Wild Life I've Seen in the Park
Or we could just call it the Critter List
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This list isn't meant to be totally inclusive, but just a running list of what I've seen in Lake Seminole Park as I best remember. I'll add to it occasionally, when I feel like it. You could say it's a work in progress. The park is right behind our house (see aerial photo) and has an easy access gate just a short walk away. It's really enjoyable, so I go there a lot. Most of the pictures are links to pages that are much more informative than this page will ever be. A lot of the sounds are from Nature Songs. This is another great place to visit.
I've decided that henceforth, I should date the entries as I put them in. Today is 28-April-2004 and I'm adding one critter - the Ringneck Dove. Where I place these entries is sometimes a problem. If there is a better way to list these (no scientific names - this is hard enough) let me know.
-- Mammals --
Squirrels
We have to start with the mundane. Squirrels. There are probably tens of thousands of them in the park, and I guess, to be fair, you'd have to call them semi-wild. They've been fed so often by so many people that they're starting to act like New York City pigeons. That is to say, vermin. The one pictured here is a fat northern specimen (actually an Eastern Grey Squirrel) compared to the puny ones you see around here. But it's the same thing nonetheless. They're noisy and obnoxious, they get in the way while you're walking or running on the trail, and I bet they're probably not all that good to eat, even in a stew. Oh well, I guess they have to live somewhere. Click on the picture for more information than you could possibly ever need about squirrels. These can be seen in the park all the time, any season, whether you want to or not.
Rabbits
This is a little perplexing to me. Sometimes you can see dozens of rabbits in the park, and other times none at all. I haven't seen any rabbits in months (as of 09-Apr-2004), but I'm sure they'll be back. It probably all comes down to the food chain, and rabbits definitely look like food. So that may be all there is to it. In a few months they'll probably be all over the place, keeping the snakes and hawks busy. If you'd like to annoy PETA, click on the rabbit picture for all the information you will ever need on rabbits.(29-Apr-2004) Saw a rabbit today. First one in a long time. Florida rabbits have, what seems to me, awfully short ears. If they were made to dissipate heat, then it seems like this would be the place to have really big ears. Beats me. I'll keep an eye out for more.
(18-May-2004) By now, I've seen lots of rabbits this year so far. They seem to be coming out of the woodwork. Saw about four or five today alone.
(23-May-2004) It's official. They're swarming. Saw probably 10 of them today.
Here's a picture or two.
Armadillos
Are these things really mammals? Even though they look like poorly designed robotic rabbits, they are actually mammals. Talk about your mammalian diversity. These things are probably in the park all the time, but I haven't seen them very often. They're a little secretive and definitely afraid of humans. However, from the looks of the surrounding highways, they should be just a little bit more afraid of cars. In the park, they're probably aerating the soil and eating nasty bugs, and all sorts of ecologically great things. In my yard, they're tearing it to hell. In South Carolina, armadillos were called possums on a half shell. The shell, it turns out, is way too hard for a BB gun.
Possums or Opossums
Added 27-Jun-2004. Well, it took long enough but I finally saw a possum in the park. Two actually. They were near the south pond early in the morning, about 8 A.M. They seemed surprised to see me. One was kind of puny the other was pretty big. I think they were scrounging for dead fish near the bank before I came along. These are pretty gross looking animals if you ask me, which, of course, nobody did. Eventually they both waddled off into the very thick woods there at the south pond. They're the only marsupials (pouched mammals, like kangaroos) in North America. Aren't we lucky. I'm assuming there are a huge number of these things in the park, but they're mostly nocturnal, so luckily we don't have to actually look at them much.Raccoons
Added 19-Aug-2004Click here for a larger image. These are normally nocturnal animals so I hadn't seen one in the park before today. The one I saw was in the stream connecting the round pond to the south pond. It looked like it was chasing a fish. It ran off when it noticed me.
