Taylor Creek Storm Water Treatment Center, Okeechobee, FL
(Taylor Creek Storm Water Management Center – Part 1 of 5)
Although I am still capturing birds daily within our campground, I also ventured 11 miles north to Taylor Creek Storm Water Treatment Center two separate days. I’d have gone here every day if I could!!
I had researched possible birding sites before arriving here; and of all places to easily find this gem location, I found it on Trip Advisor. Since then, I’ve found enough information to know that many of Florida’s Storm Water Treatment Centers offer a haven for oodles of birds. Whether it’s a “safe” haven or not, I’ll discuss that next post. 😲
Taylor Creek’s SWTC offers approximately three miles of walking/biking trails throughout. On my first visit, I meandered the top half of below’s map in the late afternoon for 2 1/2 hours.
The first day, I was greeted by a few curious cattle at the fence boundary in the parking lot…..
I couldn’t help but take a few photos of them.
Here are some photos of the map’s top area the first day.
It is a beautiful place and bird ops were galore. I even picked up a few more new lifers.
Here’s a series of the variety from the first day….
White Ibis
White Ibis
White Ibis in flight
Green Heron
Green Heron
Mottled Ducks (another new lifer!)
Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Common Moorhen (another new lifer!)
Common Moorhen
Purple Gallinules (another new lifer!)
Wood Storks
Wood Stork
Savannah Sparrow (another new lifer!)
Savannah Sparrow
Juvenile Little Blue Heron (another new lifer!)
Great Egret
Wait until you see what else was living and eating at Taylor Creek Storm Water Management Center. Scary!!
Enjoy your weekend!
Photos by Donna 
I’ve never figured out why it’s called a “Green” Heron. Looks brown to me.
Years ago, Audubon called it “Green-backed Heron”, it was then changed to just “Green Heron”. With the dark rusty chest, the green is so deep and dark, it almost looks charcoal gray sometimes. “Green-backed” at least was more clearer as to why it’s a Green Heron! lol 🙂
Congratulations on all the lifers, and done in fine style with excellent photos of all of them! It looks like you’ve found a great spot for birding, I hope that you can fit a few more trips in before you return home.
Being smack dab in the middle of Florida, there’s not so much to do (unless you’re up around Orlando) so I was thrilled with this place, I’ll be posting more on my day two (with more lifers!). I am going to try to get there at least one more time….but I’ve worn out my hubby with birding, lol. 😉
How wonderful Donna to find so many lifers in the one place. Sewerage treatment plants are becoming very popular birding places over here also. Your green heron, does not look very green, but looks similar to our Mangrove Heron or Striated Heron which is blue colour. People ask where are the striations on our one, and I say that’s why I call it’s original Mangrove Heron name. Names can be misleading, it all depends on that first person who named them, what they thought they saw. Thanks for sharing a great post, I can sense your excitement:-)
Thank goodness the area doesn’t smell! lol This one is so nice because you don’t have to walk very far to cover the entire area, and birds were practically every few yards. At home, my mouth waters for the egrets and herons, here they are a ‘dime-a-dozen’! I’m sure people here take them for granted but I can’t stop snapping one more photo. 🙂 Looking forward to your new lifers too!
okay…I am officially adding this area to my must see list!
Talk Mom and Dad into camping at Silver Palms….then you can visit them AND go birding here! 🙂
Oh my gosh I’m so glad you posted all these wonderful photos! I can’t get over the cows! And the birds in flight, or getting ready to fly…..those really grabbed me as well. I hope I get some art time this weekend. Thank you so much, Donna!
The cows were funny, I couldn’t help but photograph them. 🙂 Taylor Creek is awesome, it’ll take me 4-5 posts to share all that I want to! Have a great art-time weekend, Laura! I sent some warm temps up your way!! 😉
Yes, and we’ve got them! Thanks! These photos have spawned 4 pieces of artwork so far 😉 Bless you!
