On Friday, March 13th, we drove to Clewiston after work for the Big O Birding Festival. On the way, we spotted a Great Horned Owl in an orange grove near La Belle. The festival is based at the Port LaBelle Inn, which was unfortunately sold out when we registered. We instead chose to stay at the Historic Clewiston Inn, where the festival was previously located. It’s a bit of a drive, but it’s always a pleasant place to stay.
Our Saturday morning bus tour, led by Dr. Paul Gray, took us first to the Fisheating Creek-Fort Center Trail. We were joined by Bruce Wilson, a sixth-generation Floridian, who gave us an impressive history lesson on the area and the Florida “Osceola” Wild Turkey. Here, we found 27 species, including a variety of herons, shorebirds, raptors, and warblers. On our way out, our escort from Florida Fish and Wildlife took us to a work shed that was a Barn Owl roost. It was an awesome sight for all of us!
Next, we drove north toward the town of Okeechobee. Dr. Gray, who is a Science Coordinator for the Okeechobee Watershed program, explained some of the important work he does. His efforts have a major effect on water quality and water flow from Lake Kissimmee all the way through the Everglades.
We birded the Okie-Tantie boat ramp area, where the Kissimmee River enters Lake Okeechobee. Afterward, we had a marvelous lunch at Lightsey’s Seafood Company. Their seafood buffet is not to be missed and is a great way to try gator, frog legs, oysters, and local catfish.
On day two, we met Dr. Gray early at the Okie-Tantie boat ramp and boarded his personal airboat for a tour of the lake shoreline. How lucky are we? We didn’t think an airboat would be the best way to see birds, but it gave us up-close, amazing views of Snail Kites, waterfowl, an American Bittern, and a Gray-headed Swamphen. We were able to see an impressive 48 species of birds.
The Big O Bird Festival is one of our favorites, and this was our third time attending. It’s a very intimate festival with small-group tours, the people are great, and the birds are plentiful. We also highly recommend the STA 5 tour with Margaret England.
Next up: New Jersey and Long Island
Trip : Total Species: 81 Year Birds: 14 Life Birds: 0
2015 : Year Birds: 134 Life Birds: 5
Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List
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