Macbadger Loc: Illinois

We will be in Naples, Fl for the month of March. I would welcome any ideas for bird and wildlife photo ops. I have also heard about the Vierra Wetlands, but it is a very long drive from Naples, and I'm wondering if the photo ops are that much better than the ones closer to Naples. Is anyone familiar with this?

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

http://www.wildbirds.com/Find-Birds/Birding-in-Naples-Florida

Also Little Estero in Ft Myers Beach

http://nuttybirder.com/Wheretobird/Florida/southfl/littleesterofl.html

Those are my favorite places when I go.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Ding Darling National Park in Sanibel is probably the best of the best you'll find in the area.. You HAVE to go at LOW TIDE. if you go at high tide you will NOT see birds. They feed in the shallows at low tide which is all along the road. Corkscrew swamp sanctuary can be good as well for Owls. It's a good walk out on the board walk, use a stroller to carry camera equipment, water and snacks. You need to call ahead and ask the girls if they are spotting any owls at this time of year.. Also ask about the Wood Storks, they have not shown up for years. If not it's only good for landscapes. Marco Island is good for the Borrowing Owls but you need to find a local birder that can tell you where to find them. Cape Coral is Great for borrowing owls. You can start across the street from the the local Library. Right in this neighborhood you'll find a few dozen more. South on 41 going out of town you will find all the alligators and local water birds you will ever want to photograph. Avoid the Air boat rides along 41 they all suck and are tourist traps. Good for landscapes but the engine noise drives all wildlife out of vision.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

You might want to try to meet some 'hog' in person. Theses folks, if available, may enjoy showing you what you seek.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

The Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a good place, as is the CREW Land & Water Trust Bird Rookery Swamp Trail, though the Bird Rookery Swamp Trail has been closed beyond the boardwalk due to damage from Hurricane Irma. Of course there is the Everglades too. If you dig butterflies and flowers the Naples Botanical Gardens is fantastic.

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

2 places I can recommend within 20 miles of Naples are: Rookery Bay south and east of Naples and Corkscrew Sanctuary north and east of Naples. Both offer good bird shooting at various times during the year. I would call first and see what the conditions are.

hahersh Loc: Burlington, ON, Canada

Cape Coral for burrowing owls. Should be chicks in March. Best locations are near the library and Pelican Baseball Complex.
Marco Island, which is closer to Naples, also has burrowing owls. However I have not been there so I have no first hand information.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Viera is a long way from Naples, but......if you're visiting the Orlando area for any reason, the best are the Orlando Wetlands Park at Christmas and the Cape Canaveral National Wildlife Refuge. Both are outstanding

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

Also, in downtown Orlando, Lake Eola Park is great for birding photos.. and it is in the center of downtown Orlando.. but that's quite a hike from Naples.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

J.N. Darling National Wildlife Refuge is just North of Napes. Due east on the east coast is Green Cay Wetlands, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Wakodahatchee Wetlands, and Brian Piccolo Park. The east coast stuff is about 3 hours away.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Here is a booklet showing places in Florida for birding.

Florida Birding: A Guide to the Best Birding Locations In the Sunshine State https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546409076/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hdntAbG3VQ9FQ

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

If you come to Orlando. Go to gatorland early in the morning. It’s breedibg season and they open up for Photographers at Seven AM. Also Orlando Wetlands is great and best is Merritt Island wildlife refuge. Near Kennedy space Center. Maybe the best place in Florida. Also you can visit the space center and get some great shots.

astacus

We think this area is worth traveling from the UK for.

I'd also recommend Tigertail Beach - lovely area, and you can wade into the water and shoot birds on the shore with the sun behind you. We had a family of burrowing owls one block away from where we stayed on Marco island.

Here's the link to the whole gallery, or if you wish, back up to see birds form across the world :-)

Fabulous area. You're close enough to Corkscrew Swamp. We drove over to Wakodahatchee, and liked it so much we made an impromptu overnight there. Estero is great. They have some mad reddish egrets with their manic fishing habits - and you can wade into the water again and shoot them with the subsetting behind you.

astacus

Sorry, forgot to add link to our website..this will point to the FL 17 trip

https://rjbwild.smugmug.com/USA/Florida-2017/

This link is the top level, and includes other parts of the worldEnjoy!
Rob

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

Head out to Lake Trafford. And on the way to or from, stop at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The two combined will make for a nice day.