A lovely day for a drive

I’ve haven’t been out photographing for a while, so when Kevin M. invited me to ride along with him yesterday I was eager to go.  It was one of those beautiful Florida winter mornings – clear, bright, a little windy, and perfect shirtsleeve temperatures.

We went by the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Osceola County, then down Joe Overstreet road, and finally by the lakefront in Kissimmee.

Three Lakes WMA is a quiet area with dirt roads through varied habitats including pine forests, grass fields, and some hardwood stands with streams and lakes.  There were several RVs and campers parked near the entrance, but they were sleeping in and we had the place mostly to ourselves at first.

A road less traveledA road less traveled – Infrared, black and white, panorama

Whenever we stopped the car to scout for wildlife, it was so quiet, all we heard were birds and the breeze blowing through pine needles.  What a peaceful, non-urban setting!

I’ve been by the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area three or four times looking for the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers that nest there (read about previous trips here and here). And yesterday, I finally saw one.  Kevin knew exactly what to look for and spotted this one (that I missed) on my side of the car – thanks Kevin!

Red-cockaded WoodpeckerRed-cockaded Woodpecker

It really helps to go out with someone familiar with the place and the species you’re looking for.  Kevin mentioned that he’d been through with our local Audubon group and they pointed out many areas and what to watch for in each.

I have seen Bobwhites before, but this one running across the road was cute!

Bobwhite crossingBobwhite crossing

And I’ve seen Eastern Bluebirds before, but didn’t have a good a photo of one.

Eastern BluebirdEastern Bluebird

We also saw a raccoon, a couple of deer, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Meadowlarks, Eagles, Swallow-tailed Kites, Snail Kites, Hawks, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and many other birds.  It was quite a trip!

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!
©2017, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved

4 thoughts on “A lovely day for a drive

  1. Glad to see that you got an Eastern Bluebird…I have been up there several times in the last month…Saw the Snail Kites, eagles, and the meadowlark…on JoeO…Went in to 3 Lakes Hoping for the Bluebird…NO LUCK…You have inspired me to try again…I was there mid day. I think early morning might be better. Great Images…Thanks for sharing

    1. Thanks for your kind comment, Jean. I’d say you’ll have a pretty good shot at seeing the Bluebirds earlier in the morning. We got there just a bit after 8am and saw several.

      I’ve had good luck there finding birds (with Kevin’s help) but it does take persistence sometimes. I didn’t see the Nuthatches on my first try or the Whooping Crane either.

      Good luck!

      Ed

I'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.