-- Birds --
(Look here for Univ. of Florida Freshwater Birds info)
Diving Birds --
Anhinga
These are called Snake Birds for their appearance while in the water. They don't have oily feathers like ducks or geese, so they have to dry their wings like the one in the picture is doing (click the picture or here for a larger image). When they're in the water, they tend to sink. All that remains out of the water is the head and neck, which can at times look surprisingly like a snake. These birds are great swimmers and fishermen. It's easy to see them snag a fish and then toss it down like a shot. These birds are always visible somewhere in the park, either in a pond or in trees or shrubs near a pond drying their wings. They look a little like cormorants (water squirrels) but the cormorant's beak is slightly hooked at the end.
Belted Kingfisher
You can often see these watching a pond from the trees. Many times you can see them actually catch a small fish.Cormorant (Double Crested, of course)
To many, the Cormorant looks like the Anhinga. Cormorants will fish (swim) in fresh and salt water. As far as I know, Anhingas stick to fresh water. Cormorants are bigger, blacker and have bills that are curved down at the end. Anhinga bills are pointed. Both have to dry their feathers since they lack the normal water fowl oils. And of course, there are the just barely visable double crests. They're probably eyebrows. Some cormorant info is here & here.
Misc. Birds --
Monk Parrot
![[WAV]](../../../icons/sound1.gif){kind=icon}
(.wav) Added 28-May-2004These boistrous green parrots (also known as Quaker Parrots) are flying over, in, and around the park continuously. They are natives of South America, but have adapted quite well to living in sunny Florida. As the link will show, they're quite well adapted to living anywhere on the eastern seaboard of the U.S.A. As I understand it, the U.S. Monk Parrot population is composed entirely of the progeny of escaped or freed pets. Where they get the hats is anybody's guess. They construct huge nest/condominiums and are actually Avian Socialists.
Ducks & such --
This turns out to be something of a problem. For years I thought I knew the difference between a female Mallard and a Black Duck. Well, until I got to Florida, that was probably true. However, in Florida, there is what's called the Mottled Duck. They really look a lot like something in between Black Ducks & female Mallards. So now, June the 4th 2005, I'm adding a yet another page to hopefully enable one to differentiate between these three very similar ducks.Ducks
(.wav)Lots of ducks of course. No shocker there! Mouse over for their names. More pictures here. To get an explaination of how to tell the difference between female Mallards and Black Ducks, see here.
Raptors --
Bald Eagle
Got this one on 30-Apr-2006 over the lake. A really big awsome bird. I'm trying to get a better picture.
Osprey
(.wav)You can frequently see these either soaring overhead or resting in the tree tops. A pretty majestic bird. Once in a while you can see them flying off with a fish in their talons.
Red Shouldered Hawk
Saw these guys on 26-Feb-2005 near the Big Pond. Quite an impressive show.Red Tailed Hawk
I've seen this bird fairly often. Always near the lake, always in a tree, usually a dead tree. It's usually too far away to get a good picture of it.Gulls --
There seem to be only two kinds of gulls in the park...The Laughing Gull has black feet, the Ring Billed Gull has yellow feet.
The plummage changes throughout the year.
Laughing Gull
(.wav) (Added 19-May-2004)
Laughing GullRing Billed Gull
Ring Billed Gull
Gull Gang
Gang of Gulls
Waders - Herons, Egrets, Ibis and like that --
Common Gallinule (Moorhen)
These birds are fairly common (get it?). There are tons of them in the park. They make a fairly big noise for a little hen-like bird. There are Purple Gallinules also but not here in the park as far as I've seen. They are much more colorful. The Common Gallinule is a fairly gregarious bird, frequently seen with six or more nearby. They're supposed to have quite elaborate nests but I've never seen one in the park. We call them galoots. They have beaks strangely reminiscent of halloween candy.
Great Blue Heron
(.wav)What an absolutely great, majestic bird this is. There are quite a few in the park for most of the year. They build nests high in tree tops out of some pretty big sticks. You can always tell where the nests are by looking at the ground under them. The hang their butts out over the edge and let fly. Messing the nest apparently isn't an option. The huge wingspan (maybe as much as six feet) allows them to soar and glide with the best of them. They usually feed along a shoreline by grabbing fish with their beaks. Also seen occasionally is the variation Great White Heron, which is only found in this immediate area. It's always a huge pleasure to see these birds. See more pictures here.
