Q: I will be visiting my friend in the middle of March, and she read about a fantastic birding place near St. Cloud. It was in an Audubon newspaper and was called Three Lakes Prairie -- Canoe Creek Road, Joe Overstreet Landing. Do you know where I could obtain a map to this particular area? My friend and I have already been to many of the noted birding areas, including Sanibel Island, Merritt Island and the Dry Tortugas (all fabulous). We looking for someplace new and hope you can help. -- Carol K. (Hamburg, New York)

A: That's a great question, Carol. It's great to discover new places.

You may have read about the Prairie Lakes unit of the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, owned by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. And you're right about it being great for birding. According to the FWC, it has the greatest number of bald eagle nests in the continental United States, and you can also see hawks, burrowing owls, wild turkeys, red-cockaded woodpeckers, sandhill cranes, whooping cranes, northern bobwhites and crested caracaras. It's very "natural" in this part of Florida, so the birds (and other animals) love it.

The FWC has an excellent online guide to Three Lakes WMA. Here, you can get maps, find out about the wildlife there and see when hunts are scheduled. You can even request a brochure to be mailed to you.

If you're going to visit Prairie Lakes, then you also might as well visit Lake Kissimmee State Park. It's got to be less than 25 miles away, and there you can see snail kites, rufous-sided towhees, Florida scrub jays, great horned owls and many kinds of warblers as well. You can get to the park by watching for the standard brown park sign, going west toward Lake Wales on 60.

Enjoy your trip!

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