Check the sights on your binoculars, the 21st annual June Challenge arrives Saturday with a series of outings hosted by the Alachua Audubon Society.  

The June Challenge started in Alachua County and has spread across the state. Birders compete to spot the most bird species within their county borders.  

Many birders use sounds and calls for identifications, but the challenge increases the difficulty by requiring sight identification.   

Alachua County birders will meet Saturday morning to kick off the challenge, and anyone can attend. The kickoff event will begin at 6 a.m. in the Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve before visiting Newnans Lake and Sweetwater Wetlands Park.  

The event should end around 11:30 a.m. 

Rex Rowan will lead the group and expects to see around 40-50 species on Saturday. 

The Alachua Audubon Society will host at least three other outings in June.  

• San Felasco-Moonshine Creek Walk on June 2 at 7:30 a.m. 
• Burrowing Owls at Watermelon Pond on June 8 at 7 a.m. 
• La Chua Owl Prowl on June 9 at 8 p.m. 

For updates, times and locations, visit the Alachua Audubon Society Facebook page or website. 

Last year, Tim Harden won the challenge with 146 species spotted—winning by one species and setting a new record. Rowan wrote an Audubon update about last year’s challenge and said the enthusiasm hit record highs. 

“And all of this extra enthusiasm, all of this adventuring, produced a list of birds that didn’t just beat the old record but obliterated it,” Rowan said. 

Find his full recap of the 2023 June Challenge here.  

Interested in testing your skills? The Alachua County Library District might be a good first step. The library offers birding kits available for check out.  

Donated by the Alachua Audubon Society, each kit has binoculars, an identification guide and a list of local birding hot spots. The kits even come in a backpack for easy transport. 

You can reserve the kits online.