Joe Overstreet Rd and Landing

Whooping Crane

One of my favorite places for birding in Osceola County (about an hour from my home) is Joe Overstreet Rd.  It's a road that leads to Lake Kissimmee, and it's one of my favorite places to see several birds that can be difficult to find elsewhere in Central Florida.  Topping the list of these birds is the Whooping Crane. Many nonmigratory Whooping Cranes were released into several counties of Central Florida in an effort to restore the crane to their normal range.  And while difficulties with survival and reproduction of these nonmigratory birds has led to the demise of the program, they can still be found here occasionally, right near the entrance to Joe Overstreet Rd. I visited here this morning and found this beauty of a bird hanging out with some cows.

Eastern Meadowlark

Turkey Vulture

Along the road to Lake Kissimmee there are many sights to see. I love Eastern Meadowlarks, and they can be heard and seen all along the road; their songs add a beautiful sound track to the drive. It's also a good place to find Loggerhead Shrikes, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, Common Ground-Doves, Eurasian Collared Doves, Wild Turkeys, Indian Peafowl, and an assortment of other fun birds. Earlier this year, I came across several Turkey Vultures working on a Raccoon carcass that gave me my favorite vulture photos.

Snail Kite

Crested Caracara

Long-billed Curlew

Forster's Terns

And at the end of the road is the landing, where there is much more fun to be had.  During the cooler months, you may just find a Long-billed Curlew here, while Crested Caracara and Snail Kites are regulars. Gulls and terns can be found in abundance during the right time of year--Forster's Terns, Herring Gulls and Black Skimmers may be seen here.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

And I had an interesting sight this morning.  A Bald Eagle landed pretty close to me--so close I wasn't prepared for it.  By the time I could take photos, it had grabbed a fish with its mouth right at the shoreline and flew off with it still in his mouth. It then landed in the grass to consume its prey.  I've never seen an eagle grab and fly off with a fish in its mouth; it was like it was doing its best gull imitation.  My guess is the fish had been dropped by a gull, and the eagle was just opportunistic to find it and fly off with it. Joe Overstreet Rd is a great place to visit in Central Florida--one of our treasures that I never tire of visiting.

Scott Simmons
Outdoor Photography