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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On The Road – Winter Wren – Orlando Wetlands – Winter into Spring

On The Road – Winter Wren – Orlando Wetlands – Winter into Spring

by WaterGirl|  September 19, 20235:00 am| 14 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Photo Blogging

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

Winter Wren

Although I am mostly still a lurker here, I have mentioned in the discussion of a few of the nature related posts about our family’s love of the Orlando Wetlands Park in Christmas, Florida. So, I thought I would submit some photos of visits we have had so far this year (we are part-time snowbirds). If you are ever in the area and want to have a Florida nature experience, then this is a great place to visit.

The wetlands themselves are a set of impoundments which are the final stage of a sewage water treatment process. Many local governments have set up similar wetlands and allow public access to them (there is another called the Viera Wetlands that is closer to where we stay when in Florida. It is also very nice and quite popular, but is currently closed for environmental improvement – funded by the American Rescue Plan Act – thanks Biden!). Of course, there are lots of wading birds and alligators, but you can also sometimes glimpse otters, raccoons, bobcats and even this past year a black bear.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 9
Orlando WetlandsJanuary 28, 2023

Blue winged teal are the predominant wintering duck species at the wetlands and the ducks are generally paired up when they are seen. Here is a handsome male and its (assumed) mate. My wife often makes fun of how birds are often poorly named based on their colors or other characteristics. So of course she questioned why these ducks are called blue winged teal.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 8
Orlando WetlandsJanuary 28, 2023

This is why.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 7
January 29, 2023

My wife and I like to both walk the wetlands (especially the boardwalk that passes by a very active rookery) and also bike around parts of the perimeter when the weather is cool. We almost missed this American Bittern as we biked past – they blend in very well with their coloration and also keep relatively still when hunting.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 6
January 29, 2023

When an American Bittern thinks it has been seen, it will orient itself toward the viewer like this and freeze to further disguise itself. We quickly got back on our bikes to leave it in peace when it did this.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 5
January 29, 2023

American coots winter in large numbers here (insert obligatory joke here about that also being true of the human variety of “old coots”). Their gallinule cousins are resident year-round. This flock kept a safe distance from an alligator passing through. A different day, I captured a video of a flock of coots lining up to fly one-by-one over a patch of open water, their feet just barely touching the surface as they flew. Unwary coots and gallinules do often become meals for the alligators (as well as eagles), so the caution is warranted.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 4
September 29, 2023

This being Florida, alligators of all sizes are present in the various ponds and marshes and can be seen basking or swimming. Swimming by humans is of course illegal (as well as being ill-advised judging by the sizes of these basking behemoths).

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 3
January 28, 2023

I was able to capture this Red shouldered hawk as it came in for a landing. Red shouldered hawks are common year round as are Ospreys. Eagles can be seen in the winter and caracara’s year round if you are lucky (I have only seen them in Viera).

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 2
January 28, 2023

For birds nesting at the rookery, nesting season starts in January. This Great Egret was in full display mode to impress its mate. The boardwalk passes quite close to the rookery and there is quite a din when the baby birds arrive later in the spring. All sorts of herons, egrets are present as well as Anhinga, Double-crested cormorants, wood storks, and …

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring 1
January 28, 2023

lots of roseate spoonbills! The spoonbills nest in palm trees within about twenty feet of the boardwalk, so it is ridiculously easy to get good pictures of them.

On The Road - Winter Wren - Orlando Wetlands - Winter into Spring
January 29, 2023

When my wife first saw a glossy ibis on an overcast day in the distance, she assumed it was another poorly named bird. But in the right lighting and closer, we both agree that the name is quite fitting.

 

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    14Comments

    1. 1.

      eclare

      September 19, 2023 at 5:40 am

      Gorgeous photos!  Wetlands are wonderful, good to hear the ARP is helping the other one.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      mrmoshpotato

      September 19, 2023 at 6:52 am

      American Bittern

      Sneaky buggers!

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Princess

      September 19, 2023 at 6:57 am

      I love coots. They have weird feet. I once saw one walk up an almost-verticals tree in Oxford.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Winter Wren

      September 19, 2023 at 7:25 am

      @Princess: Yes, they have long partially webbed feet. Often you can see them here walking through some of the underwater vegetation – the water is very clear generally.

      Reply
    5. 5.

      OzarkHillbilly

      September 19, 2023 at 7:42 am

      When I was up on Lake of the Woods, we called coots “fish ducks.” Not sure what they call them now. Probably something like “horrible to eat.”

      Thanx for the pics Winter Wren.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      Betty

      September 19, 2023 at 8:02 am

      Lovely pictures.

      Reply
    7. 7.

      Albatrossity

      September 19, 2023 at 8:12 am

      @OzarkHillbilly: Here in Kansas we call coots “Missouri Mallards”…

      These are great pics. I dunno when I will visit Florida next, but I will make a point of stopping by this wetland if that ever comes about!

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Anyway

      September 19, 2023 at 8:20 am

      Great pictures! Love the color commentary :D

      Reply
    9. 9.

      dybevick

      September 19, 2023 at 9:17 am

      @watergirl

      Check out Sweetwater Wetlands Park just a bit north.

      Bonus fact, when viewed from the air the trail system sketches out a gator head.

      https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Sweetwater-Wetlands-Park

      Reply
    10. 10.

      Winter Wren

      September 19, 2023 at 10:24 am

      @dybevick: Nice – will need to check that out when we can get up that way.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      stinger

      September 19, 2023 at 10:36 am

      I had the same question as your wife about the first pic, so when I saw the second pic and caption, I laughed out loud! Great pics all — thanks!

      Reply
    12. 12.

      cope

      September 19, 2023 at 11:21 am

      Having moved out of FL after 33 years there, your pictures remind me of some of the good things about the state.  We only got out to this particular wetland park once because we had other, smaller places nearer our home but that one time was wonderful.

      Thanks.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      way2blue

      September 19, 2023 at 1:11 pm

      Winter Wren.  Your photos are great.  My favorite is the plump bittern hiding behind the slender reed.  Ha!  Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    14. 14.

      Chris T.

      September 19, 2023 at 10:50 pm

      @mrmoshpotato:

      A bitter biting bittern bit a better brother bittern
      And the better brother bittern bit the bitter biter back.
      The bitter bittern, bitten by the better brother bittern,
      Said: “I’m a bitter biter bit! Alas!”

      (from The Sixth Sick Sheik’s Sixth Sheep’s Sick collection…)

      Reply

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