Orlando Wetlands Park, 11/12/2011

Savannah Sparrow

Today was a day to remember at Orlando Wetlands Park.  I arrived there at about 7:15am, and we walked counter clockwise around the Birding Loop, though once we hit the end of "Alligator Alley," we continued straight to the influent and then walked back to the car.  There were many highlights from our morning, the greatest of which for me were 2 Sedge Wrens, 2 American Bitterns, and 1 Peregrine Falcon.  We heard several Painted Buntings, though I only saw one female.  We also saw several Snipe and Ring-necked Ducks in flight, as well as 2 Green-winged Teal off in the distance.  This was a very nice day.

American Bittern

Wood Stork

Eastern Phoebe

Wilson's Snipe

Belted Kingfisher

Purple Gallinule

Red-Tailed Hawk

Orlando Wetlands Park is just west of the St. John's River and north of Rte 50 in Christmas, FL.  Here's a list of species that I saw between 7:15am and 1:30pm:

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck X
Mottled Duck 2
Blue-winged Teal X
Green-winged Teal 2
Ring-necked Duck 4
Pied-billed Grebe X
Wood Stork 6
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Anhinga 4
American Bittern 2
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Little Blue Heron X
Tricolored Heron X
Green Heron X
White Ibis X
Glossy Ibis X
Roseate Spoonbill 3
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Purple Gallinule 3
Common Gallinule X
American Coot X
Sandhill Crane 4
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Wilson's Snipe 8
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Belted Kingfisher 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 6
Fish Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Sedge Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Palm Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Savannah Sparrow 12
Swamp Sparrow 6
Northern Cardinal 1
Painted Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle X
Boat-tailed Grackle X

On a side note, I went to Red Bug Lake Park for my daughter's birthday party and a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew overhead.