After being heavily damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall, Fort DeSoto State Park was closed for an extended period and didn’t fully reopen until late February. This past weekend, I braved a trip on I-4 to visit the park with a friend, and I was happy to see many of the birds have returned – including migrating warblers.
The ranger’s home at the park has been abandoned, and the area around it and its overgrown yard has become a great spot for birds. We saw Cape May, Black-and-White, Prairie and Common Yellowthroat warblers plus some other birds close by.
Near the home was a rock fountain that had attracted birds looking for a drink of fresh water or to cool off. It too had been impacted by the hurricane and wasn’t repaired until recently. It did its job of attracting birds on a hot Sunday afternoon.
More on my Fort DeSoto trip to come, but here are the warblers and friends I photographed.
Prairie Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Prairie Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Black-and-white Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Black-and-white Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Black-and-white Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Female Common Yellowthroat warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Female Common Yellowthroat warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Female Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Northern Cardinal, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Osprey, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.
I saw my first Eastern Towhee at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge back in March, but I’ve seen many more send then at the UCF Arboretum. The scrub bush landscape there is perfect for these colorful orange and black birds.
While driving down Joe Overstreet Road or exploring the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, I can’t remember a time I didn’t see a least one Eastern Meadowlark.
When I heard some flamingos were spotted next to the road to Playalinda Beach, I drove over to see if they might be close enough for some photos. But …
