Florida Updates: Glades, Circle B, Venice, Overstreet

[Michael Pancier]

The birds are returning to the sunshine state.

Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland - white pelicans are back in the thousands. The fish kill last year after the freeze in Jan. sent them packing, but they are back. Flying all over the wetland area and congregating in the Lake.

Three Lakes WMA & Joe Overstreet - lots of Bald Eagle activity at both locations.

Venice Rookery - The GBH's are continuing with nest building; better photo ops now that the holly plants were cut down.

Everglades NP - still slow; lots of hawks and osprey along the drive Royal Palm to Flamingo. Some white pelicans at Mzrazek Pond; spoons at the Eco Pond in Flamingo; and lots of hawks/osprey nesting in Flamingo. I did see after sunset, a barn owl feeding in the Flamingo area; but good luck getting a photo of it; it was fast and light was poor; but a cool sight to see nonetheless.

[PeterGruener]

Michael,

Thanks for posting the update. I have not been posting here for a long time. Now we are back in Florida for a couple of weeks and entered the Everglades yesterday afternoon and it was gorgeous. There were millions of people at the Anhinga Trail but I counted at least 10 Green Herons and some ongoing nisting activity with the Anhingas. Plenty of Ospreys and Red Shouldered Hawks along with one Roseate Spoonbill as you described. Today with the early morning rain, the drop in temperatures and the gusty winds everything slowed down significantly.
What happened to the Osprey nest close to the Marina?
After spending many weeks in Yellowstone the mass of people is scaring me a little bit ;-)

Peter