Buck Lake Conservation Area
encompasses 9,291 acres and has two entrances and parking areas on the north side of State Road 46. The eastern entrance is .75 mile west of I-95 while the western entrance is 6.4 mile west of I-95. Hiking, biking, horseback riding and hunting in season are allowed here and there are four primative campsites available on a first come, first serve basis. This is a type 2 management area, meaning during hunting periods you must have a valid hunting license to enter the property and no camping is allowed.
The ridge found in the eastern part of the property supports about 200 acres of scrubby flatwoods and oak hammock which is the habitat for the florida scrub jay, Florida's only endemnic bird species. This area can be accessed from several trails that lead from the main East Entrance Trail. In this Google link,(Google Image) I have placed a marker in the middle of the eastern ridge trail network. The trails are clearly visible in this image as is the entrance trail to the left. A basin swamp community dominates the eastern third of the property. this basin receives runoff water from the surrounding uplands and drains into a wet prarie which forms the the headwaters of six mile creek. The western portion of this property features a large floodplain marsh and a large marsh lake, Buck Lake. Overall, this conservation area provides protection for many natural communities and provides habitat for not only scrub jays, but gopher tortoises, bald eagles, otters, deer, fox, bobcats, turkeys, herons, egrets, owls, and woodpeckers.
Property Map
Trail Guide
Out In The Boonies Site
Space Coast Birding Site
GPS (East Trailhead) N 28 40.302 W 80 53.427
Google Satellite Image (East Trailhead)
GPS (Buck Lake Entrance) N 28 40.333 W 80 58.332
Google Satellite Image (Buck Lake Entrance)

Lake Proctor Wilderness Area
Lake Proctor is 15.5 miles west of Interstate 95 on SR 46, on the North side of the road.
The Lake Proctor Wilderness Area is a 475 acre wooded site located in east Seminole County near the Town of Geneva. About 6 miles of trails will take you through a variety of habitats such as sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mixed hardwood swamp, sandhill or longleaf pine, turkey oak, bayhead swamp and oak hammock. Wildlife observed on this site includes the wood duck, white-tailed deer, sandhill cranes, wading birds, migratory songbirds, red fox and Florida worm lizard. The trails are open to hiking and mountain bikes.
Out in the Boonies Site
Out in the Boonies Map
GPS N 28 43.553 W 81 05.929
Google Satellite Image

Little Big Econ State Forest
There are two separate tracts to the The Little Big Econ State Forest, the Demetree Tract and the Kilbee Tract.

The Demetree Tract of the Little Big Econ State Forest protects the watershed of one of Floridas most beautiful Blackwater Rivers, the Econlockhatchee, a popular canoeing destination. Along the river one may see wading birds perched in trees, various raptors including Bald Eagles are commonly sighted as well as swallow-tailed kites flying overhead in spring and summer. Woodpeckers and kingfishers are also common sightings. A large variety of songbirds inhabit the forested areas as well as the improved pastureland near the Snow Hill Road entrance. Other sightings may include whitetail deer, turkey, bobcat, otter, alligators, sandhill cranes, and many others.
There are three entrances to the Demetree Tract, the Barr Street Entrance, the Snow Hill Road Entrance, which also serves as the Equestrian use entrance, and the Jones East Trailhead Entrance.
To get to the Barr Street entrance, go south about 4.5 miles on CR 426 from SR 46 in Geneva. The Barr Street entrance will be on the left. To get to the Snow Hill Road entrance, go south on CR 426 from SR 46 in Geneva. In just under a mile, Snow Hill Road veers off to the left. Go about 2.5 miles south on Snow Hill Road. The parking area will be on the right. The Jones East Trailhead can be found on Snow Hill Road about a half mile south of the Snow Hill Equestrian Trailhead.

The Kilbee Tract is a separate tract that straddles the St John's River on the south side of State Road 46, and contains the point where the Econ flows into the St Johns. The trail leads from the Trailhead heading south then forks into two trails. Taking the left fork will bring you to a great vanatage point overlooking the St. Johns River Floodplain. Scan the marshes for waders, ducks, raptors, and many others.
The entrance to the Kilbee Tract is off of SR 46, just west of the SR 46 bridge about 11 miles west of the I-95/SR 46 interchange.

Space Coast Birding Site
Out in the Boonies Site
Out in the Boonies Map
SJRWMD Website
SJRWMD Property Map
Florida Dept of Forestry Trails Map PDF
GPS Barr Street Entrance N 28 40.952 W 81 09.572
Google Satellite Image Barr Street Entrance
GPS Snow Hill Road Entrance N 28 41.175 W 81 06.873
Google Satellite Image Snow Hill Road Entrance
GPS Jones East Trailhead N 28 40.407 W 81 06.845
Google Satellite Image Jones East Trailhead

GPS Kilbee Tract Trailhead N 28 42.924 W 81 02.938
Google Satellite Image Kilbee Tract Trailhead

