Greg's Blog: December 28, 2006: Kissimmee Lake and Orlando (Gatorland) (49 PHOTOS, 47 BIRD, 2 REPTILE)

We started the morning early in Clearwater, to get a head start. Driving across the Causeway (I-275) into Tampa, we noted BROWN PELICANS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, and LAUGHING GULLS. Between Tampa and Haines City on I-4, we also saw SNOWY EGRET, GREAT EGRET, and RED-SHOULDERED HAWK flyovers, and BLACK and TURKEY VULTURE, and BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE. (Map at end)

We cut over to Kissimmee and down to Joe Overstreet and Canoe Creek Road birding locations on the east side of Lake Kissimmee. This is a great birding location. We first saw CRESTED CARACARA (*) (an *asterisk represntes a new bird for my list with Melissa), EASTERN MEADOWLARK, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, KILLDEER, many many LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES and PALM WARBLERS along the road. We then saw in a cow pasture the reason for us choosing this location: WHOOPING CRANES (not "ABA Countable" because they are introduced, but nonetheless an impressive species to see). (More about Whooping Cranes) After some photos we drove down further to the lakeshore, and saw WHITE IBIS (*), TRICOLORED HERON, LITTLE BLUE HERON (*), GLOSSY IBIS, FORESTERS TERN, LAUGHING GULL, GREAT BLUE HERON, SANDHILL CRANE, GREAT, SNOWY, and CATTLE EGRET, EASTERN MEADOWLARK, and BALD EAGLE. There were many CATTLE EGRET along the road! We also swore that we could hear an OVENBIRD, but with so many Mockingbirds around, we have to be careful!

Melissa got the first great shot of the trip .. of this Red-Shouldered Hawk, just as we exited I-4

A nice backlit Cattle Egret along Joe Overstreet Road

Our lifer White Ibis, at Lake KissimmeeLoggerhead Shrike at the end of Joe Overstreet Road

Bald Eagle flyover at Lake Kissimmee

Melissa got a shot of this Bald Eagle perched

Nice flyover Sandhill Crane at Lake Kissimmee

Boat-Tailed Grackle at Lake Kissimmee

We saw four of the resident Whooping Cranes in a cow pasture along Joe Overstreet Road. Great birds!!

Melissa got this nice Forester's Tern shot at Lake Kissimmee

A female Boat-Tailed Grackle at Lake Kissimmee (Melissa's photo)

From here we got on the Florida Turnpike and drove up to Orlando, and Disney. Along the way we picked up OSPREY and ANHINGA (*). We waited for an hour in traffic to get into Animal Kingdom, to see the bird and raptor shows, only to be told that the park was "full"! They also were not going to refund our $75 tickets either, so we had to go to "Downtown Disney" to customer service to get a refund. In the process, at Downtown Disney, we also noted a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, and many AMERICAN COOTS.

This Red-Shouldered Hawk was in Downtown Disney!

A Palm Warbler, also found at Downtown Disney

Yellow-Rumped Warbler, in the Downtown Disney parking lot

Instead we tried Gatorland, where people were very nice. On the short drive there (which took way too long because of traffic), we picked up LIMPKIN (*) and EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE, and EURASIAN STARLING. Gatorland, of course, has alligators and reptiles as the main attraction, but we found a large number of local "wild" birds that have become tame. This gave us a close up look at many of the birds of Florida. Some even, unfortunately, because of past feeding, have taken to begging. Nonetheless, we got fantastic views of WHITE IBIS, CATTLE, SNOWY and GREAT EGRET, WOOD STORK (*), ANHINGA, DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANT, COMMON MOORHEN, GREAT BLUE, TRICOLORED, and LITTLE BLUE HERONS. Also a few SANDHILL CRANES,and one flock of wintering landbirds that was mostly comprised of PALM WARBLERS, but also a few BLUE GREY GNATCATCHERS. We also saw one BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON, and many tame BLACK VULTURES. (People were feeding Black Vultures and Wood Storks, not sure I would do that!)

This White Ibis greeted us to Gatorland

A Black Vulture at the entrance to Gatorland

A nice Great Egret standing on a Gatorland pavilion

A Common Moorhen in one of the Gatorland ponds. Hopefully this isn't the one that lost its life to one of the alligators moments later!

Bathing Black Vulture!

Two Black Vultures drying off after a bath!

There was lots of bathing taking place

This looks like trouble!

Possibly our first lifer in a theme park (Wood Stork). Actually we got our Painted Redstart lifer at the Desert Museum in Palm Springs, in 2003, and got several at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum that year ....