Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Florida Parks

  • Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    Just outside of Gainesville in the town of Micanopy, FL lies Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. It is one of the largest parks in the state with almost 23,000 acres. It is designated as a National Natural Landmark. The preserve is known for snail kites, which is why we traveled there. There are also herds of bison and wild horses in the park, but we didn’t see them because high waters prevented us from reaching certain areas.

    We did, however, see several very large alligators. Since it was mating season, the males were bellowing all over the marsh. It’s an intimidating noise that sounds a lot like a lion roaring. At one point we thought we would witness a showdown between two very large gators but when they finally faced off, the smaller of the two hustled away into the grass.

    Alligator Male Bellowing In Marsh
    Large Male Alligator Bellowing in a Marsh

    But our trip was to see the snail kites and they did not disappoint. We counted a total of nine. It’s uncommon to see more than two or three so it was a great day. The only place in the US where Snail kites are found is Florida. They are considered endangered because of habitat loss. The main staple of their diet is the apple snail which are the size of a medium apple. They have a hooked bill which helps them dig the meat out of the large shells. Years ago, their main habitat was in the Everglades. But steady loss of the wetlands has forced them further north in search of more shallow lakes and marshes with apple snails.

    Snail Kite Perched On Dead Branch
    Female Snail Kite Perched on a Dead Limb

    The links below contain more information about Paynes Prairie State Park.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Sarasota Celery Fields

    Sarasota Celery Fields

    The Celery Fields nature preserve in Sarasota is another top destination for birders and photographers on the gulf coast of Florida. It’s also a popular place for runners and walkers with a series of trails.

    From the 1920s to around 1995, the fields were used for growing celery crops which is how the area got its name. The Celery Fields is also on the Great Florida Birding Trail.

    What makes the Celery Fields so popular is the wide range of bird species. We generally see several birds of prey, wading birds, songbirds and during the winter months, many ducks. The preserve is managed by the Audubon society, and they maintain feeders which are frequently visited by nanday parakeets, red-winged blackbirds, and other songbirds.

    Bluebird Male Sitting In Small Pine Tree
    Bluebird Male Sitting in a Small Pine Tree

    The past two years, a yellow-headed blackbird has appeared at the feeders, and he stayed there for the entire winter.

    The link below provides more information about the Celery Fields.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Circle B Bar Reserve

    Circle B Bar Reserve

    One of the most popular destinations in Florida for photographers, birders, hikers, and families is Circle B Bar Reserve just outside of Lakeland. It’s a fantastic place to see amazing wildlife while walking some lengthy trails. The park is located along the western side of Lake Hancock. The terrain varies widely from swampy water areas with small lakes to hardwood hammocks with huge oaks.

    Great Blue Heron Standing Sunlight
    Great Blue Heron Standing in the Sunlight

    The park is a relatively short drive from the Orlando area, so it gets many tourists in the winter, especially during spring breaks. They realize there is no reason to pay a lot of money to go to an alligator farm because when the weather is warm you can count on seeing plenty of gigantic gators at Circle B for free.

    For more information about the park, check out the link below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Sebring Area

    Sebring Area

    Sebring, Florida is known for its famous Sebring Raceway and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Racers from all around the world just descended on the small city of 10,000 people to drive in the annual event. The race is part of the prestigious IMSA sports car series.

    Sebring is surrounded by thousands of acres of agricultural land including citrus groves, blueberry farms and cattle pastures. It’s a great area to see many different species of wildlife, especially crested caracaras.

    Orange Tree With Blossoms And Fruit
    Orange Tree With New Blossoms and Fruit From the Last Crop

    On a recent visit we enjoyed the fragrant blossoms of citrus trees that were flowering with oranges still on the stems. And we were also successful in finding caracaras. One juvenile bird stayed within 30 feet of us as he tried to figure out how to carry away an armadillo carcass. He finally gave up and flew off but not before giving some nice photo opportunities.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • River Ranch

    River Ranch

    From March to September, Florida is the summer home to swallow-tailed kites. Hopefully, I’ll be writing about some great photo opportunities over the coming months. We began seeing these incredible birds around the end of February, so we decided to take a drive to an area that is known to have a decent population.

    KICCO Wildlife Management Area is located about 30 miles east of Lake Wales. The Florida National Scenic Trail cuts through the WMA. The Florida Trail is 1 of only 11 Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails in the country, and 1 of 3 contained entirely within a single state. The trail is currently about 1,500 miles long and winds its way across Florida from Big Cypress National Preserve in the south to Gulf Islands National Seashore in the western end of Florida’s panhandle. We did see 4 of the prized kites but they were sailing around above us while we were under the tree canopy, so we didn’t get any good photos.

