New birds, old birds on Christmas Eve at Lake Apopka
Roger Simmons,
I got a couple of early presents on Christmas Eve when I visited Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.
I came across two new-to-me birds: A Grey-headed Swamphen and some Ring-necked Ducks. Plus, I got to photograph some others I have photographed before, including a very pretty House Wren and a timid American Kestrel.
The main thing was that I had photographs. I forgot to charge my camera battery, so I had to ration out what little power there when taking photos.
Gray-headed Swamphen, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023Gray-headed Swamphen, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023Ring-necked Duck, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.Ring-necked Duck, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.House Wren, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.House Wren, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.Palm Warbler, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.Merlin, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.Tricolored Heron, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.Tricolored Heron, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.American Kestrel, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.American Kestrel, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, December 2023.
I went to Orlando Wetlands hoping to get a chance to photograph some baby Barred Owls. I ended up with photos of a colorful new-to-me bird: Indigo Buntings.
I visited near sunset on Tuesday and ended up seeing three sets of youngsters – baby Roseate Spoonbills, baby Great Egrets and, of course, Sandhill Crane colts.