Lake Mills Park
From Titusville take SR 50 to Fort Christmas Road in Christmas, turn right (North) and follow Fort Christmas for 9.2 miles, turn left on Lake Mills Road and in .8 miles, turn left on Tropical Ave. Park will be just ahead on right.
This 50 acre park is located on the shoreline of Lake Mills in Seminole County off of Tropical Avenue just north of Lake Mills Road. There are three areas for birdwatching in the area, a scrub forest, the lakeshore, and a beautiful mixed hardwwod swamp with a little creek winding through the swamp to the lake.
GPS N 28 37.902 W 81 07.537
Google Satellite Image

Econ River Wilderness Area
From I-95 and SR 50 near Titusville drive west on SR 50 about 19 miles and bear right on Tanner Road S for 1.6 miles. Turn left on Lake Prickett Road, go 0.8 miles, turn right on Tanner Road N for 2.2 miles, when the road turns into Old Lockwood Road you are about there. Entrance is on the right.
The Econ River Wilderness Area is a 240 acre wooded site located on the Seminole/Orange County line south of the city of Oviedo, on the west side of the Econlockhatchee River. A walk on the approximately 3 miles of trails will take you through habitats such as pine flatwoods, sandhill, and river swamp. Wildlife observed on this site includes the great horned owl, white-tailed deer, and golden mouse. Benches are provided at a bend in the river so you can rest and enjoy the quiet serenity of this little piece of natural Florida.
GPS N 28 36.818 W 81 10.463
Google Satellite Image

Orlando Wetlands Park
25155 Wheeler Road, Christmas, Florida, 32709 Park Phone: 407.568.1706
From I-95, take SR 50 west to the town of Christmas. Turn right (north) onto Ft. Christmas Road (CR 420) and go 2.3 miles to Wheeler Road. Turn right on Wheeler and go east for 1.5 miles to the parking area on your left.
The Orlando Wetlands Park is a regional wastewater treatment facility for the Greater Orlando Area. The system was designed to polish up to 35 million gallons a day of reclaimed wastewater. The water is conveyed through a four-foot diameter pipeline approximately 17 miles. Seventeen cells and three different communities were designed to remove excess nutrients from the water. Over 2 million aquatic plants and 200,000 trees were planted to create deep marsh, mixed marsh and hardwood swamp habitats. The water flows into the influent structure and is then divided into three flow pathways. The water first flows into the deep marsh. The deep marsh cells are primarily monocultures of cattails or giant bulrush. From there, the water flows into the mixed marsh.
Here's a website on how it works to treat wastewater.
Wildlife; The open waters of the lake and marshes attract wintering waterfowl, including blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, common moorhens and Amaerican coots. Wood storks, white ibis, black-crowned night herons, and other wading birds are common during the cooler months. Bald eagles, limpkins, and red-shouldered hawks, black vultures, and turkey vultures are year round residents in the Orlando Wetlands Park. Raccoons, river otters, white-tailed deer and bobcats can be seen along the roads and hiking trails. The Orlando Wetlands is home to over 30 species of wildlife that are listed on the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Threatened and Endangered Wildlife list.
NBBD Website
GPS N 28 34.162 W 80 59.797
Google Satellite Image

Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park
9,515 acres, including individual and joint ownership by the District and Orange County.
From Titusville, head west on SR 50, past the town of Christmas. Turn left and go east on SR 520 for about two miles. Turn right (west) into the Wedgefield subdivision on Macon Parkway. Turn left on Bancroft Blvd., right on Meredith Parkway, then left on Dallas Blvd. The parking lot is 1.6 miles south of the Meridith/Dallas intersection, on the right.
This vast expanse of flatwoods and open prairie straddles the Econlockhatchee River in east Orange County. The big attraction for birders here is an active colony of red-cockaded woodpeckers located in the northern third of the property. Best viewing time for the RCWs is at dawn when the birds awaken from their nesting cavities. White stripes around pine tree trunks identify trees with RCW cavities. Other common resident species include eastern bluebird, brown-headed nuthatch, Bachman's sparrow, wood duck, sandhill crane and barred owl. With some luck, visitors may find wild turkey, whip-poor-will, hairy and red-headed woodpecker, hermit thrush, orange-crowned warbler, sedge and marsh wren, king rail and Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawk.
Property Map
Trail Guide
GPS N 28 29.163 W 81 05.833
Google Satellite Image

North Brevard Walking Trail
is found on the corner of Holder and Dairy roads in Titusville. About 6 acres in size, it is a preserved section of Atlantic Coastal Ridge pine scrub habitat with about a half mile trail looping around the outer parimeter and other trails through it. Located atop an ancient sand dune, this type of unique habitat is rapidly being bought up by developers in Florida and is probably the most endangered habitat in the state. It is dominated by tall slash pine trees and a lower growth of scrub oak and saw palmettos. Nice 1/2 hour or so hike and lots of songbirds during migratory periods.
GPS N 28 38.261 W 80 51.403
Google Satellite Image

