Where to begin?  Begin at the beginning. 
Lust Rd entrance to Apopka is always hopping. Some of the best are usually there. And so were 15 of some of the best birders of Citrus County Audubon. We got the    Ash-throated Flycatcher that has been seen in this area for quite some time.  

But the most exciting was seeing the White-crowned Sparrows. They blended so well with their surroundings which made them very difficult to see. As I said, some of the best birders were present and keen eyes brought them out. Thanks Mike.

This image of  Wilson's Snipe and American Coot gives a very real visualization of just how small one is compared to the other. A snipe not very often will remain still when spotted as this one did..  

Great Blue Heron and Anhinga nests were seen along the 11 mile ride.  This dark male Anhinga was encouraging the female to let him take over the job, giving his mate a break.. She finally agreed after some encouragement and he slid into her place. The day was very productive with  a total of 52 species. Then it was off to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch.  The list of 52 can be seen at this eBird link.  
Top photo by Tom Gulley
Bottom 3 by Fred Hileman
​

Seventeen eager birders arrived at the entrance to Emeralda Marsh on the first day open to car traffic in 3 years. It has been tremendously upgraded.  There are more open waters to view birds than ever before.  This has always been one of my favorite spots to bird and I am even more excited about it.  Ducks were not in any quantity as the hunting season had ended and the ducks have moved on.The water birds were readily observable. Hawks, Northern Harrier, trilogy of woodpeckers and Sapsucker, 6 species of warbler, Kinglets, Gnatcatchers were busy feeding or looking for food. American Goldfinches were in abundance in the Sweet Gum trees.  The list of 61 species is here.

After enjoying a well deserved lunch at Ramshackle Cafe, the group went to Venetian Gardens in Leesburg to see Purple Gallinules up close.  Some of the group had a life bird from this visit.

7 birders ventured out to check out Ocklawaha Prairie, but it was not a go.  Tom & I went directly to the destination while some met at the gas station as planned.  The entrance to the area was blocked off.  There had been a recent burn in addition to water covering the road.  The back up plan was Carney which is in the near vicinity.  And I must say not a bad choice. We found several areas where there were trees alive with birds. Warblers were in good supply, Orange-crowned, Black and white, Palm, Pine, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-throated and first of the season Northern Parula. Downy, Red-bellied, Pileated  woodpeckers with Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Wild Turkeys, Canada Geese, with Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in abundance.  The day was perfect with a well deserved lunch at Gator Joe's to end the day.  We had a total of 55 species which can be viewed at this eBird link

​Fifteen Audubon Birders joined us for a wonderful Monday afternoon at the Orlando
Wetlands Park.  The OWP provided us with a Tram and a knowledgeable driver which 
was enjoyed by 9 folks and allowed some to complete the 2 1/2 mile birding loop.  We
tallied 46 species, including Brown Thrush, Bald Eagle, King Rail (H), Limpkin, many 
Purple Gallinule, Red-tailed Hawk, Sora, Barred Owl (H), Black-Crowned and Yellow-crowned
Night Herons, and ~60 Roseate Spoonbills.

​I think for most, the highlight was the Wood Stork and Night Heron Rookery that was
seen from the Oyler Overlook.  Well over a 100 Wood Storks were viewed many carrying
nesting material, along with at least 10 Night Herons!  The list is here
 
On Tuesday, we rendezvoused at the Parrish Beach Park, along with 100s of Falcon Heavy
Watchers!  We completed our normal route at the W. Gator Creek Rd. Cove and Black Point
Drive and picked up 54 species, including C. Loon, Horned Grebe, A. Bittern, Sora, Bald Eagle,
5 Duck species, Roseate Spoonbill, 3 Tern species, and some nearly full-up breeding Reddish
Egrets doing their "drunken sailor" dance. 
 
We decided to evacuate MINWR and go inland for lunch and then visit the Chain of Lakes Park
to watch the Falcon Heavy Launch.  Due to the Launch slip to 3:45, we were able to do some
more birding and picked up 6 more species, including  Mottled Duck and Pileated Woodpecker.  
So in all, 60 species were tallied for the day plus one impressive Heavy Falcon which made the
end of the Launch Window at 3:45!  The list is here
 
                What a great 2 days of birding and Launch, Jim & Eileen

Top Photo and bottom right by Thomas Gulley.  The launch photo by Jim Meyer