Part IV 



Central Floriaa Area 



BROOKSVILLE AREA 



STAGE POND— Leave Brooksville on U. S. Route 41, 

 travel north 5 miles to S. R. 581, turn left on S. R. 581 

 — and continue north for 6.5 miles to S. R. 480, turn left on 

 S. R. 480 and continue w^est for 3.1 miles to the Stage 

 Pond Gate on the left side of the road. (Small cemetery 

 is just vifest.) Folio vsf the dirt road down to the pond and 

 park. A trail completely encircles the pond and you Wfill 

 find yourself in an area of large hve oak, hickory, magnolia, 

 and holly trees. This area is part of the Citrus Wildlife 

 Management Area of the Withlacoochee State Forest and 

 is well known for the large number of deer which are found 

 in the area. This pond was once on a stage coach route, 

 and the stages stopped here to water their horses. 



On a walk around the pond during the winter months 

 you may expect to see herons, egrets, ibises, snipe and 

 Anhingas. The pond is a favorite wintering ground for 

 Ring-necked Ducks and Wood Ducks; Hooded Mer- 

 gansers, Blue and Green-winged Teal, Mallards, scaup, 

 Gadwalls, Ruddy Ducks, and American Widgeons are 

 often observed. Most of the common song birds of the 

 region may be found in the hammock area bordering the 

 pond; warblers, vireos, thrushes, titmice, chickadees and 

 nuthatches. During the summer months Chuck-will's- 

 widows, Common Nighthawks, and Barred Owls, are 

 commonly heard in the area. 



McKETHAN LAKE— Leave Brooksville on U. S. 

 Route 41, drive north approximately 7.5 miles to the 

 McKethan Lake Recreational Area. The entrance lies west 

 of U. S. Route 41 just beyond the Forest Service Head- 

 quarters and is indicated by a rock structure supporting the 

 entrance sign. A picnic shelter, drinking water, and parking 

 space, are located on the west side of the lake. A good 

 woods-road completely encircles the lake and the combina- 

 tion of hardwood hammock, marshy area and water, afford 

 good habitat for a variety of birds during the winter season. 

 Here you may see herons, egrets, ibises, ducks and gallinules 

 along tjie lake shore and warblers, vireos, titmice, hawks, 

 owls, as well as other birds typical of hardwood hammocks 

 and fresh water marshes. The Osprey, Mott!ed (Florida) 

 Duck, Bobwhite, Turkey, and Wood Ibises are occasionally 

 observed in this area. 



SILVER LAKE — Drive southeast from Brooksville on 

 U. S. Route 98 for 10.7 miles to S. R. 39 (unmarked route 

 just west of the railroad overpass), turn left onto S. R. 39 

 and continue for 4.2 miles to a dirt road; turn right and 

 follow tlie dirt road (keeping to the right) across the 

 railroad track for approximate!)' .7 mile to Silver Lake 

 Camp and parking area. Silver Lake is in tiie Croom Wild- 

 life Management Area and is actually a wide portion of 

 the Withlacoochee River. The combination of hammock, 

 turkey oak ridge and cyprcfs areas bordering the river 



12 



afford good habitat for birds, particularly during the winter 

 months. Following the trail along the river you may expect 

 to see herons, egrets, ibises and Anhingas. This is a favorite 

 area to observe Limpkins as they search the shallow water 

 for snails and freshwater mussels. The bright yellow of 

 the male Prothonotary Warbler is often seen flitting back 

 and forth between the cypress and gums which grow along 

 the river bank. Wild Turkeys are sometimes observed feed- 

 ing along the river, or in the hammock searching for acorns. 

 Most of the song birds found in this region may be observed 

 in this area. The call of the Limpkin, Red-shouldered 

 Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Chuck-will's-widow, Com- 

 mon Nighthawk, and Barred Owl are familiar sounds in 

 the Silver Lake area. 



PINE ISLAND— Leave Brooksville on S. R. 50, drive 

 west 13 miles to U. S. Route 19, continue west on S. R. 50 

 five miles to S. R. 595. Turn right on S. R. 595 and 

 continue 3 miles to Pine Island. Between S. R. 595 and 

 Pine Island, look for herons, egrets, ibises, rails, grebes, 

 ducks and sparrows in and close to the water-filled ditches 

 found on both sides of the road. Seven-tenths of a mile 

 from the junction of S. R. 50 and S. R. 595 you may see 

 a large, active eagle nest in a tall pine on the east side of 

 the road. Parking space, picnic shelters, and comfort sta- 

 tions, are available at Pine Island. At low tide you may 

 expect to see herons, egrets, ibises, yellowlegs, sandpipers, 



RALPH E. LAWRENCE 

 The tremulous call of the Screech Owl can be heard on summer 

 nights in many parts of the State. 



