Wildlife highlights from a two week visit to Kissimmee

In October 2007 we returned to Florida, this time staying in apartments in the Kissimmee area.

Even to the nature enthusiast condemned to a fortnight at Disney World, central Florida abounds with wildlife. Turkey and Black Vultures cruise the skies while Red-tailed Hawks (below) patrol the roadsides. The magnitude of ditches and ponds are home to an assortment of birds including Anhinga, Tri-colored, Little Blue and Great Blue Heron, Snowy and Great Egrets, White ibis and Wood Storks. Rubbish bins and parking lots are frequented by Cattle Egrets, Common and Boat-tailed Grackles, along with introduced species such as European Starling.



With patience, turtles and American Alligators and can be found on just about every water body in the state. Red-bellied Woodpeckers occur where ever there are trees and Anolis lizards scuttle around the manicured gardens of the many theme parks. In winter Belted Kingfishers can be especially numerous along the many waterways.



I was fortunate in that I also got to see many of the wild areas that the Sunshine State has to offer.
 
Top of my list of places to visit was the St Cloud area near Kissimmee. Not really sure what to expect, I had read many trip reports detailing the great birds of the area, especially those seen from a road named Joe Overstreet.

Full of anticipation we first called into St Cloud where we parked at East Lake Tohophekaliga. A walk along the shore quickly produced Limpkin, Sandhill Crane, Marsh Rabbit and Florida Red-bellied Turtle. Apparently Otter and Snail Kite are often seen from the jetty although we didn’t see either.



Nearby Joe Overstreet Road turned out to be a dirt road leading to Lake Kissimmee, presumably used by fishermen to access the boat ramp. The drive gave us stunning views of several Bald Eagles perched on telegraph poles, while the fields at the side of the road seemed to overflow with birdlife. In the space of about an hour we had seen Crested Caracara, Sandhill Crane, American Kestrel, Red-shouldered Hawk (below right), Loggerhead Shrike, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Tree Swallow and many other cracking birds. I was far from being disappointed.

 

We ended the day staking out the Red-cockaded Woodpecker clusters in the campground of the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. I only got brief silhouette views of a woodpecker and I wasn’t happy to tick it as Red-cockaded, although size-wise it looked good for this species. Brown-headed Nuthatch and Eastern Bluebird were much easier to identify in the fading light.

One of central Florida’s great natural areas is Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. This reserve is actually situated a couple of hours from Kissimmee, but it is well worth the long drive. Wild Turkey and White-tailed Deer seemed especially common on our trip, as did Northern Bobwhite and Eastern Meadowlark. I managed to dip the Burrowing Owls that are sometimes seen just beyond the park entrance, but some Crested Caracara sat on a fence, and a fly by Northern Harrier were ample compensation.



Dotted around the park are several pit toilets. While answering a particularly urgent call of nature I was delighted, yet horrified to find these toilets are home to hundreds of Green Tree Frogs that on entering the cubicle, seem to bounce off the wall like ping-pong balls. As much as I love these little amphibians, there is a time and a place for wildlife watching and this certainly wasn't one of them!

Kissimmee Prairie supports important populations several rare sparrow species e.g. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Unfortunately Sarah developed an allergic reaction to an insect bite on her ankle so we were unable to walk far to look for these.

My favourite place in central Florida is probably Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, located on Cape Canaveral on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Home to thousands of birds, the refuge is especially important for wintering wildfowl, shorebirds and larids. On our visit Brown Pelicans, Black Skimmers and Short-billed Dowitcher were easy to see on entering the area from Titusville. More familiar birds such Laughing Gull and Ruddy Turnstone were also present in good numbers.



A Peregrine Falcon was the first decent bird seen on the Black Point Wildlife Drive- a 6.3 mile road that winds through some of the most productive areas of the refuge. Bald Eagle, Osprey, Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret, Turkey Vulture (below right) and Caspian Tern were also in residence, while various waterfowl such as Northern Pintail, Mottled Duck and Blue-winged Teal were new in for the winter. Common Ground Doves lived up to their name while Grey Catbirds fluttered along the roadsides.



It was while walking to the observation tower that I saw a tiny snake basking on one of the rocks bordering the marsh. Obviously a pit-viper, I initially thought baby Cottonmouth. Closer inspection revealed my first ever rattlesnake - Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake to be precise!



One snake in a day is enough excitement for me, but about half an hour later, a Black Racer crossed the road in front of the car. I was in heaven.

Killdeer and Florida Scrub Jay were added to the day list while driving towards the Canaveral National Seashore, and once on the beach, Willet (below), Black-bellied Plover and Forster’s Tern seemed especially numerous.



Unfortunately the only Nine-banded Armadillos we saw were road kill. As a child I remember seeing live ones on a bus tour of Kennedy Space Centre and was particularly looking forward to seeing one again. I did get one mammal Lifer in the form of a West Indian Manatee from the Manatee Watch point.

Although probably avoided by hardcore birders, simply because of the name, Disney Wilderness Preserve is well worth a visit if in the area. Purchased by The Disney Corporation to mitigate various development projects around Orlando, we found the reserve great for Wild Turkey, Eastern Meadowlark, Killdeer, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Eastern Towee. I also saw my only Red-headed Woodpecker here and I nearly stepped on an Oak Toad which was crawling across the trail.

Unfortunately the park has short opening hours so we had to leave before I could find any of the snakes that are frequently reported around the visitor’s centre.

On one of the last days of the holiday we made the long drive south to visit Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. On a similar wildlife drive to the one at Merritt Island, a wide range of birds were seen from the air-conditioned comfort of the car.

New birds for me included Marbled Godwit and Least Sandpiper, while Roseate Spoonbills and Reddish Egrets gave excellent views.

Elsewhere on Sanibel Island we saw a Pileated Woodpecker on a telegraph pole and a Northern Parula in the scrub around the lighthouse. Sarah also saw a probable Mangrove Salt Marsh Snake that I some how managed to miss! A small pod of Atlantic Bottle-nosed Dolphin was seen from the beach.

The rest of the holiday was spent shopping and doing other touristy things. However, the great thing about Florida is even days that are intended to be ‘strictly no birding/wildlife viewing’ can still produce some goodies. For example, I saw a Gopher Tortoise feeding on a grass verge while visiting Daytona Beach, as well as Caspian Tern, Royal Tern and Peregrine Falcon.



It is also possible to sneak in a bit of birding after a visit to the shops or theme parks. After a trip to Silver Springs in Ocala, I casually suggested a short drive through the Ocala National Forest in search of the endemic Florida Scrub Jay. We got slightly lost down a dirt track as the light began to fade, but we enjoyed great views of a couple of Scrub Jay while at the same time, a magnificent Bald Eagle watched over us from a dead tree. We did find civilisation again (eventually).



Other miscellaneous wildlife seen on our trip to Florida include feral Rhesus Monkeys at Silver Springs (Ocala), Wood Duck and Eastern Phoebe around the Homosassa area, and various common garden birds seen every day such as Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay and Eastern Mocking Bird. A Cuban Tree Frog resided on our apartment balcony much to my delight. Green Tree Frogs were common around the grounds.



Green Anoles were seen on a couple of occasions, for example on Palm Island, Mount Dora. The introduced Brown Anole was abundant in all locations visited.



Finally for anyone with an interest in birds and considering a trip to Florida, I can highly recommend;

Pranty B (2005) A Birder’s Guide to Florida. American Birding Association, Asheville, NC.

And for the snake enthusiast;

Barlett  RD & Barlett P (2003) Florida’s Snakes: A Guide to their Habitats and Identification. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.