The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is an alligator zoo with a boardwalk into a wading bird rookery. The alligators rest below the bird nests, protecting the birds from predators like raccoons. The Alligator Farm caters to bird photographers, clipping tree branches so that visitors can look directly into bird nests. It’s not unusual to see baby birds hatching!

My favorite part about this place is that you can see Roseate Spoonbills nesting.

Long lenses and intermediate telephotos are both good here. A flash will provide useful fill light on cloudy days and for flight shots.

Consider joining the Photography Program for early entry onto the boardwalk.

A beautiful stretch of beach almost untouched by houses and human presence, the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful beach for a sunrise walk and a visit with sea turtles.  The 20-mile stretch of beach is the most significant area for loggerhead sea turtle nesting in the world, and the most significant area for green turtle nesting in North America.

Turtle nesting season runs from June to September.  Get to the beach before sunrise and take a walk.  You might get lucky and find a turtle returning to the ocean after laying her eggs!

An intermediate telephoto lens is perfect for photographing the turtles.  I always take a wide angle for sunrise, too.

The turtles are very tired after creating their nests and laying their eggs. Please do not get close to them, block their passage to the ocean, or stand in front of them.

Black Skimmers nest along beaches of Florida in the summertime.  If you are lucky enough to find a colony with young babies, you’ll be in for lots of “awe”-inspiring moments!

Most people prefer intermediate telephotos with these birds. I always bring my Beast also for close-ups.

Your best bet is to lie down on the sand.  That gets you eye-level with the birds for better shots.  It’s less scary to the birds if you pick a spot and stay in it for a while.

It’s hard to keep sand out of your gear.  Plan ahead and bring a towel or something for your camera to sit on when you’re not using it. Bring a paintbrush to remove sand when you leave.

Black Skimmers are listed as a Threatened Species by the State of Florida. It is illegal to bother the birds or touch the babies. Please be respectful of our feathered friends!

Blue Cypress Lake is a large lake about 20 miles west of Vero Beach. It is known for the hundreds of Ospreys that nest in its cypress trees from March through May. This place is also incredible for sunrises and sunsets framed with the cypress trees. You can rent a pontoon boat from Middleton Fish Camp, or better yet, go out with one of their guides.

Long lenses and intermediate telephotos are both good here. Don’t forget the wide-angle for sunrise.

Blue Springs State Park is a great place to see manatees during the winter.  It’s also known for migrants during the spring and fall.

Take the longest lens you want to carry on a hike

Bok Tower Gardens is a beautiful garden in Lake Wales, Florida, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The gardens surround the historic Bok Tower, whose carillon bells ring out through the gardens on a daily basis.

I love to visit Bok Tower for flower photography, as well as during bird migration. It’s a good place for small birds like Eastern Towhees, Tufted Titmice, and Brown Thrashers. It’s also a reliable location in Central Florida for Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds.

I usually take my long lens for bird photography, and a second body with a macro lens for flower photos.

The Brevard Zoo is a fun little zoo in Melbourne, Florida. It makes a good day trip along with a visit to the Viera Wetlands. You’ll see a good number of animals in a family-friendly environment.

An intermediate telephoto around your neck makes a great walk-around lens.

Brian Piccolo Park is a an athletic park outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is known to wildlife photographers for the Burrowing Owls that nest in the grassy fields. The nests are blocked off for protection, and the birds are pretty tame. You can settle down with a camera at owl-eye level and photograph all sorts of fun behaviors with these comical owls.

Long lenses and intermediate telephotos are both good here.

Don’t leave your cameras or your laptop in the car.

Callaway Gardens is one of our favorite vacation getaways. The gardens are located about an hour southwest of Atlanta, or a seven-hour drive from Orlando.

The gardens are particularly well known for their gorgeous displays of azaleas in the spring, and for the amazing Fantasy in Lights display of Christmas lights in November and December. I also enjoy photographing songbirds in Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden. There are daily Birds of Prey shows with easily photographable raptors. The Day Butterfly Center is fun for butterfly photography.

We usually stay at the Mountain Creek Inn. We’ve also rented a cottage and enjoyed that very much.

Use Azalea Watch to plan your spring trip!

Take as many lenses as you can – long lenses for birds, macro for flowers, and wide-angle for landscapes. It’s all here!

Cape Coral plays host to the largest number of Burrowing Owl nests in Florida.  They are literally all over!  Start by the public library and have fun. :)

Most people prefer to use an intermediate telephoto lens for the Burrowing Owls.  I use my Beast (600mm) lens to give the birds a little more space and because I prefer tight portraits.

If the owls start fussing at you, you’re too close.  Please respect our feathered friends!