Great Egret
(.wav)Another pretty and very majestic bird. These are really great stalkers. Hugely patient, they'll wait for almost ever and then grab a fish or some other thing. Frog, snake or even bacon right off your fork. They don't seem to care at all about humans. See lots more pictures here.
Snowy Egret
Lots of these things. "Golden Slippers" for the gold colored feet at the ends of their black legs. You'd think they'd get waterlogged. There's more pictures here.
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
I'm watching Yellow Crowned Night Herons nesting not far from the round pond. They're in a pine tree that overhangs a road, about 15-18 feet off the ground. I'm kind of surprised at how small the nest is. The birds are fairly big, about two feet or so. Neat watching them. As of 31-May, they're still sitting on eggs.Misc. Herons
Actually all egrets are herons. Here are a few that are fairly easy to find in the park. Click on the pictures to see a bigger one. These are really nice birds, and really just a small sample of what's in the park.
Green Heron 
Little Blue Heron
Black Crowned Night Heron (Added 29-May-2004) 
Tri-Colored Heron (Added 31-May-2004) See a great bunch of pictures and thorough explanations here.
White Ibis
(.wav)Now here's a small but very regal bird. They are usually found on the edges of ponds looking for something to eat. They stalk and stalk and then grab some wayward fish or bug or whatever. Their long, curved beaks are well suited for this kind of feeding. They seem to be mostly solitary birds, but occasionally there are a few of them together. I haven't heard them make any noise, but I could be mistaken. There is, after all, a sound file.
Wood Stork
See a bigger picture.
Added 10-Jul-2004. First time I saw one in the park today. Wading in about 3-4 inches of water near where the throngs of ducks beg for food. I hadn't known they were on the endangered list until today.
Added 16-Feb-2005: Hard to imagine these are "endangered". In the park, I frequently see big bunches of these at a single time. Like this. They're frequently seen along roads feeding in retention ponds. Here's a lot more pictures.
Woodpeckers --
Pileated Woodpecker
(.wav)These things look and sound a lot like Woody Woodpecker. You really don't see them all that often but I know they're here because I can hear them. These are really big woodpeckers, maybe 15-18 inches long. Here's a really nice description of them.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
(Added 01-May-2004) These don't look a lot like Woody Woodpecker. These are fairly big woodpeckers (about 10 inches), but not nearly as big as the pileated. (Added 05-May-2004) Saw two fly across the round pond and land in a tree next to me. Very chatty.Song Birds --
Blue Jays
There are a bunch of these in the park all the time. It's probably the most common bird in the park. If you ever can't see one, you can certainly hear one. Not that easy to get a good picture of though. Clicking on the picture will take you to a very interesting site on Florida birds.Boattail Grackle
(.wav)Loads of these things. The females look pretty much the same except they're more brown in color. They have a great, loud, and continuous song. The travel in big flocks around the park most of the year. In the early morning they're especially boisterous. They're in the trees and on the ground and generally seem very happy to be here in the park. Who wouldn't be?
Mockingbird
added 10-Jul-2004. Florida's state bird! And I never even put it on the site! There are loads of these things in the park and everywhere else. Noisy things, but they can sound like almost anything. If I don't recognize the sound I assume it's a mockingbird.Mourning Dove
(.wav)They kinda sound like sad owls, but they're just fancy pigeons. They're very timid so it's pretty tough to get a good picture. (I don't have one.)
Red-Winged Blackbird
(.wav)Lots of these around. They're quite gregarious, often seen in large flocks. Noisy but it's a pleasant sound.
Ringneck Dove
(.wav) Added 28-Apr-2004Another fancy pigeon. It looks a lot like a Mourning Dove except, guess what? It has a ring not quite around it's neck. How do they think of these names! I think they sound pretty much the same as mourning doves so the sound you hear here is the same one. Here's a "history" of ringneck doves, if you can believe it. Good grief. Magicians use them! They're fancy pigeons!
