Wildlife opportunities between Jacksonville FL and Ft. Desoto
Leaving Jacksonville area around noon or 1:00 on 3/2. The Alligator Farm was great fun on 3/1. Any suggestions for wildlife on the way? What about a 60 mile or so radius around Ft. Desoto? Birds are the main interest with sunset or other landscape opportunities as a second. Great places to eat in and around Ft. Desoto?
Many thanks!
gpro111
Loc: Floral City, FL, formerly Tampa /Saint Pete
You could check out Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, any of the county parks in Pinellas or Hillsborough county. Or spend the entire day at Ft. Desoto, one of the finest parks. For a large variety of wildlife Circle B Bar outside of Lakeland is outstanding.
En route, try Blue Springs State Park (off Rt 4). It is a natural hot spring. If the weather is cold, manatees migrate there. There is also a 2 hour boat ride on the St. Johns river that may provide wildlife and bird sightings.
Have fun.
Artie Morris offers a detailed downloadable Ft DeSoto guide. See birdsasart.com
retlaw
Loc: Northern New Jersey
In-lightened wrote:
Leaving Jacksonville area around noon or 1:00 on 3/2. The Alligator Farm was great fun on 3/1. Any suggestions for wildlife on the way? What about a 60 mile or so radius around Ft. Desoto? Birds are the main interest with sunset or other landscape opportunities as a second. Great places to eat in and around Ft. Desoto?
Many thanks!
Check out: “Florida Birding”, A Guide to the Best Birding Locations in the Sunshine State. It is very comprehensive and contains a ton of information about many, many birding/ photography sites. It is more reasonably priced and available at
http://floridabirdtours.com/index.php/product-category/books/print-books/And for digital versions, go to:
http://floridabirdtours.com/index.php/product-category/books/digital-books/[I am not connected nor do I receive anything for this recommendation. Mark Smith is a very talented photographer who shares his knowledge.]
Have fun!!
Thanks everybody! So far we have stuck with the more searchable locations as suggested...crockadile farm, Orlando wetlands, Merritt island, Apopka wildlife tour.
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