Florida Birding Trip Report - Days 11 & 12 (Fort De Soto Park and Sawgrass Lake)

The next day saw us wake relatively early and head over to the well-known west coast migrant hotspot that is Fort De Soto Park. Nestled right on the coast below St Petersburg, Fort De Soto gets an incredible number of migrant birds stopping by to take advantage of the rich food sources on offer and to take a break from their long journeys. Having already seen the majority of birds to be expected at this time of year, the skulking Swainson’s Warbler would be our best chance of a new lifer.

Parking up in the first car park after entering the park, we were immediately met with a stonking red male Summer Tanager in one of the large trees, but a quick mooch around the area produced nothing else of note. 

Summer Tanager

Osprey nest poles seemed to be everywhere in Florida!

Deciding to check out the Mulberry tree section further along the trail proved to be much more fruitful however, and we were soon enjoying views of Hooded Warblers, Northern Parulas, Palm and Prairie Warblers and a rather confiding Mottled Duck keeping cool in the shade of the trees.

Mottled Duck

The area around the water fountain proved to be particularly rich in bird life

The high pitched tinkling above us gave away the presence of a small flock of Cedar Waxwings, our first non-flyover views of the trip, while a White-eyed Vireo foraged through the leaves. 

Fleshy cactus plants were abundant in the fine sandy soil at Fort De Soto

Gulf Fritillary was another new species of butterfly for us at Fort De Soto

Heading further in to the trees and encountering a local beginners bird group, we were able to locate several Ovenbirds foraging in the leaf litter, while a particularly showy male Black and White Warbler posed for all the cameras.

Black and White Warbler

With the group having found a gorgeous Yellow-throated Warbler, we were able to enjoy prolonged views of our third individual of the trip, the buttercup yellow throat making it easy to locate in the foliage but still as elusive and tricky to photograph as ever, constantly dodging behind branches and being continuously on the move.

Yellow-throated Warbler - as unphotogenic as ever!

Alex had also found a particularly attractive Cape May Warbler, the bright yellow and burnt umber tones indicating this was a male, our first for the trip and our first male of this species. 

Male Cape May Warbler!

Having previously seen a female Cape May Warbler in Central Park last May, but only having identified it retrospectively once back in the UK from photos, it was great to finally admire this delightful warbler in person (as well as actually knowing what it was!) and even better to have scored with a male.

Checking the undergrowth carefully for any Swainson’s Warblers but with no luck, we headed over to the beach to see what wader delights awaited us. Several American White Ibises probed the soft ground around the picnic benches, while a group of roosting Willets again provided point blank views. 

American White Ibis showing well!

Approaching the tideline and scanning the nearby flock of waders revealed a number of Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstones while a single lone American Oystercatcher roosted, the characteristic yellow and red eye hidden as it tucked its head peacefully under its wing. Several more Willets fed in the crystal clear shallows, while an unexpected Marbled Godwit was a nice surprise, wading through the pools and providing our closest views of the trip.

There was also a wealth of tern activity here, with both Cabot's (now split from Sandwich Tern) and Royal Terns noisily flying back and too with fish, while a small number of Least and Common Terns darted and fished along the tideline. A handful of Brown Pelicans also soared majestically over the water, while the usual Great Blue Herons and Double-crested Cormorants fished nearby. A third Wilson’s Plover also came scuttling towards us over the white sand, an unexpected bird at this site and a great addition to the day.

Looking towards a clear shallow patch of water behind us also revealed our most confiding Reddish Egret of the trip, hunting for any small fish in the peculiar way Reddish Egrets seem to do by almost dancing over the sand, waving their long necks in a fashion almost like snakes being charmed and looking extremely comical. 

Reddish Egret

We were able to get fantastic views of the subtly beautiful plumage and the bright bubble-gum pink bill, with the egret coming so close to us that I wasn’t able to fit it all in the frame of my camera!

