The Birds of Caribe Royale

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!

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