Orlando, Florida is great for birdwatching thanks to lots of water, plant life, and great weather. I researched the most popular birding hotspots and found the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. I drove my rental car along this 11-mile road. During my visit I saw many great birds and met some nice birders.
Do you have family visiting Disney but you want to sneak away and see birds instead? This blog post is for you.
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
Quick facts:
- 292 bird species reported
- 1 – 3 hours drive
- Only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Federal Holidays
- Free public access
Bald Eagles right off the bat
At 9 AM, I arrived at the wildlife drive entrance and jumped out of the car to breathe some morning air, and take in the beautiful surroundings. The lake and marshlands are right next to the road which made it easy to see and hear many birds.
Nearby herons and egrets plodded through the watery vegetation laser-focused on finding the next fish. I scanned the horizon and spotted three Bald Eagles (two adults and a juvenile) perched in a large tree. My parabolic mic picked up a few Bald Eagle cries in the few minutes I spent listening to them.
My first stork
I’ve only seen storks in children’s book until this trip. I noticed an interesting bird fly overhead and land nearby. At first I thought it was an White Ibis but it was actually a Wood Stork! It was closer in size to a Great Blue Heron than an ibis.
Territorial Palm Warbler
This cute and aggressive Palm Warbler attacked its reflection in my side mirror while my car was parked along the wildlife drive.
Anhinga
Anhingas are a common sighting along the wildlife drive. I saw many of them drying their wings in the sun.
Interrupting an Osprey breakfast
This large, wet Osprey glared down at me for watching it enjoy a breakfast fish.
Noisy Tri-colored Heron
The Tri-colored Heron at the top of this post was making all kinds of sounds as it hunted for food. The wildlife drive is a good place to record because it was far from highway ambient noise but near to the actual birds.
I found a Merlin
A Merlin, the namesake of Merlin Bird ID made an appearance far away from the road. I spotted it perched in the reeds above the water.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Little Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Birds I saw near Disney World
The cries of a woodpecker caught my ear near the entrance of the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort. I followed the sounds and found a male Downy Woodpecker. It was busy hollowing out a tree branch near the lobby entrance. The bird repeatedly vanished into the hole and returned with a beak full of wood chips which it released into the breeze!
Red-bellied Woodpecker
I got a great view of this Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Mead Botanical Garden in Orlando. It was one of 15 species we saw at the gardens.
Pileated Woodpecker
Fish Crows
A new bird to me, these cute Fish Crows sound like they say “uh-uh”.
Loggerhead Shrike
I was happy to see this cute Loggerhead Shrike in Cape Canaveral.
We looked for birds during our Bahamas cruise stops
We took a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas aboard the Utopia of the Seas. The ship stopped at Nassau and Coco Cay so we took those as opportunities to look for birds.
The Magnificent Frigatebird
On Coco Cay we easily spotted Magnificent Frigatebirds soaring around above the island. This bird has angular wings that give it a striking silhouette. It soars around in the air and the males have an inflatable sac on their throat.
Bananaquit
The Bananaquit reminds me of a tiny Great Kiskadee. I spotted a few of them in trees next to one of the buildings on the island.
Red Junglefowl
A.K.A Chickens. These were running around all over Coco Cay!
Ruddy Turnstones run around the beaches and in the cabana areas. I also spotted Lesser Black-backed and American Herring Gulls mulling about.
In Nassau proper, we spotted Palm Warblers, Laughing Gulls, and Rock Pigeons
Final Bird List
View my eBird checklist for Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.
To see the full bird list, places visited, and my photos/audio visit my eBird Trip Report.