This weekend we went over to the Kissimmee area to look for a Whooping Crane. North Canoe Creek Road near the Double C Bar Ranch is a known location for one of the last Whooping Cranes released in a since-abandoned attempt to establish a resident breeding population in Florida. 

While driving the Joe Overstreet and Canoe Creek Road area we saw Sandhill Cranes everywhere. Our final tally for the three hours was 125 Sandhill Cranes! Other great birds included six Bald Eagles, two Crested Caracara, and 21 Wild Turkeys. 

 

 Next, we headed to the Three Lakes WMA which has great habitat for the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. We saw three species of woodpecker, the Red-cockaded, Red-bellied, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

One more drive on Canoe Creek to look for the Whooping Crane on our way to the Lakeside Inn and Café which is an old-style Florida motel on Alligator Lake. They have a nice dock, bbq area, and screened picnic tables. This is a great place to bring the kids and your boat. For dinner, we went to Meat and Fire barbeque and recommend the brisket burnt ends.

The next morning we found the Whooping Crane with a van full of birders on tour from Space Coast bird festival across from the Double C Bar Ranch. When we saw it the Whooping Crane was in the company of two Sandhill Cranes. A special thanks to Bonnie Jenks for the picture of the Whooping Crane.

While working on this blog we realized all the pictures from this trip were accidentally deleted. There is only one thing to do….go there again. We are happy to report the Whooping Crane is still at the Double C Bar as of January 16, 2016, but bring a scope because it is too far away for bins or photos.

We ended this trip at Cockroach Bay in Hillsborough County where we added Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, and American Robin. Cockroach Bay is a well-known area for ducks and other winter migrants.

Another very nice Florida winter weekend! Weather  Hi 74 Low 49 Mostly Sunny  Light Winds

Trip : Total Species: 63     Year Birds: 27   Life Birds: 1

2015 : Year Birds: 83    Life Birds: 1

Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List