Photography Destinations and Adventures

[Kayaker72]

So, Florida appears to be to birding what Arizona is to landscape photography.

I did a bit of research on where I wanted to go and also, Mike (aka Busted Knuckles) and I also set up a trip. I used this link as a reference for birding in the Orlando and Venice areas, but Florida also has a birding trail. I ended up trying out four different birding spots and would recommend all of them.

• Merritt Island National Wildlife Sanctuary. Mike took me here. Great spot. Specifically we did the Black Point Wildlife Drive. We even saw someone with a big white exclusively shooting from their car window (had a mount set up). There are a few trails, but the birding from the road itself was phenomenal.
• Joe Overstreet Road to Lake Kissimmee. Reading that this had one of the largest populations of Bald Eagles essentially sealed it for me. I saw 2 adults and 4 juveniles in addition to a number of other birds. This is another drive that requires very little to no walking.
• Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, FL. This is located between Tampa and Orlando. About 2 miles south of a landfill = goofy amounts of vultures. But in terms of birds, excellent (eagles, heron, osprey, egrets, etc). This one requires hiking. We did a 4 mile loop, but there is a longer trail as well.
• Venice Audubon Society. Turns out, this place is a bit famous. Simple island in a park in an urban setting. I have read that the cover of Author Morris's book "Birds as Art" was taken here. It was good for my visit, but I was told by locals that late February through April there will be "hundreds" of birds on the island. I probably saw 30-40, which was still very impressive.

I have only started processing my photos. I am sure I will post many in different threads, but for now, here are a few:

small-4575 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-4613 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-4624 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-4729 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-5350 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-5369 by kayaker72, on Flickr