Birders,
The first real fervor I had for birds came of a trip to Sanibel, Captiva
and Ding Sanctuary in 1975. This area is going to be very rich for anyone
who wants to see variety. With the juxtaposition of mangrove swamp with its
fresh and the gulf with salt, you have lots to enjoy here. Ding Sanctuary
has observation towers and if you are fortunate to see many weather changes,
you will be treated to visual delights when the storm approaches the stands
of birds. We enjoyed our first frigate bird displays here. I recommend
devoting time to Ding Sanctuary, never having been to Merritt Island.
If you get the Orlando on the south side of International Drive, go to
the Peabody Hotel. they have not only a duck ritual indoors at tea time, but
in the marsh out back, in the midst of the construction of the new Orange
County Convention Center, you will be face to face with sandhill cranes.
There is a small round pond and trail and you won't even need binocs to see
them. Tremendous. There is also a lake in Kissimmee where you can find
several of them most of the year. (Name is long- I can never remember
it...and my mother lives on the marsh side, too!)
The climate and the bugs aside, there is no place like it.
Ellen O'Donohue
kelpgull@xxxxxxx
Vienna VA
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