The Big Day

Having recently watched the movie, The Big Year, I was excited to be out with a friend to explore some new birding trails. We headed out early to  a popular spot called Joe Overstreet which is south of St. Cloud and near Kenansville. Early morning fog made the sunrise spectacular. Both sides of the road had pasture land and sod farms. Meadowlarks were spotted on the fence posts, eagles soaring over the trees and sand hill cranes in the pastures. A group of cows came walking over to see why we were so excited about a small, yellow bird. There is something special about being out in the early morning away from the crowds of the city. At the end of the road is Lake Apopka and a boat ramp. Birds were plentiful at the waters edge.
The second stop was Three LakesWildlife Management Area. There seemed to be fewer birds, but we did get to see a pair of Sandhill Cranes with a new baby. I was really hoping  to see Crested Caracaras but didn't see any at the first two birding trails. We were heading back to town when I spotted a pair of caracaras on a telephone pole. I did get one recognizable shot of one of them flying away. One last stop in St. Cloud at the waterfront park where we added a few more species including a limpkin.
It was great fun exploring new areas and trying to see as many species of birds as possible. And it was The Big Day! At least for now.

An Eastern Medowlark posed on the fence post.