Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County was among several birding locations I visited during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
It was very overcast by the time I got to Joe Overstreet, and there were even a few showers. But even the not-ideal weather didn’t stop the road’s regulars from making appearances.
There were plenty of Eastern Meadowlarks as well as American Kestrels. While the Red-headed Woodpecker apparently is seen by many visitors, this was only the second time I came across it.
And there were a few others too. Not the best day of birding here, but it’s better than not birding at all.
Eastern Meadowlark, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Eastern Meadowlark, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Red-headed Woodpecker, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Red-headed Woodpecker, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Red-headed Woodpecker, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Red-headed Woodpecker, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.American Kestrel, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.American Kestrel, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.American Kestrel, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Red-shouldered Hawk, Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, January 2025.Sandhill Crane, Osceola County, January 2025. Not on Joe Overstreet, but nearby.
The first thing that came to my mind when seeing them was how prehistoric they look, like some character out of one of the Jurassic Park franchise movies.
While I will travel across Central Florida to seek out new birds to photograph, I often overlook some pretty interesting ones hanging out in my backyard.
Whenever I hear “Prairie Warbler,” I think of Little House on the Prairie and the Midwest. But this little yellow and black bird is a year-round Florida resident.
