This is one of my favorite places to go birding. The wetlands are beautiful and I always have fun! There are birds, alligators, and all kinds of other wildlife. The city of Orlando has done a wonderful job with this park and, as you enter, there are displays about the park and the wildlife that live here. Let's cover the basics first: the park is free and open from dawn to dusk every day. There are restrooms, water fountains, and a picnic area at the front. A sign in/out sheet is on the podium in front of the displays. The gate is not automatic and someone arrives to open and close the park every day. Shortly after the displays, there is a Gopher Tortoise burrow to the right. In my experience, these are pretty hard to find. Hopefully the tortoise will be out for you to see! After the tortoise, it's on to the wetlands! My favorite areas include the first part of Osprey Blvd and the right hand side of the 2.5 mile birding walk (there is a link to a map at the end of the blog). To be honest, though, that is as far as I have ever made it! The park does not have any shade along most of the trails, unless you take one of the two, short hiking trails through the woods. Be prepared with sunscreen and plenty of water. Despite it being in the open and hot when I visit, I can easily spend hours here. The trails are graded sand and gravel. They are well maintained and easy to walk. The majority of the birds are waders including herons, egrets, spoonbills, and ibis but there are also Red-shouldered Hawks, Anhingas, cormorants, ducks, owls, and more. Even when the weather is hot in summer, the birds will be here. In addition to the birds, I have found snakes, raccoon and deer tracks, wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies, and more to keep me entertained. You will absolutely see alligators! Please stay back from the water's edge and do not approach, harass, or feed them (I wrote this before I added the picture and didn't know it matched the sign verbatim!). I have had to turn around because of alligators on the path. When you make it back to the parking lot, look to the right in the mowed area and you will see a number of bat boxes! This park has everything! :) They are occupied and you can hear them chattering away as you approach. As always, never touch or pick up a bat that you find on the ground. Contrary to popular belief, very few bats have rabies but they can contract and pass on the virus. If a bat is on the ground, it is likely sick. Bat colonies can eat tons of insects every night and are valuable sources of pest control. I've never had a problem with insects here and they are probably the reason!
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September 2022
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