Birds in Florida without a boat or a big lens

I'm posting this here instead of the regional forum because I know that many of you from other places have either come to Florida to specifically photograph birds or taken advantage of opportunities to photograph birds while you were here for other reasons.

Where have you found to be good places in Florida to photograph birds? I don't have a boat or access to a boat, and my lens is a 400mm lens that won't work with an extender.

I'm presuming the photo opportunities will all be in the winter, but if not please let me know. I need to see if I can make some kind of trip around Florida this winter and would greatly appreciate the suggestions. Thank you!

Hi, Barbara - I have 3 books I rely on whenever I travel, or are looking for bird places locally OR afar:
1. "Where the Birds Are - a Guide to all 50 states and canada" by John Oliver Jones - all the refuges,
what is there and when, etc
2. "The 50 most important bird areas in the US" - American Bird Conservancy - key sites for birds and birding in all 50 stateds
3. "National Geographic Guide to birding hot spots of the US" - Mel White

There is likely a book specific to FLORIDA too -

Check these out on Amazon.com or your local library.
Join your local Audubon group - will help both your ID expertise and your photography!

Also, subscribe to your local online bird watcher groups (ListServe)- they post what they are seeing and when. You can ask for specific directions to exactly where things are. If someone reports , for instance, a active kite nest full of chicks, you can get very specific directions to the spot. They are generally happy to help NON-intrusive photographers.

This is an example of the florida lists. I find our local ones invaluable. : http://listserv.admin.usf.edu/listserv/wa.exe?A1=ind1209&L=BRDBRAIN

The bird migration (fall) is from August through Dec-Jan, so Florida should be getting active just about NOW. Even walking through local parks will produce lots of opportunities.

Good luck!
Sandy

Barbara,

In May I was in the Fort Lauderdale area and we went to several parks in the Palm Beach area. One of them was Wakodahatchee Wetlands. These are not your typical parks because they are board walks that go through the wet lands.

I got some great pictures with my Canon 300 lens with & without a 1.4 tc. Actually several times I wished I had brought a smaller lens with me. If you Google Palm Beach parks you will see there are many areas. Not only are they beautifull, they are clean too.

I hope this hels some. Also I had no use for my monopod that I brought.

Rich

Anybody interested in birds in Florida ought to own a copy of A Birder's Guide to Florida, by Bill Pranty. This is an ABA/Lane Birdfinding Guide. A good Audubon shop in Florida should have it. The American Bird Association (ABA) used to have their own web store but they've given up on that and route you to Buteo Books.

There are ABA/Lane Guides to most of the best birding places (2 for Texas, 1 for southern CA, 1 for SE AZ, etc.). They all feature specific directions to specific locations for specific species and also discuss what other species can be observed there. Each book has bar charts for the chances of seeing each species by month. Each book is written by an experienced birder with expert knowledge for the area covered. There's even a book in this series for the business traveler who goes to major metropolitan areas in North America (I wrote the chapter on Phoenix but before the Gilbert Water Ranch had become the best place in the area).

These books are much more detailed and focused than the "Where the Birds Are" book (which basically prints the checklists for each refuge but not much else).

Rich is right. Wako is good most months except summer. I live near Wako. Shoot me a note when you're thinking about going and I'll tell you about the current activity.

Another good place when they're open is Gatorland in Orlando. Give them a call and they'll tell you about their current activity. You could hit Gatorland on the way to/from Wako.

Barbara,
I am available to take you into the most remote and most natural areas of Florida by boat. Your 400mm will be more than enough lens. I am a 40 year veteran of the Florida waterways and can show you the wilderness of Florida that will far exceed your expectations in a heart pounding, safe and reliable manner. I offer All Day, Pack a Lunch excursions with one purpose in mind; To put you into the best photo situations possible. December thru March are the best months for several reasons but, there is a lot to offer year round. Contact info for me at www.mikieproductions.com . Mike

Barbara, I've only made one trip to Florida, but had some great successes there photographing. I had great luck with waders and shorebirds at Tigertail beach on Marco Island and also had an excellent morning with waders (including spoonbills) at the Little Estero Lagoon in Ft Myers Beach. At both of these locations I was often too close to birds with 500mm + 1.4x TC, so there would be many opportunities at 400 I'm sure. I've also heard great things about Ft DeSoto, but only spent one morning there. I'd recommend spending more than one day at any given location so that you can spend some time identifying the different opportunities that are there. The ABA/Lane Guide by Pranty that Rich recommends is outstanding--I'd say it's a must-have.

I live in Hudson fl and find where ever i go I find more birds in my own backyard. we have recorded over 50 species of birds. We use bird feeders and bird baths that attract birds. I have a 500mm lens but find I have shot birds at 100mm. We are also on a large pond that attracts all kinds of ducks and wading birds and also hawks and ospray. Good luck birding but sometimes the best birding can be found in your own back yard. also time of year makes a big difference in florida, the birds are jest starting to return with there young. Yesterday over 20 Ibis came by for lunch. We give them water foul food. So you can create your own bird santurary.

Hi Barbara. I live in southwest Florida. My longest lens is 300mm, I often use it with the 1.4TC and occasionally with the 2.0TC. It's usually long enough with the 1.4 which gives 420mm, about the same as yours. It'd be great to have a 600mm f4, but it really isn't necessary around here. Quite often, especially with large birds, 300mm is plenty

Good birding places, seasonally variable: Ding Darling NWR and most of the public beaches on Sanibel Island. Bunche Beach, the only mainland beach in Lee County; Bowditch Point Park at the north end of Fort Myers Beach and Estero Lagoon at the south end; Lover's Key State Park; Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary; The Venice Rookery.

Thank you all so much for your input!