Lake Toho
Standing on the pier, I spotted the large bird sitting on a tree on the shore. It looked like a bird of prey. But it was too far to see it in detail, so I turned my attention to places closer. A grey heron stood at the end of the pier, while a black grackle, similar to our drongo (fingey), flew back and forth searching for insects over the water. I turned to look at the faraway bird but it had moved. Moments later it landed on a pole in the water, perhaps twenty feet from me. It was a dark-brown snail kite, a predator and an endangered species.
Using the pole as a base, it hunted. It scanned the water, then flew out and dived, coming up with a round object, perhaps three inches in diameter, in its talons. The pole was too small for it to eat the large apple snail. It needed a spacious perch, so it sat on the fence and went to work on the snail, finishing it in two or three minutes. Leaving the empty shell behind, it returned to the hunt.
The snail kite was one of many birds I saw when I visited the shore of Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho for short) in Florida last July. The lake covers 32 square miles; its circumference is 42 miles. On its northern shore is the town of Kissimmee, half an hour south of Orlando.
Kissimmee has developed the lakefront as a recreational spot, including a mile-long walking trail along the lake and a boating marina. Sports fishermen launched their boats from this marina to go fishing in the lake. There was a park, a children's playground and benches to sit on and watch the birds on the water.
Florida has 331 bird species, including many species we see in Bangladesh. As I walked along Lake Toho I saw several familiar birds. Egrets (bok) were abundant. However, pond herons (kani boga) that are ubiquitous here were missing. Instead, there were small, white snowy egrets. Some birds that I find shy here were friendlier, including small green herons. In the sky, several ospreys (machmural) flew scanning the water for fish. Ospreys arrive in our haors and Sundarban in winter. On the lake, common moorhens (panimurgi) swam while foraging for food. They can be found year-round in our wetlands.
The limpkin, a large brown bird with white streaks and a long beak that spends its time wading on the shore, was plentiful. In Lake Toho they were friendly, allowing me up close. We have no limpkins.
The anhingas were a pleasant surprise. They are closely related to our darter (shap-pakhi), which uses its sleek long neck and sharp beak to impale underwater fish. The Florida anhingas are the New World anhingas, a different species than ours. They were sunning themselves by spreading their wings. Surprisingly, their necks had a thick padding of feather and not as sleek as our darters.
I saw all this during two short visits in the low season. I can imagine how rich Lake Toho will be during peak birding season in April and May!
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