Birding on an Orlando theme park holiday (April 3-10th 2016) (1 Viewer)

I've just returned from a family holiday doing the Disney theme parks in Orlando. I managed to negotiate 2 trips to birding sites with the family but one of these was missed due to us all getting some horrid virus. The one trip was to Circle B Bar Reserve (abbreviated as CBBR) which I can't recommend highly enough. We did their "tram tour" which turned out to be a great way to see wildlife with the family. There were herons/storks/ibises everywhere + alligators, turtles and lots more.

I've lived in the USA before (Washington DC) and been to Florida (East coast and Everglades) once before in Winter but central Florida with the possibility of spring migrants was a first. Top of my wish list were painted bunting, sandhill crane and swallow-tailed kite. The latter 2 turned out to be easy to see in many places and we were even treated to a courtship dance at incredibly close range by the cranes at Circle B Bar Reserve. Painted bunting is still missing from my list...

Many of the theme parks had plenty of birds especially Typhoon Lagoon water park (dog-fighting bald eagles!), Epcot and Animal Kingdom.

The other place I saw lots of birds was in the marshy and forested areas behind the house we rented just south-east of Clermont). I could probably have seen a lot more there with more free time.

Here is the total list:


Pied billed grebe : 1 behind house
Anhinga: Common
Double-crested cormorant; Several CBBR (probably others elsewhere)
Snowy egret: Common
Tricolored heron: Several (various sites)
Little blue heron: 2 behind house and CBBR
Great blue heron: Several (various sites)
Great egret: Common
Cattle egret: CBBR and roadside nearby
White ibis: Common (feed from tables in theme parks)
Glossy ibis: ~6 CBBR
Wood stork: 3 CBBR
Roseate spoonbill: 1 CBBR
Mallard: Common
Muscocy duck: 1 (location forgotten)
Turkey vulture: Common
Black vulture: Common
Swallow tailed kite: Several (various sites)
Coopers hawk: Several (various sites)
Bald eagle: Several (CBBR, Epcot, Typhoon Lagoon)
Osprey: Common
Red shouldered hawk: Several (various sites)
Red tailed hawk: ~2 (location forgotten)
Turkey: 2 Roadside in Disney World)
Sandhill crane: Common (including walking on the sidewalk on housing estate!)
Limpkin: ~6 CBBR
Moorhen: Several (various sites)
Coot: Several (various sites)
Killdeer: 4 (flying over roads)
Ring billed gull: Common
Caspian Tern: 1 CBBR
Small tern (Forster's/Least?): 1 CBBR
Mourning dove: Common
Eurasian collared dove: 2 Typhoon Lagoon
Feral Pigeon: Several (various sites)
Chuck wills widow (heard only): Behind house
Belted kingfisher: 2 CBBR
Red bellied woodpecker: Common
Downy woodpecker: 1 CBBR
Pileated woodpecker: 3 CBBR and behind house
Loggerhead shrike: 1 roadside on way to airport
Blue jay: Several (various sites)
Fish crow: Several (various sites)
American crow: Common
Purple martin: Several Epcot and housing estate
Rough winged swallow: Several (various sites)
Barn swallow: Several on housing estate
Carolina chickadee: 2 behind house
Marsh wren: 1 behind house
Blue-gray gnatcatcher: 2 behind house
Gray catbird: Several (various sites)
Northern mockingbird: Common
Brown thrasher: 1 in garden
Northern parula (heard only): Behind house
Palm warbler: Several (various sites)
Common yellowthroat: 1 CBBR
Cardinal: Common
Swamp sparrow: 1 behind house
Meadowlark: 1 CBBR
Red winged blackbird: Common
Common grackle: Very common
Boat tailed grackle: Very common

Interesting report. May be a trip I undertake one day, so thanks for reporting back.

Swallow-Tailed Kite is certainly a bird I would like to see too.

I found Bush gardens in Tampa very interesting for birds as well. There was a White Ibis colony breeding inside the park. We have been there in April, so we connected with a lot of warblers as well in the park.
Especially for European birders having to satisfy children with themeparks Florida is a great area. Many very good birding sites are pretty close to the themeparks. I can recommend a day tour to the lakes around Kissimee which provided very awesome birding. Easy to do from Orlando.