Overview
We have been developing trips in the US for many years and pride ourselves on going to some of the best locations that this wonderful country has to offer. We are lucky as we have secured the services of Stan Tekiela who is based in the States and has written over 200 books on the wildlife that can be found in this diverse country. We have been running trips to Florida for over 10 years now and in late winter it is a true bird photographer’s Mecca – warm sunny days, beautiful lagoons and probably some of the tamest birds in world who will walk right up to you to photograph. Water is pretty much at the heart of everything photographic too and this trip will focus principally on several intimate and dramatic Gulf coast sites where Egrets, Herons, Spoonbills, Anghina, Terns and Pelicans will be among the regular subjects we’ll be working with. We’ll also spend some time inland as well with nesting Ospreys and Burrowing Owls among the highlights. We will be moving on with reasonable regularity to visit each location to ensure a depth to the portfolio you’ll build over the course of trip, as well as gain a flavour of the diversity of Florida’s amazing birdlife and with Stan’s local knowledge there are always a few new surprise occasions to discover on each trip as well!
Itinerary Open +Close -
Day 1: A day of travelling to Tampa airport in Florida, so it will be off for a well-needed first night’s rest at a local motel when we arrive. Full flight details/recommendations will be advised nearer the time.
Day 2: We’ll begin our early mornings schedule with a trip to the coast for a first session with the variety of Egrets, Herons, Pelicans, Gulls, and waders that we’ll become increasingly familiar with, and the location here allows good opportunities for low-level photography in particular. With a restful middle part of the day (an approach we’ll adopt throughout the trip as mid-day light can be harsh) we’ll head to a different location for silhouette shots as the sun sets.
Day 3: A second morning in the Fort DeSoto area before we start our journey south to spend an afternoon and evening at a heron and egret rookery near to the town of Venice which with this being nesting season should offer lots of interaction and flight shot opportunities too with a number of different species usually present at this long-standing and productive location.
Day 4: After an early morning visit back at the rookery site to catch the sunrise and morning light, we will head further south towards Cape Coral, an area which is well known for several nest sites of the cute and very photogenic Burrowing Owls. We should be able to work with them at ground level for some very intimate and engaging images. We will look to spend the afternoon through until last light with these before heading to our motel base for the next 2 nights.
Day 5: We’ll return to spend some morning light time with the Burrowing Owls before heading to a different wetland site for the afternoon in search of the iconic and very photogenic Snail Kites, so named because of water snails forming the bulk of their diet. This rare raptor is showing a return from very low numbers due to extensive habitat restoration over the last 20 or so years and is a Florida speciality.
Day 6: We will head across to the Atlantic coast and our final base of Vero Beach over the course of the day with a possible return to the Snail Kites site in the morning (there are often sandhill Cranes here too) and will also look to stop at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in the afternoon which is an excellent site for large numbers of nesting Wood Storks giving us a new species to add to our growing portfolio.
Day 7: Today we will take an early morning boat trip onto another lake where there are more nesting Ospreys than we’ve ever seen in one location: the boat will gently glide in near them and we’ll be able to photograph nest building, flight, and landing shots on a truly dramatic morning. In the afternoon we’ll head to a location that allows us to work with the stunning Roseate Spoonbill.
Day 8: A last morning with the egrets, wood storks and herons before heading back to Tampa airport for our overnight return flights.
Day 9: Early morning arrival home.
What our customers say
“Always wanted to go to Florida to photograph the birds and this was well up to expectation.”
”I particularly enjoyed the Burrowing Owls!”
”A full-on and excellent trip.”
“It exceeded my expectations.”
“Stan was very friendly and his knowledge of birds and where to find them is incredible.”
“Exceeded every expectation. I don’t think I’ve ever not said that about a Nature’s Images trip, but this was truly awesome.”
“The beaches at St Petersburg were amazing, the Wakodahatchee wetlands were a brilliant surprise, absolutely loved the Ospreys at Blue Cypress.”
“Stan was incredible, his energy and enthusiasm never waning, utterly inspiring and never flinching at being asked the same naive questions over again!.”
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