For the best bird's-eye view of golf, Heritage Pines Country Club can claim top honors.
The club recently placed among the top-ranked courses in the country and received Best in the Southern Zone honors for identifying the most birds during the 2004 North American Birdwatching Open sponsored by Audubon International. Birdwatching teams from 68 courses participated in the North American Birdwatching Open, and 217 species were identified at Heritage Pines during a 24-hour period. The average number of birds sighted per course was 41.
"We're trying to preserve as much as we can by working with the animals around the area to maintain our bird population," Heritage Pines professional Carl James said. "It gets everybody in our community involved."
The key, according to Jean Mackay, Director of Educational Services for Audubon International, is to manage the out-of-play areas of the course to allow the wildlife to maintain its habitat.
"A great variety of birds are clearly finding habitat on North America's golf courses," Mackay said. "When courses manage their out-of-play areas to include wildlife habitats, America's birds benefit."
Heritage Pines, located in Hudson, allows golfers to interact with nature. And the sometimes lengthy drives between holes often wind through wooded areas, allowing for a glimpse of Florida wildlife. It's an asset James said the club is trying to enhance further.
The bird habitat also drives away golfers' chief nemesis during hot summer months - bugs.
"We're trying to add more plant life around the course to attract more birds," James said. "When you do that, the birds get rid of the bugs for us."
James said Heritage Pines is the only course in Pasco County to have earned the Best in Southern Zone recognition.
Source: St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
