January brought our first true chase of the year: a trip to the Kissimmee prairie in search of a Whooping Crane. North Canoe Creek Road has long been a reliable spot for one of Florida’s last remaining birds. Even though the reintroduction program has ended, the possibility of seeing this iconic species was enough to get us on the road before sunrise.
This weekend, we headed to the Kissimmee area on a mission to find a Whooping Crane. North Canoe Creek Road, near the Double C Bar Ranch, is a known location for one of the last remaining cranes. Unfortunately, the reintroduction program to establish a resident breeding population in Florida has been abandoned.
While driving along Joe Overstreet and Canoe Creek Road, we were amazed by the number of Sandhill Cranes—our final tally for three hours was 125! Other great birds included six Bald Eagles, two Crested Caracaras, and 21 Wild Turkeys. Next, we went to the Three Lakes WMA, a great habitat for the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, where we saw not only our target but also Red-bellied and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
We stayed at the Lakeside Inn and Café, which is an old-style Florida motel on Alligator Lake. It has a nice dock, BBQ area, and screened picnic tables—a great place to bring the family and your boat. For dinner, we went to Meat and Fire Barbeque and highly recommend their brisket burnt ends.
The next morning, we finally found the Whooping Crane thanks to a van on tour from the Space Coast Bird Festival. The crane was with two Sandhill Cranes right across from the Double C Bar Ranch. Special thanks to Bonnie Jenks for providing a photo of the Whooping Crane.
While working on this blog, we realized that all the pictures from this trip were accidentally deleted. There was only one thing to do: go back again! We are happy to report that the Whooping Crane was still at the Double C Bar as of January 16, 2016. Be sure to bring a scope, as it is too far away for binoculars or photos.
We ended this trip at Cockroach Bay in Hillsborough County, a well-known area for ducks and other winter migrants. Here, we added Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, and an American Robin to our list.
It was another wonderful Florida winter weekend—perfect weather, great birds, and our first life bird of the year. From Kissimmee’s wide‑open prairie to the duck‑filled waters of Cockroach Bay, this trip delivered everything we love about January birding.
Trip Totals: 63 species • 27 year birds • 1 life bird
2015 Totals: 83 year birds • 1 life bird
Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List
Next up: Sparrow Drive — A morning of sparrow banding and close‑up looks at winter grassland species
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