This was most definitely a family holiday & I was made to leave my 500mm telephoto lens, teleconverters & tripod at home! The holday was really for our kids comprising of fast-food & theme parks till we dropped!!!!

I was given special dispensation to go out birding for only one & half days. The full day trip was to be to Merritt Island but sadly I learned the evening before the trip that the refuge was closed for security reasons due to an impending Shuttle flight (which subsequently never happened!!). I was subsequently co-erced into visiting Gatorland instead. I can't say I was too happy about this option, however all was not lost as there was a mixed-species heron rookery in the wooded marshes behind Gatorland. Access was possible along a wooded boardwalk & the birds proved quite tolerant.

The half-day trip involved an early start. I left everyone in bed & headed off down to the Three Lakes area from our villa in Kissimmee. Unfortunately the curse of the Rainbirder descended & it rained for most of the morning! I also learned a salutary lesson: IN A HOT & HUMID CLIMATE DON'T KEEP YOUR CAMERA GEAR IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED CAR -yes I was nice & cool for the drive down but on leaving the car with my gear everything misted up -it took 2 hours to clear & I missed getting some good images as a result.