Chinsegut is a nature preserve located just outside Brooksville.  It’s a reliable spot for Red-headed Woodpecker and Eastern Bluebird.

Take the longest lens you want to take on a hike.  Keep an eye out for deer!

Check the webpage for hours before you go.

The Circle B Bar Reserve is one of my favorite places to photograph. It’s located in Lakeland off Winter Lake Road, close to the USF Lakeland campus. The preserve was a cattle ranch that was restored in the early 2000s to its native wetland habitat. A series of berms give people an opportunity to hike through the wetlands and view wildlife. The area is particularly good for birds. Alligators and otters are popular with tourists.

Bring a long lens and be prepared to walk!  Park in the lot closest to the Nature Center.  You’ll easily walk several miles as you explore the trails.  Consider taking a water bottle, especially in the summertime.

Cockroach Bay Preserve is an eBird hotspot.  It’s best known to me as the location where Tree Swallows congregate prior to spring migration.  The millions of birds that form a “murmuration” are most impressive.

To photograph the swallows, take a wide-angle lens on a night without clouds so that the dark mass of birds is silhouetted against the sunset.

Coral Cove Park is a small county park near Jupiter, Florida. I love to visit the rocky beaches for sunrise.  It’s a good place to go shelling, too.

Take a wide-angle lens and a tripod. An intermediate telephoto might also be good for framing the sunrise.

The Cox Road Kingbird Roost is a dirt road in an orange grove off Highway 60 in Polk County.  It is a well-known roost for the Western Kingbird in the wintertime.   Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are also frequent visitors there, along with the occasional Fork-tailed Flycatcher.

Take a long lens and a beanbag so that you can shoot from your car window as much as possible.

The Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area has a 4-mile wildlife drive that is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the late winter and spring.  Check the website for details.

Take your longest lens.  I didn’t have a super-productive outing on my first visit but I’d like to try it again.

Fort De Soto is incredible for bird photography! My favorite time to go is in the spring, when the birds are in their breeding colors, and around September, when the terns congregate prior to migrating. The entire park is good for birding, but my favorite places are North Beach, the East Beach Turnaround, and the Mulberry bush area and East Beach woods (for migrating birds).

Take every lens you can carry! I use my long lens for bird portraits and far-off rarities, my intermediate telephoto for flight shots, and my wide-angle for landscapes.

Fort De Soto is one of those rare places where you can photograph both sunrise and sunset over the ocean!

Check the website for road closures before you go!

Gatorland is an Orlando amusement park. While tourists come looking for alligators, birders come to visit the Wading Bird Rookery, a boardwalk over gator territory that gives you close access to dozens of bird nests. The Great Egrets start nesting in early February, and by May, the rookery is a chaos of baby herons, egrets, and anhingas.

Intermediate telephoto lenses will give you great shots of nests right off the boardwalk. I also bring my long lens to isolate birds across the pond.

Consider the Photography Pass that lets photographers enter the rookery early in the morning.

Nestled in the middle of downtown Orlando is Greenwood Cemetery, which hosts a photogenic Bald Eagle nest. Drive into the cemetery and circle around, looking for the tall pine tree containing the nest. You might also see a coyote or photograph a Wood Duck.

Bring the longest lens you have.

Holloway Park is an “urban nature park” in Lakeland, FL.  It is used for running competitions and it is also a nature preserve.  I find that it’s best visited during the winter months when the winter birds are here.  One of my friends watches an eagle’s nest on the property.

This is one of my “take an intermediate telephoto and plan to walk” places.  You never know what you may find.  It’s not one of my go-to places for landscape photography, and I don’t take my Beast unless I’m going to photograph a bird that I’ve previously located.

Huguenot Memorial Park is a stopover location for Red Knots on their migratory path from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic tundra.  Part of it is designated a Critical Wildlife Area for gulls and terns during the nesting season.

An intermediate telephoto lens is good with a long lens if you have one.

Joe Overstreet Road is a dirt road in Kenansville, Florida. It is known for the opportunities to photograph Bald Eagles, Crested Caracara, Eastern Meadowlarks (on every fencepost!), and, for the very lucky, Whooping Cranes.

Take the longest lens you have.

Lake Apopka hosts a myriad of bird and other wildlife. The wildlife drive is awesome!  You ride around the trails in the air-conditioned comfort of your car and photograph whatever happens to be outside your window.

Take your longest lens for the birds and wildlife. Don’t forget a wide angle for scenic shots of the lake shore!

Consider checking eBird for rare bird sightings before you go.

Finish your day with sunset at Magnolia Park (the adjacent boat ramp is always open).

You never know what you may find when you wander on the backroads.

Take any lens and go exploring!

The Lake Hancock Outfall Wetlands, on the south side of Lake Hancock, is a restricted-access SWFWMD property that requires a permit for entry. It’s always fun to get to go there!

