Orlando / St. Augustine photography in mid October ?

I've been reading through the forums regarding Florida bird and

wildlife photography. I'll be in the Orlando area for a week in mid-

October with time on my hands for a few photo safaris. I realize this

isn't considered the "prime" season for birds and wildlife but can

anyone comment/recommend locations ? I'm open to anything within a

day-trip of Orlando.. that includes St. Augustine, Ft. Myers, points

east, points west, etc. My plans include lots of general sight-

seeing but if I can coordinate that with recommended bird areas this

time of year that would be great. Thanks !

Mid Oct.....Hmmmm. Well Merritt Is. Natl WR has been off and on productive all summer. I've been 4 times this summer and always seen spoonbills, white pelicans black-neck stilts and several resident duck species but its hit or miss and the birds travel around alot.

St. Augustine has some shorebirds but if you,re thinking Gator Farm,

forgot it until at least March.

Some passerines but more in November along E. Central Fl beaches and inlets.

Try Orlando Wetlands off Highway 50 W. Usually a good bird population but it might be closed for the season on Oct 1. according to my 3 yr old FL wildlife guide.

Miami Metrozoo and Butterfly World(near Deerfield Beach) are great

anytime and likely your best bet. Not sure about the Glades at this time..lots of skeeters though. BTW, no tripods in Butterfly World but flash is OK and a must. Nice hummingbird exhibit.

Nearby Loxahatchee for least bitterns, gallinules and the other local waders.

Oscar Scherer St Pk(off I-75) for tame scrub jays, Venice rookery, probably not much at this time but you never know and of course Ft Myers where Ding Darling might have some resident stuff as well as Estero Lagoon. Thats a few places and more I haven,t mentioned.

I was at the Gator Farm last Friday. There wasn't a single bird in the nesting area...not even a feather...just two large gators!

John,

 

See <a href="http://www.stetson.edu/~pmay/woodruff/">this site</a> for a wildlife photographer's guide to Lake Woodruff NWR, about 1 hour north of Orlando. Things should be picking up by October, though it's at its best in winter.

John,

 

Also try doing a search with Orlando as the key word - you'll get a bunch of other threads that cover specific sites you might want to consider.

I thought I would report on my trip now that I'm back. Many thanks to those who emailed me suggestions. I never made it to the St. Augustine Gator Farm... after a full day sight-seeing in St. Augustine I only would have had an hour before closing... will catch it next time.

 

Merritt Island NWR was great. Got there early morning and made two trips through the auto loop. Lots of Herons, Ibis, Egrets, Spoonbills and Wood Storks. It was a little rainy at first (only rain of the entire trip) and my ISO 100 slide film was hurting for speed. Drove on down to the Ocean via Bio Lab road or something and saw 3-4 nice Gators sunning themselves. All total saw 8 Gators at Merritt Isl. Also got some beautiful rainbow shots across the bay entering the reserve.

 

One of the highlights of the trip was going to the Canaveral Locks. Talk about birdville ! It was a little hard to find. I had instructions but there was construction in the area and all the road signs were down. Luckily I spotted the big Marina mentioned in the instructions. Tons of Pelicans, Wood Storks, Herons, Egrets all really up close. My 100-400 was almost too much. Plus fish... fishing is not allowed and the place is packed with HUGE fish... reminded me of a fish hatchery. Even spotted two feeding Manatees at the lock about 15 FT away... got some great shots. This place is a must see.

 

My good old stand-by for great bird and Gator shots is of course Gatorland and it didn't disappoint. The Gators were the most active in recent memory and as usual there were tons of birds... many of the smaller birds are brave and full-frame head & shoulder shots at 100mm are easy. Also, the large Egrets keep flying back and forth over the water trying to snatch food from the Gators and it made for nice in-flight and landing shots.

 

My final day trip was to Ft. Meyers and Sanibel Island. Unfortunately the only low tides for that week were when Ding Darling was closed. I did make a loop through the reserve even though it was high tide. I was pleasantly suprised. Got a lot of decent shots of roosting Ibis and Anhinga. The Cormorant were really busy feeding. From Ding Darling I scooted down to the Fishing Pier. The Herons and Egrets were really giving the human fisherman a run for the money. Got some great fish-in-mouth shots of the birds feeding at surfs edge.

 

So overall my expectations were somewhat low for a late October trip but I found the pickings VERY satisfying. I'm hoping to make another trip in late Feb, early March to retrace my steps and add Venice Rookery and Corkscrew (and of course hit the Gator Farm). Shot 17 rolls of film and ended up with about 45% keepers. Can't wait till my next trip.

 

- John