I finished registering at the hotel by 4:30. By 4:40, I was outside with my binoculars and camera. I’d spotted a flock of White Ibises on the lawn as we pulled in the entrance, so that’s where I headed first. Here, in no particular order, are the birds I spotted by the hotel during the three days (and one hour on Monday) that I was there.
White Ibis. The one on the right is a juvenile. The one on the left isn’t quite into its adult plumage. A flock of about 10 were on the grounds constantly, often foraging right next to the sidewalks. They weren’t tame, exactly, but they certainly weren’t afraid of people.
A Wood Stork. This bird was standing along the edge of the pond not more than 10 feet from traffic on a six-lane highway. I walked around to get the photo in good light, and also so it didn’t look like the bird was standing not more than 10 feet from traffic on a six-lane highway. Later in the week, I saw it, or another one, foraging along the edges of the pond. I know there were at least three in the area because early one morning there were two on the pond and a third one flew over. I was pretty happy about this because my only previous sighting of a Wood Stork was a distant look in South Carolina in 1990, thirty years ago.
One of dozens of Palm Warblers that were flitting about every time I went outside.
Pine Warbler
Male Eastern Bluebird
Female Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Northern Mockingbird
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Common Ground-Dove
Male Boat-tailed Grackle. In the late afternoon sun, this is really what he looked like.
Female Anhinga. This bird hung around by the boardwalk behind the convention center all week.
Blue-headed Vireo at Disney Springs
During the three days, I saw 40 species near the hotel. By the end of the week, I had 122 birds on my 2020 list. On January 16!