gators, raccoons, and lake birds such as egrets and herons. The trail is well-maintained and perfect for beginners, but bring plenty of water if you’re hiking during the summer.
Camping and canoeing are great ways to explore and discover Flat Island Preserve.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Sarina Pennington – IOF Volunteer
Read more

Jungle Hut Park

Jungle Hut Park is an excellent beach choice for nearby Flagler residents and tourists.
The two-acre park hosts an abundance of amenities, such as beach access, bathrooms,
showers, and parking. Jungle Hut Park is also dog-friendly!
,
Peruse the sand dunes and search for local wildlife that puts Jungle Hut Park on the map.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds usually stop to smell (and pollinate) the flowers during summer
while the unusual gannet stops in for the winter. Throughout the year, you can spot plenty of
seabirds and rock-dwelling sealife.
Jungle Hut Park is perfect for relaxing, bird-watching, and throwing a stick for Fido, but
this beach is not suggested for swimming. Rocks in the surf make this location subject to strong
undercurrents dangerous to swimmers. We suggest instead a lovely picnic with a pair
of binoculars. Happy birding!
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Sarina Pennington – IOF Volunteer
Read more

Belted Kingfisher

Belted kingfishers are year-round native Floridians and are most commonly found around sources of water, which they rely upon for survival. The belted kingfisher has a powder blue plumage, white belly, and shaggy crest. The females sport a rust-colored belly band for which the species is named, but the differences stop there. Both males and females have a large, pointed beak for fishing.
Belted kingfishers stalk lakes, rivers, and estuaries, looking for small fish to catch. They will fly up and down waterways searching for food or dive headlong from a perch. Belted kingfishers are one of the few bird species capable of hovering in one spot before diving. They use their dagger-like beaks to strike the water and their prey.
Belted kingfishers are known to nest in most climates but migrate south during the winter, where their waterways will stay unfrozen and, therefore, a viable food source. During the breeding season, they burrow upward into muddy banks so that rain cannot penetrate and line the nest with fish bones, scales, and various prey animal remains for added insulation. Keep an eye on the skies above your local water sources for a glimpse of the belted kingfisher.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Sarina Pennington, IOF Volunteer
Read more

All Rights Reserved Imagine Our Florida, Inc. Copyright 2019