Our first post of 2017 celebrates a fantastic weekend at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Festival and Birdapalooza, hosted by the Orange Audubon Society. The event offered a perfect blend of birding tours, live music, and community entertainment, with a rare, unique highlight being our visit to an active bird banding station.
Inspired by a “Regular Guy”
Our weekend kicked off on Saturday afternoon with a keynote dinner presented by Greg Miller. To anyone who has followed our own “Little Big Year” journey, Greg’s name is likely familiar. His legendary 1998 big year was a primary inspiration for us, and hearing him speak was a true thrill.
Greg’s message was simple yet powerful: he is just a “regular guy” who dedicated himself to something he loved. We enjoyed hearing the behind-the-scenes stories of how his quest became a book and the struggles of being the underdog against competitors with far greater resources. As a consultant on the movie The Big Year, Greg shared anecdotes that have made us eager to watch the film again to catch all the details we previously missed.
A Tour with a Dream Team
On Sunday morning, we met our group at the McDonald Canal Pavilion, guided by a “dream team” of experts: Greg Miller, Gallus Quigley, David Simpson, and Deborah Green. We carpooled with a lovely couple from Quebec, Diane and Jean, and were excited to finally explore restricted areas of the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive that we hadn’t previously accessed. Our leaders set the stage with two key target birds: the Groove-billed Ani and the Ash-throated Flycatcher.
The wind was whipping at 15–25 mph, making it a challenge to spot smaller passerines. While our first three stops for the flycatcher were unsuccessful, we still enjoyed some great sightings, including a female Painted Bunting and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Then, the moment of the day: at our next stop, I (Sharon) was thrilled to be the first to spot the Groove-billed Ani! It was an unbelievable week for me, having seen a Smooth-billed Ani just the weekend before at Fort DeSoto Park. We continued our tour, adding six duck and four hawk species to our list, alongside the usual herons and egrets. Sightings of Limpkins, Glossy Ibis, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and a flyover by a Wilson’s Snipe made for a truly fantastic day.
A Surprise Sighting
After a splendid lunch, we headed back out to explore new terrain. The highlight of the afternoon was spotting a Barn Owl tucked away in an abandoned building—thanks to Joe Dunn for kindly sharing his photo of the encounter! We were also graced by a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, which posed beautifully for our group.
While we missed a few target species, that is exactly what keeps us coming back for more. This is an event we highly recommend, and we will certainly be back. Throughout the festival, over 100 species were spotted by attendees. It was particularly meaningful to bird alongside Greg Miller, exchanging stories about the many places we have both visited. We look forward to the next time our paths cross!
Trip Summary: 64 species • 0 life birds
Next up: Miami Parrots – Chasing the exotics in the best hotspots
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