-- Reptiles & Amphibians --
Alligators --
These guys are all over the place, too. Not quite like vermin, but close. The gator on the left is normally the way you can see them in the park, although sometimes they're out of the water basking right where you want to walk. It pays to keep an eye out. They're really all over the park. See the pictures here. The one on the right is a young one. While they're young and still have the yellow stripes, the mother is taking good care of them. Just today (09-Apr-2004) I saw a mother gator with three young on her head and back (see the KLOG for further updates), just lolling in a pond three feet from shore. It was the same one I wrote about earlier in a thought. Those three young guys are the most protected animals in the park. Would you feel like taking one of the little guys from the mother's head? Probably not. Me either. You can start seeing alligators in the park in early March and then continue to see them all the way to November. Rumor has it they're in holes in the mud for the winter. Who knows what to believe. (02-May-2004) Found another Gator today in the pond with the bottle brush plants. It's a fairly small guy, about 3 feet long. I'll have to keep an eye out for him.
(23-May-2004) Found another Gator today in the south pond. It's about 5 feet long. I'll have to keep an eye out for him, too.
Turtles & Things Like That--
Yellow Bellied Turtle 
Eastern Painted Turtle 
Florida Box Turtle 
Florida Cooter 
Florida Gopher Tortoise 
Red Eared Turtle 
Soft Shelled Turtle There are probably many other types as well, but you seldom get to see much more than their heads. Here's some more pictures
Frogs & Toads --
(.wav)Listen here for a nice symphony of frogs. Bullfrogs? I don't really know if there are any bullfrogs in the park, but there are approximately a billion frogs (give or take 50 or so) of one sort or another in the park. They keep the heron population well fed and the bug population nervous. These are both good things.
Anoles
If ever there was an application for the term "ubiquitous", this would be it. These things (Brown Anoles) are everywhere, and that's not an exaggeration at all. The green anole is the only native anole to Florida, but I've never seen one (see the note below!!). The Brown Anole is literally everywhere, and they're imported illegal aliens. Nobody can know for sure why there are so many of them, but they certainly have flourished here in central Florida. They probably perform the useful function of eating tons of insects a day. They're not at all annoying, but sometimes one would wish them out of one's house.Note: Finally saw a Green Anole on 01-May-2006. Saw it at the Florida Botanical Gardens. Tried to get a picture, but alas... no such luck!
Snakes --
Here's some useful information on Florida's snakes.
Yellow Rat Snake. The juvenile (the upside down one), shown at the right, looks almost exactly like the one in a thought I had.
Black King Snake. Don't see these that often, but they're in there. Saw this one on the Shell Path on 16-Jan-2005.
Black Racer Snake. You see these quite a bit. They're fairly fast (duh) and can be kinda big. I've seen them at about four feet long. More info here. See an AVI from in the park on the trail here.
. Only saw this guy once (01-Apr-2005), so I know they're here.
Or maybe they're Eastern Indigo Snakes. Beats me.Read about them and see other pictures here.
-- Bugs --
Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver
I wasn't going to include bugs & such, but this thing is so different, I had to include it. It's a spider, and they are really quite common here. We get them in our pool area all the time. The one I saw in the park was about 3/8 inch or so. They're easy to find because of the spectacular webs they make like this, and this, and this, and this.
Damselflies & Dragonflies
These are all over the place, but getting pictures of them is pretty tough. They don't like to stay in one place for very long. However, there are a few pictures here and here. I'll keep working on it.
-- Miscellaneous --
Blue Crab
It's hard to imagine, but there are blue crabs for sure in the round pond and allegedly in the canal near the spillway. There are frequently people crabbing here in the park in both places. I've seen them in the round pond, but not yet by the spillway. It's not salt or brackish water. Never heard of this until I saw it here. Have a look in the bucket at the day's catch.
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