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Spring Bird Photography in Florida and Georgia Trip Journal

Introduction

During the spring of 2009 we had the opportunity to spend a few days in Florida attempting to see the launch of a Space Shuttle and photograph a few birds. Since we had spent very little time in this area of Florida and targeting bird images was new for us. While we did not really know what to expect, we were amazed by the number and variation of birds that we found.

In addition we have included some information about a couple of areas around Savannah, Georgia where we have had good luck photographing birds.

  • St August Area
  • New Smyrna Beach Area
  • Titusville Area
    • Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
    • Canaveral National Seashore
    • Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility
    • Viera Wetlands
  • Canoe Creek Road Area
    • Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area #2
    • Overstreet Road Area
  • Kimmissee Area

St Augustine Area

Our main objective for this trip was to watch a space shuttle launch in the Titusville area. On the way to Titusville we stopped in St Augustine to see the St Augustine Lighthouse and Museum.

We timed our visit with a full moon and wanted to capture the moon rising behind the lighthouse. While visiting we learned that it was possible to watch the sunset and the full moon rise from on top of the lighthouse for a small fee. We decided to do this and it proved to be a great experience.

After we finished capturing our images from the top of the lighthouse we left the grounds and went to a vacant lot that was about one block to the west of the lighthouse in order to try to capture the moon behind the lighthouse. Jo spent considerable time trying to capture the lighthouse’s beam over the moon. It was a lot of work but really turned out nice.

After finishing our moonrise images we moved south of St Augustine down Highway A1A to shoot sunrise at the Washington Oaks Garden State Park area on. I had read the area had some interesting rocks along the beach and we were hoping to find something to include in the foreground. The gate was closed and we had to walk into the park to reach the beach before sunrise. The tide was high so the rocks were not very exposed but Jo was able to capture several nice images of birds flying in front of the rising sun.

New Smyrna Beach Area

We next moved south down the coast to tour the Ponce De Leon lighthouse. You can find the lighthouse by traveling on Highway A1A south of Daytona Beach to Ponce Inlet. In addition to the lighthouse there are several nice exhibits in the surrounding buildings. One building even contains a collection of lighthouse lenses.

Titusville Area

Next we moved to the Titusville area in order to tour the Kennedy Space Center and try to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle. Only a small part of the Kennedy Space Center is actually developed and the bulk of the area around the center has been set aside as wildlife preserve. It is a great location to view birds, especially in the spring. While there we started and ended each day shooting birds and the rest of the day touring the space center.

There were primarily four locations in the Titusville area that we visited: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Canaveral National Seashore, Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility and Viera Wetlands.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

If you are visiting the refuge during a shuttle launch some of the areas will be closed but we still found more areas to visit than we had time. To reach the refuge travel east from downtown Titusville on Highway 406. Once you cross the bridge you will be entering the refuge area. You may find this website map useful to get you bearings as you read .

It seems that the most visited road is the Black Point Wildlife Drive and it is certainly nice. However, there are many additional roads you should consider exploring.

  • Bio Lab Road
  • Peacocks Pocket Road
  • Gator, West Gator and East Gator Creek Road
  • Catfish Creek Road
  • Shiloh Marsh Road
  • Pump House Road

We found that the best approach to photographing in the refuge was to slowly drive along the road and watch for birds in the ponds and trees beside the road. Most of the time photographing from inside your vehicle will work best. We often find that the birds are more likely ignore the car and allow you to approach pretty close. There were times when we found small ponds that contained numinous birds and were able to get out of the car to take images. Sometimes the birds would initially move away from us but after a few minutes they would begin to ignore us and begin moving back.

Being in the field before the sun rises will allow you to capture images of the birds with great colors in the sky and water. This will also allow you to see the birds as they begin to awake and start moving around to feed. We found many opportunities for flight images during the first 30 minutes after sun rise or 30 minutes before sunset as the birds would move to and from their roosting spots.

Canaveral National Seashore

During the time of the space shuttle launch this area was closed to visitors also. When open it is a great location to visit for sunrise images, shorebirds and seeing the space shuttle launch pads. To reach Canaveral travel east from downtown Titusville on Highway 406. As you enter the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge area look for Highway 402 to exit to the right. Follow the road for 4 or 5 miles and you will see the fee station for Canaveral area.

