Hi Mark,
Just arrived back from Orlando this afternoon (and currently enjoying the jet-lag), so hopefully I can provide some useful suggestions.
To cover a few basics up front -
Temperature - it will be hot! This may be a little obvious but it's best to be prepared. Over the last 2 weeks the temp was reaching the low 90's by late morning. I assume you have A/C in your car, but make sure you take plenty of liquid.
Mosquitos - not a major problem but I would suggest you take deet repellent for most birding areas. I didn't use this in some areas and I'm still scratching.
Light - like you, I had great hopes of setting off early in the mornings, before the family arose. However, in practice I was a little disappointed to find that the light is generally not good enough for photography until 7.30 ish. Through trial and error, I found I could reach most places in time for the best light by setting off around 6.30. This meant that for most birding excursions I was out for the whole morning. This gave a pretty wide area of coverage, including the east coast.
Get a Sat-Nav.
Some general observations -
I only birded every few days or so. July/August is not the best time to bird Florida. In general I found passerines to be relatively sparse (commonest being Northern Cardinals, Mockingbirds and Eastern Towhee's), and ducks/waders were largely absent. This said, total bird count was a reasonable 80+ which I was quite satisfied with considering the time of year.
Eagles were absent (I believe they move to the Carolinas at this time).
Belted Kingfishers only seen at Lake Jackson in the Three Lakes WMA.
Birds you will find it difficult to avoid - G-B Herons, Egrets, Anhingas, D-C Cormorants, Vultures, Ospreys, Grackles, Mockingbirds. You should get great photo opportunities at many places.
A few of my most productive / favourite places I would suggest -
Lake Kissimmee State Park. (Head for the picnic area). Some spp found - Yellow-throated Warbler, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodies.
Mead Garden (in Orlando town). A very diverse park with boardwalks, forest tracks and plenty of small lakes/pools. Key finds - Barred Owl, R-S Hawk, Red-bellied / Pileated Woodpecker, Flicker, Jays.
Orlando Wetlands Park. Key spp - Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Purple Gallinule, R-S Hawk. Only visited this briefly on the way back from Merritt and would have liked a full day there (but, boy, was it hot!).
Merritt Island. Black Point Wildlife Drive - very poor compared with fall/winter, but still worth a visit. Key spp - Roseate Spoonbill, Yellowlegs (few only), Skimmer, Forsters & Royal Terns (and some others still to be ID'd), Brown Pelicans.
Take a trip to Playalinda beach - almost guarenteed of seeing Scrub-Jays shortly after passing the paystation. Stop in a lay-by and take a walk, since parking on the roadside is prohibited.
Lakefront Park in Kissimmee (north end of Lake Toho). Head for the west end of Lakeshore Boulevard by the power station for excellent views of Monk Parakeet. I found Limpkin to be very approachable here also (to within a few feet!).
Boggy Creek (Southport park at south end of Lake Toho). Great airboat rides. Key spp seen here - Snail Kite (only place I saw this sp), Turkeys.
Joe Overstreet Road (Off Canoe Creek Road). Key spp seen here - Eastern Meadowlark, Killdeer, Bobwhite. Hawks.
Gatorland (good day out for the family). Excellent for close up photos of herons and most egrets, vultures and in-flight osprey if you're lucky.
Hope this helps and gives you some useful ideas. As others have suggested, I'd strongly recommend the Pranty guide. You can get this from the ABA web-site, although you may be travelling too soon to receive this in time.
If you want to see my full list, please send me a private mail with your email address and I'll send you lists for the various sites I visited.
Cheers, good birding, and I wish I was coming back with you!
Kevin
