Well it's winter time, while you may have notice a change in the weather and an overall change in the look of the landscape, you may not have noticed some of our wild winter visitors. During this time of the year we have all sorts of seasonal visitors of a feathery sort.

Of course I mean birds! During the winter time, when it's really cold up north, some of the birds migrate south to warmer locations. Some of the birds stop here in Central Florida, while others like to go further south for the real warm weather. Some birds even travel as far as Central America for their fall migration. In the late fall, and again on their return trip in the spring, one can spot some of the migratory birds such as the American Redstart which winters further south.

Some of the migrating birds that actually spend their winters here in Central Florida include the Catbird, American Goldfinch, Phoebe, and the Cedar Wax Wing.

During the migratory season, try to observe these winter visitors through different methods. One way is to create a bird feeding station, as described below. Other methods include using binoculars to see if you can see them feeding at tree tops. Some birders use a method called "pishing". This method uses a series of pishing type sounds or you can even make squeaking sounds by kissing the back of your hand. Try these different methods to see how many visitors you can spot!