You can find a wide variety of species, which is a little unusual for inland Central Florida.

For a few years, local birders ran occasional field trips into this restricted-access property.  

If you get to go, take your longest lens. The birds are usually far away.

The Lake Jesup Conversation Area and Marl Bed Flats Tract are a fun place to bird watch.  They are also a spectacular landscape photography spot in early October when the fields are covered in yellow sunflowers (weather permitting – non-rainy seasons)

Take a wide-angle lens for sunflower photography.  Watch for snakes and take your waders if you have them.

Lake Louisa State Park was good for small birds and butterflies on my first visit there.  I’m looking forward to going back!

Take the longest lens you want to carry on a hike

Lake Mirror, located in downtown Lakeland, Florida, is home to ducks. Walkers and joggers frequently feed the birds, making them very tame for photography.  My favorite time to visit is the spring (March through June), when the birds are nesting and raising their young.

I use both my long lens and my intermediate telephoto.

Lake Morton, located in downtown Lakeland, Florida, is home to about 60 Mute Swans and a myriad of other ducks and geese. Walkers and joggers frequently feed the birds, making them very tame for photography. Even the Wood Ducks are pretty tame. My favorite time to visit is the spring (March through June), when the birds are nesting and raising their young.

I use both my long lens and my intermediate telephoto.

Lake Parker Park is a neighborhood park with a good number of friendly birds. Purple Gallinules, Limpkins, and Snail Kites are the most notable species.

An intermediate telephoto is all you need to get great bird images at Lake Parker Park.

Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge is a fun place to explore and go birding.  I haven’t been there much but I’d like to explore it further.

Take the longest lens that you don’t mind carrying for a multi-mile hike.

Leu Gardens is located in downtown Orlando. It is a bit of a migration hotspot, and it is birded regularly throughout the year.

Bring your long lens for birding, and don’t forget the macro lens for flowers – they have a big rose garden!

The Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area is a protected area of Fort Myers Beach where Least Terns, Black Skimmers, Wilson’s Plovers, and even a few Snowy Plovers nest.

The Little Estero lagoon is also a well-known bird photography hotspot.

Take a long lens so you can photograph the nesting birds without getting too close.

Loggerhead Park, or the “turtle museum” as it is known in my family, is a sea turtle rehabilitation center. Turtles are housed in large tanks with see-through windows while they are treated for release back into the wild. It’s a fun photo op, especially when combined with one of the center’s turtle walks during sea turtle nesting season. Consider signing up for a turtle walk during nesting season (June and July)

Take an intermediate telephoto.

An infrared camera would be fun on the turtle walk, when flash and all other light sources are prohibited.

Family-friendly Lowry Park Zoo is a fun place to photograph all sorts of wildlife. Take your intermediate telephoto and go see what you can find!

Bring an intermediate telephoto lens and have fun!

Lukas Nursery is a great Orlando-area nursery, and the Butterfly Encounter is a free-flight butterfly conservatory.

Macro lenses are good for photographing flowers. A fast intermediate telephoto is my favorite for photographing the fast-moving butterflies. A flash often helps.

In July 2013, Rich and I went to Maine to see Atlantic Puffins on Machias Seal Island.  We also enjoyed scenic and night photography in Acadia National Park.  It was a great trip!!

Go!!

Marineland Beach has some great rock formations that add foreground interest to Atlantic Ocean sunrise images. No two mornings are the same!

A wide-angle lens is best for landscape sunrise shots.

The Marshall Hampton Reserve is just down the road from the Circle B Bar Reserve.  It’s a nice place for a long hike, although it’s not as birdy as Circle B.

Take the longest lens that you don’t mind carrying for a multi-mile hike.

This used to be the biggest Least Tern nesting colony in Florida.

Go early, stay low, and enjoy :)

If the birds are agitated or try to poop on you, you are too close.  It’s dangerous for the babies to be left alone for too long because the parents are trying to chase off photographers.  Please respect the birds.

Mead Gardens, nestled in downtown Winter Park, is a well-known migrant trap in Central Florida. Visit during April migration and you never know what you’ll see.

The longer your lens, the better chance of capturing those little migrant birds!

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is well-known for wildlife photography. Black Point Wildlife Drive allows you to stay in the air-conditioning and see lots of birds. Canaveral National Seashore is beautiful. My favorite time of year to go is during the winter, when the refuge is covered in migrant ducks, pelicans, and other birds.  It’s easy to find Roseate Spoonbills in breeding plumage in January and February.

Take your longest lens.

Windy days tend to be less birdy.

Be aware that hunting is allowed on parts of the refuge.

Moccasin Island is part of the River Lakes conservation area.

