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Gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail

Fort Clinch State Park

Ann Morrow

Fort Clinch State Park is a crossroads: fresh water meets salt as the St. Mary's River flows into the Atlantic; new meets old as modern naval submarines pass in front of the Civil War-era fort; dune ridge meets maritime hammock as one coastal habitat grades into another. And now, as a gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail, Fort Clinch will bring together bird and birder. The bold colors of a painted bunting will turn the heads of some summer visitors. Others will be moved by winter birdscapes--perhaps a flock of bright-billed oystercatchers, standing shoulder to shoulder on a sandbar, facing into a bitter wind.

Fort Clinch State Park anchors the northern tip of Amelia Island, Florida's northernmost Atlantic barrier island. From the ramparts of the restored fort, visitors can look north across Cumberland Sound, mixing zone for the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Mary's River, to Georgia's Cumberland Island. The Amelia River and its salt marshes flank the park's western boundary; the Atlantic Ocean defines the easternmost. The southern edge of the park is Atlantic Avenue, lined with modest residential and commercial development, connecting to historic downtown Fernandina Beach.

A simple turn off of Atlantic Avenue puts one on the long, winding Fort Clinch entrance road--a green tunnel through maritime forest. The limbs of live oaks, festooned with Spanish moss, arch overhead. Cabbage palm, red cedar, holly and saw palmetto dominate the lush understory. During the spring and fall, the road provides an edge through this habitat, making it easy to look for tanagers, warblers, flycatchers and orioles resting and feeding during their migratory flights through Florida. For the best experience, try a quiet early morning walk or bike ride along this passageway. On a summer evening stroll, listen for great-horned owl, chuck-will's widow and common nighthawk. The hammock is also the place to look for winter feeding guilds--mixed flocks of wintering birds such as the downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, ruby-crowned kinglet, and yellow-throated, yellow-rumped, orange-crowned and black and white warbler. Brown creeper, golden-crowned kinglet and dark-eyed junco are rare winter treats.

As the park road threads its way north, it skirts the edge of Egans Creek marsh. It's worthwhile to pull over at designated spots and scan the marshes for conspicuous tall waders such as wood storks, great egrets and great blue herons. In the winter, marsh wrens, and seaside and sharp-tailed sparrows reward the patient observer.

The park's north end is where beach, pier and open water host large numbers of birds. Terns, gulls, skimmers, oystercatchers and plovers congregate on beach and sandbar. Binoculars will help you locate wintering loons, red-breasted mergansers and horned grebes over open water. After a good storm, gannets and jaegers may get pushed in close to shore. Scan the rock jetty that parallels the pier for ruddy turnstones and one of the southernmost occurrences of wintering purple sandpipers.

The beach is the domain of two endangered and threatened species--the wintering piping plover and the summer-nesting least tern. These species are just two very good reasons to practice a little birding etiquette: give feeding or roosting shorebirds a wide berth and remain vigilant for well-camouflaged shorebird nests.

Long before there was a fort or a state park on the part of Amelia Island known today as Fort Clinch State Park, birds have visited and lived in its coastal habitats. They probe its sands, fish its waters and feast on its acorns and wild grapes. They're at the Fort Clinch crossroads now. Don't miss them.


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Guide to the Great Florida Birding Trail: East Section Edited by Julie A. Brashears and Susan Cerulean This easy-to-follow guidebook spans 18 counties in eastern Florida to showcase 136 birding sites from the Georgia border to Lake Okeechobee, including the Jacksonville and Orlando metropolitan areas. The sites, organized into clusters of five to ten, are all within an hour's drive of one another and are identified on individual as well as regional maps. Each site is described from a birder's point of view and includes directions, hours of operation, seasonal birding opportunities, and other information essential for a successful outing.
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Gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail Fort Clinch State Park Ann Morrow Fort Clinch State Park is a crossroads: fresh water meets salt as the St. Mary's River flows into the Atlantic; new meets old as modern naval submarines pass in front of the Civil War-era fort; dune ridge meets maritime hammock as one coastal habitat grades into another. And now, as a gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail, Fort Clinch will bring together bird and birder. The bold colors of a painted bunting will turn the heads of some summer visitors. Others will be moved by winter birdscapes--perhaps a flock of bright-billed oystercatchers, standing shoulder to shoulder on a sandbar, facing into a bitter wind. Fort Clinch State Park anchors the northern tip of Amelia Island, Florida's northernmost Atlantic barrier island. From the ramparts of the restored fort, visitors can look north across Cumberland Sound, mixing zone for the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Mary's River, to Georgia's Cumberland Island. The Amelia River and its salt marshes flank the park's western boundary; the Atlantic Ocean defines the easternmost. The southern edge of the park is Atlantic Avenue, lined with modest residential and commercial development, connecting to historic downtown Fernandina Beach. A simple turn off of Atlantic Avenue puts one on the long, winding Fort Clinch entrance road--a green tunnel through maritime forest. The limbs of live oaks, festooned with Spanish moss, arch overhead. Cabbage palm, red cedar, holly and saw palmetto dominate the lush understory. During the spring and fall, the road provides an edge through this habitat, making it easy to look for tanagers, warblers, flycatchers and orioles resting and feeding during their migratory flights through Florida. For the best experience, try a quiet early morning walk or bike ride along this passageway. On a summer evening stroll, listen for great-horned owl, chuck-will's widow and common nighthawk. The hammock is also the place to look for winter feeding guilds--mixed flocks of wintering birds such as the downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, ruby-crowned kinglet, and yellow-throated, yellow-rumped, orange-crowned and black and white warbler. Brown creeper, golden-crowned kinglet and dark-eyed junco are rare winter treats. As the park road threads its way north, it skirts the edge of Egans Creek marsh. It's worthwhile to pull over at designated spots and scan the marshes for conspicuous tall waders such as wood storks, great egrets and great blue herons. In the winter, marsh wrens, and seaside and sharp-tailed sparrows reward the patient observer. The park's north end is where beach, pier and open water host large numbers of birds. Terns, gulls, skimmers, oystercatchers and plovers congregate on beach and sandbar. Binoculars will help you locate wintering loons, red-breasted mergansers and horned grebes over open water. After a good storm, gannets and jaegers may get pushed in close to shore. Scan the rock jetty that parallels the pier for ruddy turnstones and one of the southernmost occurrences of wintering purple sandpipers. The beach is the domain of two endangered and threatened species--the wintering piping plover and the summer-nesting least tern. These species are just two very good reasons to practice a little birding etiquette: give feeding or roosting shorebirds a wide berth and remain vigilant for well-camouflaged shorebird nests. Long before there was a fort or a state park on the part of Amelia Island known today as Fort Clinch State Park, birds have visited and lived in its coastal habitats. They probe its sands, fish its waters and feast on its acorns and wild grapes. They're at the Fort Clinch crossroads now. Don't miss them. © 2002 University Press of Florida. All Rights Reserved. < Back to the Reading Room

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