WINGING IT

Whether or not you pack your binoculars, bird watching is on the agenda in Central Florida.

WITH OR WIT

HOUT BINOCULARS, BIRD WATCHING IN CENTRAL FLORIDA CAN'T BE MISSED.

Once upon a time, the Florida interior was a wild place, thickly wooded with spring-fed rivers and bass-filled lakes, and the most plentiful inhabitants had wings and feathers.

It was a place where you were more likely to hear the songs of mockingbirds than roller coasters whizzing by and more likely to see alligators in wet-lands rather than embroidered on shirtfronts.

Luckily, such places haven't entirely disappeared, and a trip to Central Florida feels like a journey to a simpler time. For even the most casual bird watcher, it will provide the opportunity to see a multitude of species in a variety of easily accessible habitats.

IN POLK COUNTY'S LAKE District (67 miles southwest of Orlando) bald eagles soar majestically overhead, and stately long-legged waders like herons, egrets and sandhill cranes fish and forage in wetlands and around the impressive 554 lakes. The sight of thousands of white pelicans covering a lake surface like drifting snow mounds is truly awe-inspiring, as is the dizzying dive of a single osprey, catching a wriggling fish in its talons.

Other raptors cruising the skies include species of kites, hawks and falcons. Hot-pink roseate spoonbills cluster at water's edge, while long-necked anhingas and double crested cormorants can be seen drying their wings after underwater fishing expeditions. Eight species of woodpeckers can be heard rat-a-tatting on tree trunks, and the choruses of brightly colored songbirds, such as warblers, tanagers, buntings and flycatchers, fill the air. Nature's clean-up detail is performed by the carrion-eating turkey and black vultures, and even the crested caracara, rare to the rest of the US, is found in these parts.

Bird watching is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the country; according to a 2006 survey by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, it's enjoyed by more than 48 million Americans. Its appeal is universal: Anyone can participate regardless of age; it's mentally stimulating; it involves as much physical exercise as one wants; and the only equipment needed are binoculars and a bird book.

Local bird guru Chuck Geanangel, the Florida editor of Ebird.org, and board member of both the statewide and local Audubon Society chapters, has observed more than 300 species of birds in Polk County since he began keeping track in 1973. "No matter what else is going on in your life," he says, "when you're bird watching, everything can disappear over the horizon and all you're focused on is the bird in front of you. It can be incredibly peaceful, and at the same time embody the excitement of new discoveries."

According to Geanangel, the best public location in Polk County for water birds and bald eagles is the beautiful and serene Circle B Bar Reserve (www.polkcountybirds.com/circlebbar.html) near Lakeland (55 miles from Orlando). This former cattle ranch on the Peace River opened last November and is home to 1,267 acres of marsh, oak hammock (tree-covered high ground) and hard-wood swamp, as well as the 4,500-acre Lake Hancock. The diverse habitat makes the reserve a popular spot for avian life; more than 150 bird species have been documented. Other types of wildlife can be seen from the more than 5 miles of trails, including a large population of alligators.

Another of Geanangel's favorite birding spots is Lake Kissimmee State Park (www.floridastateparks.org/lakekissimmee). With 5,930 acres, the multiuse park is crisscrossed by 13 miles of trails, and is home to Florida's third largest lake. Common sightings in the dry areas include endangered Florida scrub jays, hawks, caracaras, songbirds, turkeys and bobwhites. Lake and picnic areas draw wading birds, ducks and snail kites.

Bird watchers will also have plenty of places to crane their necks in Kissimmee (24 miles from Orlando). Bordered by Lake Russellâ€"one of the last remaining undeveloped lakes in Central Floridaâ€"The Nature Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve (www.nature.org) is home to many rare species, including bald eagles, Florida scrub jays and sandhill cranes.

