World Trip Reports
Life Ticks Galore - Orlando
I've just got back from a family holiday in Orlando, and managed to see the following whilst visiting various theme parks & tourist atttractions. All of these were genuine wild birds seen either in areas outside theme parks, or flying free in surrounding trees.
All were casual observations, as this wasn't a birding trip, so they were all spotted close up & without a scope or binoculars:
Mallard
Pied Billed Grebe (from the ferry to Magic Kingdom)
American White Pelican (Clearwater Beach)
Brown Pelican (Clearwater & Kennedy Space Centre
Double Breasted Cormorant (numerous lakes in area)
Anhinga (Kennedy)
Great Blue Heron (pond outside our hotel)
Great Egret (Sea World & various lakes)
Snowy Egret (As above)
Little Blue Heron (Kennedy)
Green Heron (Lake in Epcot)
Wood Stork (Flying over hotel car park)
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis (Kennedy)
Turkey Vulture (all over - like starlings!!)
Black Vulture
Osprey (Lots of nests on top of telegraph poles alongside I-4 to Tampa)
Swallow Tailed Kite (pair in Animal Kingdom car park)
Red-Tailed Hawk (trees in hotel car park)
Moorhen
Laughing Gull (Clearwater Beach)
Ring Billed Gull (Clearwater)
Royal Tern (Between Tampa & Clearwater)
Mourning Dove
Blue Jay (Trees in Animal Kingdom)
American Crow
Northern Mockingbird (hotel area)
Northern Cardinal (Animal Kingdom trees)
Common Grackle (everywhere!!)
Boat Tailed Grackle (Kennedy & Sea World)
House Sparrow
In all I had 31 different species spotted by naked eye, & 28 were lifers!! Who knows what I could have had if I'd taken some binoculars with me.
Richard
Well done, nice list,
Jackie