Caspersen Beach Park

This county park boasts 2 miles of Gulf coast beach, replete with all the gulls, terns and shorebirds one might expect. Walk the beach or through the coastal hammock, which offers sanctuary for warblers during migration. Canoe or kayak into Red Lake and skim the mangrove edges for close-up views of waders such as reddish egrets and night-herons during high tide, or scan the mudflats from the boat ramp at low tide for more shorebirds. One of the biggest draws of this site, along with neighboring Shamrock Park, is an island of remnant scrub habitat that hosts Florida Scrub-Jays; slowly walk the trails and watch and listen carefully.