The lakefront of Lake Tohopekaliga is another birding haven, with white pelicans, wood storks, sandhill cranes, white ibis, blue herons, snowy and great egrets, black skimmers and monk parakeets. And open since January, Kissimmee's Shingle Creek Regional Park is an important wildlife corridor that provides ample opportunity to view birdsâ€"including bald eagles and wood ducksâ€"in their native habitat. Birders can access 1.5 miles of walking trails and boardwalks and a 4-mile paddling trail.

If you would rather let a captain do the work, an airboat tour is the way to go. These powerful machines cover large distances quickly and whisk you into otherwise inaccessible shallow areas. And since Central Florida is practically covered in lakes, there are a variety of outfitters from which to choose.

Boggy Creek Airboat Rides (www.bcairboats.com), based in Kissimmee, offers daily tours every 30 minutes.

You'll see everything from sandhill cranes, bald eagles, blue herons, egrets, wood storks, Osceola turkey, osprey, hawks and snail kites.

Take a ride with Captain Fred's Airboat Nature Tours (www.captfreds.com), based in Lake Wales (54 miles from Orlando), and you may get close enough to touch a purple gallinule. These beautiful iridescent duck-like jewels have been known to approach looking for foodâ€"some are even brave enough to hop up on the airboat. You may even spot eagles roosting in Spanish moss-festooned trees or flying high overhead.

In Central Florida, you don't need to be an avid bird watcher to appreciate its wing-filled skies. You just need to look up.

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Keep an eye out for...

BIRD Great Blue Heron
SIZE 38-54 inches
DESCRIPTION Bluish-gray with long legs; slim S-shaped neck; thick bill; white crown stripe and black plume extends from behind eye to back of neck
HABITAT Calm freshwater and seacoasts
FUN FACTS Although it eats primarily fish, it is adaptable and willing to eat other small amphibians and animals as well.

BIRD Wood Stork
SIZE 33-45 inches
DESCRIPTION Long-legged white bird with long, thick, down-curved bill; black, bald head; white wings with black flight feathers
HABITAT Mostly found in swamps of the Southeastern US
FUN FACTS The wood stork is the only stork breeding in the United States.

BIRD Sandhill Crane
SIZE 47 inches
DESCRIPTION Very large bird with long neck and legs; gray body with distinctive red forehead; white cheek; tufted feathers over rump
HABITAT Breeds in open marshes, bogs, wet grasslands and meadows; feeds in marshes and grain fields
FUN FACTS Breeds at 2 to 7 years old and can live up to 20 years. Mated pairs stay together year round, and migrate south as a group with their offspring.

BIRD Bald Eagle
SIZE 28-38 inches
DESCRIPTION Bird of prey with brown body; white head and tail; large yellow hooked bill; long broad wings (flat while soaring); yellow feet and legs
HABITAT Forested areas near large bodies of water
FUN FACTS Was listed as endangered in most of the US from 1967 to 1995, then upgraded to threatened; went off the list in 2007

BIRD Purple Gallinule
SIZE 14-15 inches
DESCRIPTION Iridescent dark purple head, neck and underside; green back; light blue forehead; red, yellow-tipped triangular bill; yellow legs
HABITAT Freshwater marshes with dense stands of floating vegetation
FUN FACTS Swims on surface of water like a duck and walks on floating plants like a chicken

BIRD Blue-gray gnatcatcher
SIZE 4 inches
DESCRIPTION Tiny songbird with bluish-gray back; white underside, eyering and outer tail feathers; long tail; and small bill
HABITAT Deciduous forests and scrublands
FUN FACTS Constantly in motion, feeds on insects. Very tame bird, will often come to the sound of its call.

BIRD Crested Caracara
SIZE 19-23 inches
DESCRIPTION Long-legged bird of prey with black cap and short crest at back; bare red skin on face; black body; white tail with wide black tip
HABITAT Open country, including pastureland, cultivated areas and semi-desert
FUN FACTS A tropical falcon version of a vulture, it reaches the US only in Arizona, Texas and Florida.