What a fantastic morning at Orlando Wetlands Park! The area was just filled with birds. Of course, top on my list was seeing a Vermilion Flycatcher. It was right where has been–in the cypress trees in cell #17. But the area was also filled with other birds.
Lots of Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal, as well as a Gadwall, a few Northern Shovelers and American Wigeon. There were also at least 40 Roseate Spoonbills, and I suspect many more. I didn’t attempt to count them, but a friend of mine counted over 100 in the afternoon.
There were also at least 45 American White Pelicans that flew over the park. Perhaps the biggest surprise was seeing over 120 Long-billed Dowitchers, with a few Dunlin mixed in with them. And in reality, the photograph below shows closer to 150 I believe.
There were many wading birds there, including on American Bittern and 2 Least Bitterns (heard only), and a couple Purple Gallinules. In all we saw 72 species on the morning–pretty fun.
Scott Simmons
Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.
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