Posted by kevin reaves on September 25, 2006 at 12:24 PM
I am going to be in and around Cocoa Beach for a week and was wondering if anyone had some tips & info on where to shoot some pics. I have never been in this area for any length of time and wanted to see if I could find some spots for birding and/or great landscapes. Any info would be most helpful. Thank You.
Kevin,you are going to fall in love with this area. There is so much to see I just don`t where You should start but here goes. Take your long lens and trypod and about every thing else. Start by driving just a bit North to Titusville. Go out of T-ville on 406 over the Intracoastal Waterway . There is a new high rise on your right and a big osprey nest on the light pole on your left. As soon as you cross over the swing bridge you will see a boat ramp and then a strip of beach on your left, pull in to the beach area and LOOK. Sometimes all kinds of little shore birds and lots of seagulls here. Take a loaf of bread or a box of vanella waffers and you will have about 100 new best friends. As you pull out keep going the same way you were headed. You will see Catfish and E. Gator Creek Road off to your right. (come back to these later) next you will see 402 vere off to your right ( the Refuge Visitor Center is a few miles down this road on the right) don`t turn on 402 yet.Keep going strait on 406 (SLOW DOWN) and watch for hawks, osprey and eagles. If you want to find eagles give every BIG PINE a hard look. Soon you will see Black Point Wildlife Drive on your left, turn in and GO SLOW and have a great time. When you finish with Black Point I want you to go to the Visitor Center and get the map (Merritt Island N.W.F.) and ask lots of questions about what has been seen where. Ast if their screech owl is home. When you leave the visitor center I want you to make a very small park your next stop. Its A right out of the parking lot and about one mile you will see Oak an Palm Hammock Trail on your left, pull in. There is a short loop and a long loop, do the short loop. You can walk it right or left. If you go to the right you will see a small sign telling about the plants or something like that a very short way down the trail before you cross the R.R. tracks. Look up to your right and try to spot the red-sholder hawks nest there. Lissen for pileated woodpeckers in the big live oaks and palms if you start out to the left. Look sharp for barred owls and coons and those armored possoms they got down there. I want you to pay head to which way the sun will be as you pick roads to drive. Do NOT pull off road in a sandy area unless you are sure you have good ground.There are miles of single track sand road to drive and you will have a blast. All the roads I am going to give you are on the map I told you about. Peacocks Pocket Road, Bio Lab Rd,Shilow Marsh Rd. I like to drive Shilow Marsh Rd starting at the far end down next to Oak Hill (on the map) there was some construction in the area last time I was in the area and the start of the road can be a bit hard to find but its worth the trouble. I drive this road late in the day and you can shoot some super sun sets off to your right as you move along and shoot wading birds and all the big garors you will ever want to see on your left as you move along. Hawks, owls, osprey,and eagles are very posible here. Last year I had a huge bobcat cross just in front of my truck at dust at the equment yard on this rd. One morning I want you to go see my friends the Fla, Scrub Jays, this will be one of the coolest birds you will ever shoot. Don`t push them, as soon as you see one stop walking, set up and they will come to you. Give them a bit of biscuit and watch what they do with it. The baby bird from last year stay and help raise the babies from this year. They hide and bury their extra food and may have you cracking up as they do it. Look for the Scrub Ridge Trail on 402. As you drive around watch for red ribbon in the road side brush, or a beer can stuck on a stick, or peice of tin foil. It`s a birders way of saying LOOK HERE! The red tape on Black Point means eagles nest. As it gets dark watch for all the pigmey rattlesnakes on the edge of the road, no kidding. A big one will be 18'' long and about as big around as a ladies thumb. They are quite colorfull and a blast to play with. There are cottonmouth in the roadside ditches and lots of difrent water snakes. AS you come out of Black Point WLD back on to the pavment pull off and walk back and look in the ditch very quitely on the left side of the road, you should be looking at baby gators. Mom lives in the pipe under the road. I went in there last year and got a tire and wheel and a concrete block out of her way some jerk tosed in there. Tell her hi for me. Had to come back and add a bit. While you are at the INFO center get the Fla birding map for this part of the state. If you plan to be in Fla some in the next few years get them for the whole state, FREE. They are super! After all this driving and photography you might be just a bit on the hungry side. On the main drag in Titusville is DIXIE CROSSROADS, place will be packed but good food and one of the owners is a pro wildlife shooter. Just South of town on A1A on the right is CORKEY BELLS, they got burned out in the big storm two years ago but should be open by now. Down at Coco is where the big cruse ships dock. As you pull in to that area on the left is a group of shops and eating places. I do not remember the name but there is a place in there that has smoked everything you can think of. You can eat yourself silly in there and the man that runs it is super nice. I will be there in December for the NASA shoot and the birds and the food.--enjoy
Discussion
2 repliesI have no idea. Maybe some of the Florida folks can help out!