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Posted by Brian Rapoza on 12:45:35 03/14/10
Eleven birders joined me for yesterday s carpool trip to the Lake Kissimmee area in Polk and Osceola Counties. We began the trip on the lake s west side, at Lake Kissimmee State Park. While exploring scrub habitat at the park s entrance, a dark-morph Short-tailed Hawk flew overhead; also seen here were Crested Caracara and Bald Eagle. We found our one and only Florida Scrub-Jay along the main park road, just a short distance past the entrance station. Much of the pinelands along the road were flooded, presumably from Thursday and Friday s heavy rains, so we were restricted to birding from the road. Birds seen here included Swallow-tailed Kite, Bald Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Bluebird and Pine Warbler. Unlike last year, we were unable to find any Hairy Woodpeckers along this stretch. Northern Parula were singing everywhere around the nature trail near the picnic area at the end of the road; Downy Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren and Ruby-crowned Kinglet were also seen and a Red-tailed Hawk was spotted soaring overhead.
After lunch at the picnic area and a quick walk to the observation tower (still closed), we headed to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, on Lake Kissimmee s east side. Four Wild Turkeys were spotted in a pasture along Canoe Creek Road. At Lake Marion, the day s brisk winds were fully realized (measured at up to 25 mph using my iPhone wind meter). On and around the lake, we found American White Pelican, Limpkin, Caspian Tern and American Robin. We next explored Joe Overstreet Road, which was relatively quiet; birds seen along the road included Wild Turkey (a female running across the road in front of my vehicle), Sandhill Crane, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin and Eastern Meadowlark. The Lake Kissimmee boat launch area at the end of the road was especially quiet. We found no Whooping Cranes here, nor did we see any along the road or at the Double C Bar Ranch, on Canoe Creek Road just north of Joe Overstreet Road.
The day s final stop was the hunter camp at the WMA s Prairie Lakes Unit. We walked a ways down Road 5 in search of pine flatwoods specialties; this area had been recently burned along the road s southern side. We found a single Brown-headed Nuthatch, though others were heard; we also heard several Bachman s Sparrows, though none were definitively seen. Other birds in this area included Common Ground-Dove, Eastern Bluebird and Pine, Myrtle and Palm Warblers, including some of the eastern variety. While returning to the hunter camp, we ran into a flock of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers that gave the group crippling views. While watching the woodpeckers, a small flock of Wood Ducks flew over our heads.
Here s the trip list that I compiled, including species seen en route; participants are welcome to add anything I may have missed:
Wood Duck
Mottled Duck
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Swallow-tailed Kite
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Limpkin
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Yellowlegs sp.
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Florida Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
Bachman s Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Boat-tailed Grackle
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
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