Fox Lake Park
4400 Fox Lake Road, Titusville
Fox Lake Park is a 37 acre recreational park with picnic facilities, vollyball courts, a large pavillion with a stage, a boat ramp and fishing dock on Fox lake. (My largest largemouth bass I ever caught came while fishing right off this dock, 7.5 lbs.) It is also the home of the Fox Lake Bluegrass Festival as well as several other festivals throughout the year.
Other than the park, the shoreline around the lake is in it's natural state so many species of wading birds and other wildlife can be viewed from the park. As you enter the park, take the one-way road immediately to the right, which follows the shoreline. The earlier portion of this route goes along a narrow channel leading to the lake itself with marshlands just on the other side, making for relatively easy viewing of the marshlands and their associated wildlife. The road then turns to the right along the shore of the lake towards the boatramp. The lake itself is not that large, therefore scanning the lake shore for wildlife is relativly easy.
Putting in a boat, kayak, or canoe provides access to not only the whole of Fox lake, but to South lake through a canal connection between the two. Wading birds such as egrets and herons can be seen here as well as american coots, gallinulles, osprey, limkin, sandhill cranes, and many other species.
GPS N 28 35.271 W 80 52.385
Google Satellite Image

Dicerandra Sanctuary
This 44-acre Sanctuary is named after an endangered mint plant, Dicerandra thinicola, also known as the Titusville mint. When the shrub blooms in November and December the tiny flowers put on a purple and white show. The sanctuary is 44 acres in size and has about a two mile loop trail through the property. The eastern edge of the property is dominated by a depression marsh. Look for songbirds in the trees along the edge of the marsh while at the same time keeping an eye out over the marsh for egtrets and the occasional sandhill crane. From the primary trailhead off of Mellisa road following the trail to the right takes you along this marsh. Soon you will come to an intersection to a trail that takes you up to the top of the scrub ridge. Near the top keep an eye out for Florida's only endemnic bird species, the Florida scrub jay. Rufous towhees, blue jays, various species of woodpeckers, raptors and other species are commonly seen here.

Melissa Drive, Titusville
From I-95 take SR-50 Exit 215 east 3 miles. Turn right on Key Largo Drive, go 0.4 miles and turn right on Karen Drive. Go less than 0.1 mile, turn right and go to the end of Melissa Drive. Enter on foot.
From US-1 Take SR 50 .7 miles to the west and turn left on Key Largo, go 0.4 miles and turn right on Karen Drive. Go less than 0.1 mile, turn right and go to the end of Melissa Drive. Enter on foot.
GPS N 28 33.099 W 80 48.650
Google Satellite Image

Blue Heron Wetlands
is a constucted wetlands designed to be a biological filtering system that reduces nutrient levels of treated water before reaching the St. Johns River. The man-made wetlands cover 300 acres and can process over 6.75 million gallons of water a day. Completed in early 1998 and opened to the public for Bird Watching and Wildlife Viewing, the wetlands are just as wild as they would have been 100 years ago, and attract numerous species of birds and other wildlife.
The wetlands park is located on the south side of State Road 50 just west of the I-95 interchange. A remote operated gate is often drawn across the entrance to the plant but a button is mounted on the left side of the access road. Pushing this button will alert a city employee who will open the gate for you. After signing in at the office, proceed to the back of the plant section to the entrance of the raised berm road which surrounds the wetlands. The wetland area is open to the public, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. If you wish to visit the wetland area on the weekend, you must call the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility to make an appointment, (321) 383-5642.
Follow the raised berm road to the right to begin the tour. Some of the more noteable species found here are sandhill cranes, which nest here, heron species such as great blue, little blue, green, and night herons, snowy and greater egrets, ducks, coots, rails, comorants, anhingas, and many other aquatic bird species as well as otters, alligators, and turtles. Whitetail deer have also been spotted here.
GPS N 28 32.973 W 80 51.614
Google Satellite Image

Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area
This area can be accessed from a parking area on the south side of SR 50 approximately three miles west of I-95. Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area is a 6,741-acre property owned and managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District. The trail from here heads due east for about a mile then turns due south for about another mile until it meets the Addison Ellis Canal, then follows along the canal east until it comes to the border of the Great Outdoors Golf and RV Resort. along this route this elevated dike trail trail offers expansive views of the marshes, which provide habitat for a diverse population of wildlife, including numerous migratory and resident wading birds and waterfowl, alligators, and many endangered species. Once you get to the point where the canal enters the resort, the trail turns south and forms two loop trails which take you through wooded hammock habitat providing habitat for various songbird species, deer, turkey, and other wildlife, while looping around an extensive indian midden.
There is no camping or hunting allowed here.
Property Map
Out in the Boonies Site
Space Coast Birding Site
GPS N 28 32.708 W 80 53.790
Google Satellite Image

Fay Lake Wilderness Area
6300 Fay Boulevard, Port St John
At the west end of Fay Bvld in Port St John, this 192.7 acre park has a 27 acre lake on the property, walking trails, shaded pavillions, and offers the chance to see wading birds, migratory songbirds, deer, and many other species.
GPS N 28 27.694 W 80 50.054
Google Satellite Image