Rod's Birding: A two week holiday in Florida, USA

This was primarily a family holiday with my wife and daughter’s family and a such most of the time was spent in the theme parks, ensuring my two granddaughters got the most out of their trip. I did manage to get some birding in, mainly at Lake Tohopekailga at Kissimmee, which was about thirty minutes away from our accommodation. Birds were also in evidence in most of the parks, particularly Epcot, where there was a roost of ibis and herons and we spent the last full day of the holiday on the beach at Clearwater.

I saw seventy species during the trip, none of which we new birds for me, but I managed to get some excellent phots of quite a few.

We visited Sea World on the 10^th where I recorded just ten species during the day.

Great Egret, Sea World

Snowy Egret, Sea World

Common Grackle, Sea World

On the 11^th we went to the Magic Kingdom, where the crowds were horrendous and it took ninety minutes from parking the car to entering the park but I did manage to record thirteen species during the day. I can say that this was the worst day in terms of crowds and if you are thinking of going try to avoid bank holidays as there was up to a two hour wait for one ride with several at ninety minutes. Fast pass tickets are an obvious advantage but they are not cheap and can almost double the cost.

American White Ibis in the Magic Kingdom

The 12^th was a more leisurely day, which involved a mornings shopping and an afternoon watching Leicester City lose playing Athletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. I did make my first visit to Lake Tohopekailga during the evening with the family, which limited my time but I recorded just sixteen species that included Snail Kite and Limpkin.

Glossy Ibis

Common Gallnule

Limpkin with young

Male Red-winged Blackbird

We were at Blizzard Beach on the 13^th where I had a Pileated Woodpecker fly over and I could visit Lake Tohopekailga during the evening whilst the rest of the family went shopping.

I was able to observe the lake from a fishing platform and also walk a short distance along the promenade recording twenty-four species in about ninety minutes that included a pair of Blue-winged teal and two Roseate Spoonbills.

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret

Anhinga

American Coot

We were at Universal Studios on the 14^th which was a pretty full day and there was no time for birding, although I did record nine species in the park that included two Ospreys, both Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls and surprisingly a Brown Pelican on a lake near the entrance.

The15^th was another full day at Epcot where I only recorded twelve species but with good numbers of birds coming into roost. I saw twelve Double-crested Cormorants, two Anhinga, three Tricolored Herons, five Snowy Egrets, thirty-three Great Egrets, seventy-nine American White Ibis and ten Glossy Ibis.

The 16^th saw us at Disney Hollywood Studios where I only recorded six species and although not a full day didn’t allow for any birding.

We were visiting Universal Island of Adventure on the 17^th but not until later and I therefore had the chance to visit Lake Tohopekailga early morning.

Osprey

American White Ibis

Anhinga

Bald Eagle

Snail Kite

Limpkin

Spotted Sandpiper

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Female Red-winged Blackbird

Male Red-winged Blackbird

Male Boat-tailed Grackle

Female Boat-tailed Grackle

The 18^th was another morning shopping with the City playing the second leg of the Champions League game against Athletico Madrid and I was therefore able to make another early morning visit to Lake Tohopekailga.

Like previous days I walked to the road bridge to view the northern section before walking back along the length of the promenade and then finished by spending a few minutes on the opposite of the road observing some scrub.

There was the usual array of wading birds but fewer Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on the northern section and there was still a sizeable flock of Tree Swallows in which I found a single Northern Rough-winged Swallow. As I walked along the promenade I had three Chimney Swift and two Purple Martins and there were five superb Black-necked Stilts on the shoreline. Two Sandhill Cranes were observed on the opposite side of the road and a third was on the edge of the lake and as I walked back I found a Brown Thrasher. On the opposite side of the road I saw a Grey Catbird, a Common Yellowthroat, a Palm Warbler and a Northern Cardinal.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Glossy Ibis

Osprey

Great Egret

Tricolored Heron

Double-crested Cormorant

Sandhill Crane

Young Limpkin

Black-necked Stilt

Brown Thrasher

We visited Busch Gardens at Tampa on the 19^th and there wasn’t much time for birding but a brief walk around the accommodation grounds produced a Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. Surprisingly I saw my first Turkey Vultures on the journey to Tampa and recorded sixteen species in the park and saw at least thirteen Osprey during the journeys and also a Swallow-tailed Kite and a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Great Blue Heron in the accommodation grounds

Great Egret in the accommodation grounds

Little Blue Heron

Adult Laughing Gull

First-winter Laughing Gull

We made our second trip to the Magic Kingdom on the 20^th but not until later in the day and I was able to get another visit in to Lake Tohopekailga.

I did my normal walk to the bridge and along the promenade before visiting the scrubby area on the other side of the road. There was the normal array of birds around the lake and I had the Grey Catbird and Common Yellowthroat in the scrub again but a Green Heron was the only addition to the trip list.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Glossy Ibis

Osprey

Pied-billed Grebe

Great Egret

Tricolored Heron

Snowy Egret

Anhingha

Male Snail Kite

Sandhill Crane

Limkin with young

Mourning Dove

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Common Yellowthroat

The 21^st was to be our final park visit and today we were visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Although we weren’t planning to go until the afternoon I decided I would stay with the family all day today and so got very little birding in.

Male Northern Cardinal in the grounds of the Accommodation

Female Northern Cardinal in the grounds of the Accommodation

With the parks, all visited we had decided to go to a beach at Clearwater for a final day. I managed to get a little birding in before we departed around the grounds and at Clearwater walked around an area of scrub in some blistering heat.

In the grounds, I had Great Egret and Great Blue Heron again but also Blue Jay, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher and Red Cardinal. The journey to Clearwater was quite slow on reaching the coast but I did add Least Tern to the holiday list. In the scrubby area at Clearwater I found Blue Jay, Prairie Warbler and Palm Warbler and on the beach Brown Pelican, Laughing Gulls and Sandwich Terns. We had our first rain as we left Clearwater, heavy but short lived but the journey back didn’t produce too much, a Whimbrel and a Pileated Woodpecker being the best.

Great Blue Heron in the grounds of the accommodation

Great Egret in the grounds of the accommodation

Laughing Gull at Clearwater

Blue Jay at Clearwater

American Crow at Clearwater

Northern Mockingbird in the grounds of the accommodation

Brown Thrasher in the grounds of the accommodation

Male Northern Cardinal in the grounds of the accommodation

Female Northern Cardinal in the grounds of the accommodation

Male Northern Cardinal in the grounds of the accommodation

The 23^rd was our day of departure but with the flight not leaving until late afternoon I made a final visit to Lake Tohopekailga. It was more overcast this morning but after checking out the northern section of the lake I walked the length of the promenade and back.

Again, there was a good selection of birds and I found a single Fulvous Whistling Duck on the northern section and four Brown Cowbirds flew along the promenade, which were both new for the trip.