If you're looking for a fun, car-birding/minimal walking experience, this is it. Joe Overstreet Rd. can be as rewarding as the landing itself. As you drive down the 5.4-mile road, look carefully in the pastures on either side for Whooping Cranes. These cranes are part of a former reintroduction project led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish a nonmigratory flock.
Situated on the north end of Lake Tohopekaliga (known to most as Lake Toho), this narrow, shoreline park offers great birding for beginners, families and anyone seeking two of Florida's "must have" specialty birds. Two jetties, three fishing piers and a nearly 1-mile paved sidewalk along Lakeshore Blvd. give outstanding viewing opportunities for Snail Kites, Limpkins, Wood Storks and river otters.
A spectacular birding and wildlife watching experience awaits you at this immense state park (one of Florida's largest), which protects one of the last remaining examples of dry prairie in the state. In addition, wet prairie, freshwater marshes, oak and sabal palm hammocks, pine flatwoods, swamps and riparian habitats make this an incredibly diverse site. The park is home to such specialties as Crested Caracara, White-tailed Kite, Florida Scrub-Jay and Florida Burrowing Owl.
Lake Kissimmee State Park's flatwoods, floodplain marshes, scrub, hardwood hammocks, lakes and waterways teem with birdlife. Come prepared to hike, and bring water, a hat and lunch. The park has 13 miles of hiking/biking trails and 6 miles of equestrian trails.
Encompassing scrub, flatwoods, wet prairie and freshwater swamp, this county preserve is part of the Lake Mary Jane – Upper Econ Mosaic, a regional Important Bird Area designated by the National Audubon Society. There are 14 miles of trails to wander, so pick up a map at the entrance to the property or at the County Zoning Department in Kissimmee.
This remarkable island conservation area on upper Lake "Toho" is only accessible by boat. From Kissimmee Lakefront Park, the island can be reached in approximately 20 minutes by motorboat or roughly one hour by canoe/kayak. Getting there is half the fun!
Acquired in 1994 as mitigation for development in Central Florida, this wild property was purchased to protect upland habitats crucial for gopher tortoises. Birding this site requires some time and hiking; there are more than nine miles of trails here.
A unique partnership between the Walt Disney Corporation and The Nature Conservancy resulted in the creation of this preserve. Required to pay mitigation credits for developments near Lake Buena Vista, Disney's dollars went towards the purchase and management of this magnificent tract of land. The Nature Conservancy constructed an excellent Conservation Learning Center on-site, along with 2.5 miles of trails for hiking.
Named for Lakes Kissimmee, Jackson and Marian, Three Lakes WMA has long been a favorite destination for hunters as well as birders. This site supports over 150 species of birds and protects a significant portion of the Kissimmee Prairie, one of the largest remaining dry prairies in the U.S. Other major habitats include longleaf pine flatwoods, cypress domes/strands, live oak hammocks and freshwater marshes.
If you’re looking for a fun, car-birding/minimal walking experience, this is it. Joe Overstreet Rd. can be as rewarding as the landing itself. As you drive down the 5.4-mile road, look carefully in the pastures on either side for Whooping Cranes. These cranes are part of a former reintroduction project led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish a nonmigratory flock.
Situated on the north end of Lake Tohopekaliga (known to most as Lake Toho), this narrow, shoreline park offers great birding for beginners, families and anyone seeking two of Florida’s “must have” specialty birds. Two jetties, three fishing piers and a nearly 1-mile paved sidewalk along Lakeshore Blvd. give outstanding viewing opportunities for Snail Kites, Limpkins, Wood Storks and river otters.
A spectacular birding and wildlife watching experience awaits you at this immense state park (one of Florida’s largest), which protects one of the last remaining examples of dry prairie in the state. In addition, wet prairie, freshwater marshes, oak and sabal palm hammocks, pine flatwoods, swamps and riparian habitats make this an incredibly diverse site. The park is home to such specialties as Crested Caracara, White-tailed Kite, Florida Scrub-Jay and Florida Burrowing Owl.
Lake Kissimmee State Park’s flatwoods, floodplain marshes, scrub, hardwood hammocks, lakes and waterways teem with birdlife. Come prepared to hike, and bring water, a hat and lunch. The park has 13 miles of hiking/biking trails and 6 miles of equestrian trails.
Encompassing scrub, flatwoods, wet prairie and freshwater swamp, this county preserve is part of the Lake Mary Jane – Upper Econ Mosaic, a regional Important Bird Area designated by the National Audubon Society. There are 14 miles of trails to wander, so pick up a map at the entrance to the property or at the County Zoning Department in Kissimmee.
This remarkable island conservation area on upper Lake “Toho” is only accessible by boat. From Kissimmee Lakefront Park, the island can be reached in approximately 20 minutes by motorboat or roughly one hour by canoe/kayak. Getting there is half the fun!
Acquired in 1994 as mitigation for development in Central Florida, this wild property was purchased to protect upland habitats crucial for gopher tortoises. Birding this site requires some time and hiking; there are more than nine miles of trails here.
A unique partnership between the Walt Disney Corporation and The Nature Conservancy resulted in the creation of this preserve. Required to pay mitigation credits for developments near Lake Buena Vista, Disney’s dollars went towards the purchase and management of this magnificent tract of land. The Nature Conservancy constructed an excellent Conservation Learning Center on-site, along with 2.5 miles of trails for hiking.
Named for Lakes Kissimmee, Jackson and Marian, Three Lakes WMA has long been a favorite destination for hunters as well as birders. This site supports over 150 species of birds and protects a significant portion of the Kissimmee Prairie, one of the largest remaining dry prairies in the U.S. Other major habitats include longleaf pine flatwoods, cypress domes/strands, live oak hammocks and freshwater marshes.
The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a network of more than 500 premier wildlife viewing sites across the state. When you want to know where to go in Florida to see native birds, butterflies and more, head for the Trail.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Russell Office Park
1875 Orange Ave. East
Tallahassee, FL 32311