Lyonia preserve is a hidden gem in Deltona.
If you are an avid birdwatcher or just starting to enjoy birding, this is a place you need to visit.
It is home to many species of animals, plants and birds some of which areendangered or threatened due to habitat loss.
This hilly desert like preserve has over 4 miles of hiking trails that are full of birds.
Do's and Don'ts for Lyonia Preserve.
Do's Bring water as it can get hot.
Wear proper shoes.
This area is very hilly and in some spots, has very soft sugar sand.
It can be a vigorous hike but the rewards are well worth it.
There are a lot of large red ants.
Watch where you stand.
I recommend Sunglasses and a hat.
A camera Spotting scope or Binoculars Dont's Do not feed any animals in the preserve.
There are endangered and threatened animals that live here and feeding them is against the law.
My first trip to Lyonia ( about 7 years ago ) preserve was a blast and quite a shock to me.
My wife and I hiked well into the middle of the preserve where we found a nice shady spot to take a break.
While getting my water from my pack, I noticed a bird just a few feet in front of me perched on a small branch.
I wasn't sure how long he had been there but it did startle me because he was so close and I didn't even see him land.
At the time I also had no idea what kind of bird it was.
I had never seen anything quite like it.
As I motioned to my wife to look, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.
Another one of these birds had just landed on the other side of the trail and was staring at me.
Within Minutes there was at least a dozen of these blue colored birds in the trees surrounding us and they were all staring at us.
To be quite honest I found it a bit intimidating because I had never seen birds so brave.
My mind instantly ran to Hitchcock's The Birds and my wife and I just stood there and looked at each with crazed expressions.
I mentioned in my Do's and Dont's to wear a hat.
I was wearing a black baseball hat at the time.
Most of these hats have a large button on the top where all the seams intersect.
As If all of them staring at us wasn't enough, one decides to fly towards me and land on my hat.
I looked at my wife and said " What is he doing? " Just then he slams his beak into the button on the top of my hat giving me a nice thump to the top of my head.
I couldn't help it and started to laugh and he flew away.
The Scrub Jay had made quite an introduction to my wife and I and we have been back to visit them countless times.
It truly is an amazingexperience and doesn't seem to happen quite like that anymore.
The Scrub Jay is now threatened due to habitat loss and they are only found in certain areas of Florida.
They are extremely braveand curious by nature.
When they do show themselves, they seem to almost pose for photos.
I find them to be quite amazing and I am sure if you visit Lyonia Preserve you will too.
Lyonia preserve is tucked behind Deltona Regional library at: 2150 Eustace Ave.
, Deltona, FL It is open during daylight hours.