Wow, I am excited, Laura!!! 🙂
Haha I wonder if you will still be once you see them 😬 as they’re a bit…..loose and expressive and yes, abstract! I’m so glad for your photos. 💜
Beautiful shots at another great FL location. The Purple Gallinules are a great find. The Black ducks are likely Mottled Ducks, more common down here. Thanks for sharing.
I really was torn on IDing the ducks. I already have a Black duck on my lifer list from Maryland, but I just wasn’t positive I’d found a Mottled duck. I did review my next day’s photos tonight of the pair and found a blue patch on one of the wings, that would have helped me for the day before. I sincerely thank you for helping me with this, this gave me another lifer! 🙂
Oh wow! What a neat selection of birds….everything from ugly Wood Storks (sorry, they just really are odd looking) to blue-green eyed Cormorant. Beautiful Moorhen and Black Duck – well, they are all amazing. I know you are having a wonderful time and I appreciate you taking me with you! hugs
I’m drowning in photos, lol! 🙂 It’s going to take me another 3-4 posts to share the rest of my birds for Taylor Creek’s 2-day visit. What a place to bird!!!!!! hugs
I must say that ‘Taylor Creek Storm Water Management Center’ doesn’t sound to me at all like a place that would be a wildlife haven but it shows how wrong I can be. What a good place for a visit and what good use you made of it. The cows were thinking, “A bit more grass? Hmm, I think so.”
You would love cycling around this area! There were quite a few cyclists, some lapping me a few times just because it’s only three miles total of all the trails. I am truly amazed and so happy I discovered this gem location. The cows wondered what the heck is this lady doing talking to us? 😉 Yes, I did talk to them!
Beautiful photographs. How wonderful for you to see all these birds. I love the Ibis’ blue eyes and the cormorant’s emerald green.
Thanks, Ingrid. I had no idea birds had all these colorful eyes until a few years ago. It’s not just the feathers that can be colorful! 🙂
Pingback: Double-Crested Cormorant (#47): 100 Face Challenge | Create art everyday
Beautiful bird photos! WOW! I especially like your last one of the Great Egret!!
Thank you very much, Jill, for your comments and stopping by! That Great Egret came flying right past me from nowhere, I almost missed him! 🙂
Pingback: Cormorant, Take Two (#48): 100 Face Challenge | Create art everyday
WOW! Wonderful again, Laura! I cannot pick which one I love the most, they are both beautiful! I even copied both to be able to put side by side on my screen, and I still can’t nor can hubby, who is quickly becoming a fan of yours too, he is amazed at your talent! Many do not see the beauty in the simple DC Cormorant, but obviously you did. Well done again, you got those eye captures!! WooHoo! ❤ ❤ ❤
Lovely golden sun make these shots even more beautiful. I can’t get over how stunning the black cows are – so glad you included them ;)!
Great eye on the lighting! I went late afternoon, and most areas worked well with the sun’s direction. The cows must have thought I was going to feed them, next thing I know, several more out in the field started high-tailing it to the fence. I took a couple dozen shots easily, they were so cute! 🙂
Pingback: Hey, You! Wanna Moo? (#49): 100 Face Challenge | Create art everyday
Awesome in flight shot of the White Ibis! That would be a “lifer” for me, along with the Wood Storks. I’ve only seen those two in controlled conditions.
We have several water treatment plants comme nature parks that are great places to bird here too.
I really do need to get to FL just once for birding!
I’m wondering if it’s the time of year with breeding season is why I’ve been so lucky. Maybe? Anyhoo, it’s been quite the stress-reliever for me, which I needed! 🙂
Well, it is high season for migrating birds that winter down there. I wonder if they won’t be starting to head north again soon? We’re seeing signs of that already with the Sandhill Cranes.
These treatment plants are fantastic! I am lucky to have 3 of them close by. I love visiting them.
You are so lucky! For me, Taylor Creek was like going to the candy store and getting all kinds of varieties and flavors, for free! 🙂 I will definitely research locations of these treatment plants in correlation to campgrounds in future reservations.