    Eastern Phoebe Perched On Branch
    Eastern Phoebe Perched on a Branch

    Follow the link to learn more about KICCO WMA.

  • More Scrub Jays

    More Scrub Jays

    We recently ventured out to nearby nature preserve which has a large stand of scrub oaks. In Florida, when you find sizable areas of scrub oaks, you may find Florida scrub jays. They are very sociable and curious and tend to travel in family groups. Scrub jays can be very approachable which makes them a fun species to photograph. Their bright blue and gray markings are beautiful. It’s always a treat to find them because there are so few around. They are only found in Florida. The Federal Endangered Species Act lists them as threatened.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • The Notorious Deep Hole

    The Notorious Deep Hole

    Florida is known for alligators. Many people think of the Everglades as the foremost destination for seeing alligators. But if you live in or are visiting the southwest part of the state, there is no need to travel any further than Sarasota County to see lots of large gators.

    Large Group Of Alligators Resting Along Bank Of Pond
    Large Group of Alligators Resting Along the Bank of a Pond

    One amazing place is in a remote section of Myakka River State Park called the Deep Hole. The pond was supposedly created by a sink hole and is estimated to be over 100 feet deep. A special pass is required to visit the Deep Hole and only 30 passes are distributed every day.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Myakka River Wildlife Destination

    Myakka River Wildlife Destination

    Myakka River State Park is a wildlife and nature gem. Located in eastern Sarasota County, it is one of the largest parks in Florida with over 37,000 acres. The Myakka River flows through the park and creates a variety of lakes, ponds, and flooded marshlands. Because of the diverse terrain, the park is home to a huge variety of wildlife.

    There are many types of migrating birds that spend the winter and spring months in the park including several species of waterfowl. It’s also a good place to find roseate spoonbills which are one of the most desired birds for photos in the state.

    Roseate Spoonbill Flying By
    Roseate Spoonbill Flying By

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Go Green

    Go Green

    One of the most striking birds that we see around here is the nanday parakeet. Their colors are absolutely amazing. On the neon green bodies is an entire palette of blue and purple accents. They also look like they’re wearing orange and yellow socks.

    Unfortunately, despite their beauty, nandays are annoying because of their constant squawking which can get extremely loud. They can also quickly wipe out feeders.

    Nanday Parakeet Perched On Cedar Tree
    Nanday Parakeet Perched on a Cedar Tree

    For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Rosies

    Rosies

    One of the most cherished birds to photograph in Florida is the roseate spoonbill. The beautiful pink colors are always stunning to see. People from around the world visit Florida on photography tours just to see the spoonbills.

    They are particularly colorful this time of year as breeding season is underway.

    Roseate Spoonbill Looking For Food In Shallow Pond
    Roseate Spoonbill Looking for Food in a Shallow Pond

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Moon Over the Skyway

    Moon Over the Skyway

    This past Monday there was a full “Super” moon. A super moon occurs during the full moon’s closest approach to Earth. As luck would have it, the path of the moonrise allowed for photos of the moon between the spans of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It took a little planning but with some collaboration with about 15 other photographers from around the Tampa Bay area, we were able to get positioned and capture some pretty cool images.

    Super Moon Rising Above Lighted Sunshine Skyway Bridge
    Super Moon Rising Above the Lighted Sunshine Skyway Bridge

    It was a hazy evening which added to the challenge. But overall, the weather and the moon cooperated and made for some real fun. The next super moon occurs on May 26 this year.

  • Shore Birds

    Shore Birds

    During one of our recent visits to Fort DeSoto State Park in St. Petersburg, we saw several types of shore birds. Some live in this area all year while a few are just temporary residents until returning to distant nesting grounds. The whimbrel is one of the birds that migrates here from way up north along the arctic waters.

    Whimbrel Walking Along Water Edge
    Whimbrel Walking Along the Edge of the Water

    Another shore bird that travels long distances between their winter getaways and their arctic nesting homes is the Ruddy Turnstone. An interesting fact about turnstones is that there are only 2 species of turnstones in the world, and both live in North America.

    Ruddy Turnstone With Worm
    Ruddy Turnstone with a Small Worm

    For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

Don`t copy text!