Yesterday we went to Orlando Wetlands. The day started with thunderstorms, but quickly cleared into a beautiful day.
Our walk started with sparrows (like this Savannah Sparrow) and warblers (‘Myrtle’, Palm. Common Yellowthroat and Northern Parula), but quickly shifted to waterbirds.
Nesting birds here include Wood Storks, Roseatte Spoonbills, Anhinga and an array of herons and egrets.
Another interesting nesting species is Limpkin.
Along the boardwalk there is an interesting assortment of water plants including a lot of water lettuce. Scanning the floating plants resulted in other interesting finds such as dragonflies and turtles, like the Florida red-bellied turtle.
There were a lot of blue tilapia and their nests.
Here’s a Florida spotted gar.
As it warmed the butterflies became active. This is a White peacock.
We found a few Purple Gallinules near the end of our walk.
After lunch I found a butterfly orchid (Encyclia tampensis).
All in all, a most enjoyable way to spend a “rainy” day.
More tomorrow…
Michael's Place 