Leaving the peacefulness of the shore and the many intricately patterned and beautifully coloured tropical shells that were scattered over the sand behind, we headed back in to the trees to see what other species we could find, hoping to strike it lucky with any Swainson’s Warblers.

Sadly we didn’t manage to locate any other warbler species in this part of the reserve, but a pair of Common Ground Doves foraging in the grass and along the gravel pathway finally offered us a chance to photograph this dainty species of dove – far less common than we had anticipated with only a handful encountered during our time in Florida.

Common Ground Dove living up to its name

We were also able to get much more satisfactory views of the Nanday Parakeets here at Fort De Soto, coming across a group of three birds drinking out of a puddle before flying in to a nearby tree. 

Nanday Parakeet!

With their distinctive black faces and electric green plumage, there was no mistaking these gaudy birds, and it was great to see them out in the field as opposed to viewing from a roadside.

Deciding to leave Fort De Soto in order to head up north in an effort to locate Carolina Chickadees at Brooker Creek Preserve, we were soon back on the road and heading to our next destination.

Unfortunately, our plans became unstuck at this point, and an incident with another car at an intersection on route rendered our hire car undriveable. Luckily, both ourselves and the other driver were left unscathed, and as we watched our car get towed away we were incredibly thankful that we had avoided anything worse.

With no car and no desire to continue birding that day, we accepted a lift back to the hotel – the delicious Tapas restaurant and associated lamb cutlets going someway to lift our spirits after what had been an eventful end to the afternoon.

Thankfully having taken out full insurance cover at the hire car desk in Orlando, we were able to pick up a replacement from Tampa airport the very next morning, and we were soon back on the road again. Unfortunately, my extremely bruised and swollen leg as a result of the incident prevented me from moving in any manner other than a weak hobble, so we chose to take it easy at Sawgrass Lake Park, a known breeding site for Swallow-tailed Kites. Whilst we saw no new birds for the trip here, Sawgrass Lake did deliver on the kite front, with two birds soaring over the car park at regular intervals.

The tranquil setting of Sawgrass Lake

We were also able to locate several Northern Parulas and Palm Warblers trilling in the tree tops, while the usual Gray Catbirds and Blue Jays called noisily by the paths. Sitting down on one of the benches to watch an Anhinga dry its outstretched wings in the sun, we also noticed a nearby bush covered with butterflies, Alex managing to get some shots to aid in the identification.

Cloudless Sulphur - Photo by Alex Jones

Orange-barred Sulphur - Photo by Alex Jones

Walking across the boardwalk to the lake revealed several Alligators waiting patiently in the murky depths for any unsuspecting prey, while the usual American Coots and Common Gallinules bobbed around, some with chicks in tow.

Baby Common Gallinules!

As suggested in the ebird report, Sawgrass Lake was a promising location for raptors, with several Black and Turkey Vultures soaring overhead while an Osprey and pair of Bald Eagles fished on the large lake. A Gull-billed Tern was also an unusual find on the lakeside edge, our first bird of the trip, while a single Purple Martin fluttering over the hide was another bird of note. We also saw several reptiles at Sawgrass Lake, with various types of Cooters basking on the bank as well as a Florida Softshell Turtle giving great views as it swam under the bridge as we walked across.

Florida Red-bellied Cooters and Suwannee River Cooter - note the difference in shell size and shape

Wanting to get back to Orlando in good time for our final night’s stay, we enjoyed a quick lunch before heading back on the road, taking the time to remove a number of Fir Tussock Moth caterpillars from the car before starting our journey east.

Fir Tussock Moth caterpillars were everywhere - over the benches, the cars, you name it!

With just the usual birds along the highway – mostly Wood Storks, Grackles, Egrets and a ringtail Northern Harrier flying over the road, we had soon made it to our final hotel in good time, enjoying a last delicious Florida meal in the nearby Lobster restaurant before settling down to a night’s sleep ready for our final day in the Sunshine State and our flight home.