Armed with Brian Rapoza's Birding Florida, I carefully planned my route through the backroads around the lake. I had a few selected stopping points but mostly I pulled over and stopped when something caught my eye. For example, this flycatcher (great-crested, I assume, though the yellow on its belly is awfully pale). It was the kind of drive where I would deliberately slow down when I saw cattle to see if I could spot cattle egrets (yes!). Many soaring birds, mostly vultures, but some more interesting, such as the otherworldly swallow-tail kite (couldn't get a photo).
And this one was a total accident. I pulled over to take a photo of a kingbird, looked behind me, and there was a pair of Florida scrub jays--the bird you HAVE to see when you are in the area because they don't live anywhere else.
Also of interest--perching vultures. Up north we mostly see them flying. Down south, there are more opportunities for eye-level experiences.
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