Some people get excited about fall because pumpkin spice lattes return, but I’m more excited about birds coming back here for autumn.
A lot of returning birds have been popping up across Central Florida, from the Orlando Wetlands to Merritt Island to Lake Apopka to Osceola County. While some of these birds are migrating through, others are back to spend winter here. Still others are natives who went missing over the hot summer.
The temperatures may be cooling but birding is starting to heat up, and I couldn’t be more excited.
Here are a few of the birds I’ve spotted lately…
Female American Kestrel, Osceola County, October 2025.Female Belted Kingfisher, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, October 2025.Female Belted Kingfisher, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.Roseate Spoonbill, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, October 2025.Palm Warbler, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, October 2025.Semipalmated Sandpiper, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, October 2025.Eastern Phoebe, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.Eastern Phoebe, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.Male Common Yellowthroat, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.Male Common Yellowthroat, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.Female Common Yellowthroat, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.Female Common Yellowthroat, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, October 2025.Female Blue-winged Teal, Lake Apopka Wildlife Refuge, October 2025.Blue-gray Gnatcatcher grabbing a spider, Orlando Wetlands, October 2025.
After my tour of Mead Garden with the Orange Audubon Society group, I decided to return and see if I could spot some birds I missed on the previous trip: a family of Barred Owls. I saw a youngster with the Audubon group, but he was far away and it…
I was so excited back in May when I was able to take my first pictures of a Northern Parula at the Orlando Wetlands. Fast-forward to July, and it seems these birds are, dare I say, stalking me?