There isn’t much wildlife easily photographed from your vehicle.  I go when there is a rare bird in the area.

Oakland Nature Preserve is a small neighborhood preserve on the outskirts of Clermont, Florida. I visited it regularly when I was first starting in nature photography. It features native Florida forested wetland habitat, including a boardwalk out to Lake Apopka.

I’d suggest a long lens or intermediate telephoto.

Orlando Wetlands is a nature preserve located in Christmas, Florida (between Orlando and Cocoa Beach). It’s a fun place to hike and photograph all the typical Florida marsh species.

Take the longest lens that you’re willing to carry on a hike. You’ll likely walk several miles. Also carry a wide-angle lens for sunrise.

Other places that I don’t visit frequently, or places that I won’t identify in order to protect the wildlife that I’ve photographed.

Research your local hot spots.  Get out and explore. You never know what you’ll find!

Palatlakaha Environmental and Agricultural Reserve (PEAR) Park is a great place to look for wintering sparrows.  I like wandering through the Scrub Trail area, looking for bluebirds and kestrels and other little birds.

Take your longest lens – the birds are more skittish here than at more populated locations.

My friend Herman sometimes takes my dad and me to the Polk Rookery. It’s a great place to photograph wading birds at their nests. My favorites are the Roseate Spoonbill nests, and Brown Pelicans nest here as well. I’ve been asked to not disclose the location in order to protect the nesting habitat. You need a boat to get there, anyway.

Early mornings and late afternoons are the best time to observe the nesting birds.

Sandhill Crane nest in Orlando, FL.  Exact location not disclosed.

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Sandhill Crane nest in Orlando, FL.  Exact location not disclosed.

When you find a nest, enjoy it!  Resist the temptation to get too close

Sanibel Island is a fun place to vacation and bird-watch.  During spring migration, check out the lighthouse area that is a hotspot for visiting warblers and songbirds.  The beaches play host to terns and gulls during the summer breeding season.  Wading birds can be found year-round in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.  End your day with a gorgeous sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

Take as many lenses as you can carry!

Given that it is located inside a major shopping area, the Seminole Town Center Pond is an unlikely site for bird photography.  But an unusual Common Goldeneye often visits during the winter, joining the Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks.  If you’re in the area, check it out!

Take a long lens.  The birds are skittish and will go to the opposite side of the pond when they see you.

Silver Springs State Park, formerly known as Silver River State Park, is a Florida State Park located on the Silver River in Marion County. The park contains Silver Springs, Florida’s first tourist attraction. The Silver Springs attraction dates to the 1870s.

Book a cruise down the river and you might see the famous wild monkeys.

The Stick Marsh features a wading bird rookery visible from the shoreline. Nesting Roseate Spoonbills make this Spoonbill Heaven!

I preferred my 100-500mm lens for flight shots.  It’s important to remember to zoom back so that you don’t clip the birds’ wings.

The rookery is closed to boater traffic. Rookery season runs from January through July.

The Tibet-Butler Preserve has a series of hiking trails that let you view wading birds and songbirds

Take the longest lens you want to carry on a hike

The Venice Rookery is a small island where Great Blue Herons and other wading birds nest.  It’s an internationally recognized location for bird photography.

You’ll be photographing across a small canal off onto a small island.  An intermediate telephoto is perfect for flight shots, and you might like having the long lens for close-up portraits.

Viera Wetlands, officially known as the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera, is a water treatment facility that attracts lots of birds. Berm roads criss-cross the wetlands, and on most days you can drive your car on the roads. Cars make great blinds for photographing skittish birds! Crested Caracara can regularly be seen at Viera, along with Roseate Spoonbills and many other wading birds. Nesting Great Blue Herons give great photo ops in December-January. Black-bellied Whistling Ducklings can often be found in summer (July and August).

Update 2023: Viera has declined in the past few years, with fewer birds and lots of road closures.  I hear it’s closed a lot these days.  If you’re visiting FL, I suggest you try Orlando Wetlands instead.

Since you’ll be in your car, load up on lenses. You never know what you may find!

Call ahead to find out if the berm roads are open for driving – (321) 255-4488.

Weekiwachee Preserve is a flatlands habitat that offers great opportunities for finding sparrows in the wintertime.

Take the longest lens you’re willing to carry.  There are over 10 miles of flat trails here, many of them paved.  On the second and fourth Saturday of the month, you’re allowed to drive in from the south entrance of the park, which cuts down on the walking.

Wekiva Springs State Park is a good spot for finding warblers during spring migration.  I want to go back to find a Bachman’s Sparrow!

Take the longest lens you want to carry on a hike

An Osprey nest on top of a facilities pole provides great photo opportunities for those who stand on the top story of a parking garage across the street!

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