Exploring Emeralda Marsh in Lake County

I made a trip to Lake County on a recent Sunday morning to try birding in a new location, the Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area.

It’s located north of Leesburg and Tavares near Lake Griffin. I had heard you could drive through the conservation area but, unfortunately for me, that road is only open from February to May. So I did a bit of walking on the closed-to-cars interpretive road and then visited the marsh’s nearby boat ramp. I found a nice variety of birds in both locations, including some species I had not seen in a while.

This included a Carolina Chickadee, the first I have ever seen in Florida. Other highlights included a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (one of my favorite “odd” names for a bird) and a bright yellow Prairie Warbler.

I definitely will visit Emeralda Marsh again, especially once the drive portion is open.