As you drive the next 3.5 miles towards the seashore you will be passing several wetland pullouts. Simply drive slow and look for interesting subjects.

Once you have reached the seashore the road will turn sharply left and will follow the shoreline. There are a number of parking lots along the road, each with a board walk over the dunes to the water's edge.

For sunrise we parked in lot 4 and walked towards lot 5. This area is nice for capturing sunrise images, silhouettes of birds flying or walking in font of the rising sun and shorebirds bathed in early morning light.

Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility

This facility is one of the Titusville's wastewater treatment centers and contains seven treatment ponds. While it might not sound especially beautiful it is a good location to find many different types of birds and often contains numerous birds nesting. There are no toxic chemicals around and the water is safe. The ponds seem to offer easy food and vegetation for the birds and getting close shots is not a problem. To find the facility simply head south on I-95 and take exit 215. Turn west (left) and the entrance will be on your left. As mentioned before simply drive around the ponds and look for subjects.

Viera Wetlands

Like the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility mentioned above, Viera is also a wastewater treatment center. It is also know as the South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant and can be found by heading south on I-95 and taking exit 191. You will need to turn west (left) and travel about 2 miles to find the entrance of the facility. We really enjoyed this location for sunrise since it offered several nice trees to capture silhouettes of the birds as the sun rose. Again simply drive around the ponds and look for subjects.

Canoe Creek Road Area

After finishing in the Titusville area we moved to the Canoe Creek Road area near Kissimmee. The approach is pretty straight forward. We traveled along County Road 523 which runs across the rural part of south Osceola County and explored several side roads that run from the road to the lakes run beside the road. We entered CR-523 from Highway 441 at Kenansville.

As you drive along these roads keep you camera and long lens handy. We never knew where and when we would find a interesting subject. There are many fences and trees in the area and often we found birds sitting on them. While there are many places to view birds in the area we spent most of our time in two locations: Three Lakes Wildlife Management area and the Overstreet Road area.

Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area #2

As you travel north and west on CR-523 the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area #2 road will exit to your left. Following this road will take you back into some pretty wild areas until you reach the shore of Lake Kissimmee. We spend one afternoon, camped overnight in our car and one morning in the area and really enjoyed the remoteness of it.

Overstreet Road

This are was certainly our most productive in terms of finding bird images. As you continue north and west from the Three Lakes Wildlife Management area you will find the Overstreet Road exiting to the left. This road is not near as remote feeling as the first and in fact will end up at a pretty popular boat ramp into Lake Kissimmee.

Again we found numerous subject on the drive up the road but even more around the boat ramp area. Besides the common Florida birds we were fortunate to find bald eagles, osprey, caracara, sandhill cranes and even snail kites. There is a airboat tour operator there and we really enjoyed riding with him and Jo got many great images on the ride.

Space Shuttle Launch

As often occurs the launch of the space shuttle was delayed and we had to make a second trip back to Titusville to try to see it.

It was the last day of our trip but we were luck enough to see it launch. If you ever get a chance to watch it take off, it is worth every effort it takes to get there.

The launch occurred right at sunset and was one of the most impressive things we have ever seen or felt. It will certainly be a sad day when there are no more launches.

Savannah Georgia Area

We often visit the Savannah Georgia area and have found two pretty good locations for seeing birds: the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge and the Tybee Island Beach area.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

To find the refuge from Savannah, travel Highway 17 north across the Talmadge Bridge. Turn left on South Carolina Highway 170 south and look for the entrance to the wildlife drive on the left.  The refuge is a simple one way drive through old rice fields.  Our best approach has been to travel the route either early in the morning or late in the day and photograph out the car window.

Tybee Island Beach Area

We have had some pretty good luck finding shorebirds along the area around the lighthouse and have also got some great images of the lighthouse at sunset from the beach area.

Final Thoughts

We did not know what to expect when we went to Florida looking for birds.  We were really surprised by the variety and number of subjects.  If you find yourself itching to photograph something during those long winter months then consider a trip to Florida looking for birds.

If you ever have any questions, suggestions on how to improve this guide or just wish to send us an email with a great photography spot, please contact us at ginnphotography@comcast.net.

Thank you and good shooting,

Jo and Phil