Are you considering a road trip to photograph birds in Florida? If so, let me take the guess work out of your trip planning.

In this “Florida’s 13 Birding Hotspots For Photographers Guide” I share my top photo locations for birds along with some key information about each destination including recommended times to visit.

Due to the length of this post and to help this article load quickly, I am only showing a few birds in this post.

To view more Florida birds, please see my bird portfolio and also my extensive bird stock library.

Now grab your cameras, pack your car, and lets go photograph some birds!

Florida Birding Hotspots Road Trip

1. Everglades National Park

The Florida Everglades is the second largest United States national park and a vast wetlands of marshes, mangroves and hardwood hammocks. This combination of habitat, along with its location, makes it a great home for over 360 different species of birds.

With over 1.5 million acres, the Everglades National Park is also a wonderful landscape destination for photography. In fact, the park has so much to offer that this introductory paragraph does not do it justice.

To help with trip planning, I have outlined some top birding spots and a link to a great Everglades blog post by Nature TTL.

Pro Tip: For bird photography, the Everglades are best when there has been a period of dry weather. During dry periods, the birds will tend to gather in larger numbers around any remaining bodies of water.

Best Times To Visit

The best times to visit Everglades National Park are from November through early April, with February and March being favorite months. As noted above, plan any visit in that time period for when there are at least 5- 7 days of little rain.

As a bonus, there are fewer mosquitos in the Everglades in winter. In warmer weather, mosquitos can ruin a trip.

Everglades-Best Places To Photograph Birds

What Birds Are In The Everglades

There are more than 360 different species of birds found in Everglades National Park including everything from raptors to song birds. However, it is the16 different species of wading birds that draw photographers from all over the world to the Everglades each winter. Not only are there so many different wading birds, but their sheer numbers make the Everglades National Park a don’t miss bird photography destination.

Here is a link to all the different birds that visit the Everglades: Everglades Birds.

What Camera Gear to Bring

Everglades- Things To Know

2. Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida is a small wetland comprised of about 50 acres that is packed with birds. It is accessed by walking a 3/4 mile boardwalk that takes visitors up close to an amazing variety of birds and other wildlife that don’t seem to mind people.

From November through April, the wetlands come alive with breeding birds such as the great blue heron, great egret, wood storks, anhingas, cattle egrets and other wading birds.

Note: Later in the season there are so many birds on trees, the shrubs and branches can be covered in bird poop making it difficult to create a pleasing photograph. This is particularly true for the trees at the first part of the boardwalk. If you can visit just after a rain, I found it helped clean up the trees a bit.

Wakodahatchee- Best Time To Visit

November through April are good months to visit Wakodahatchee Wetlands with February through April having the most birds.

For photographers interested in capturing the various courtship displays and birds in breeding plumage, however, I recommend visiting the wetlands from November through early February. For photographs of chicks in the nest, plan visits for later in February through April.

What Birds Are At The Wetlands?

Wakodahatchee in peak season is packed with over 160 varieties of birds including waterfowl, hawks, wading birds, song birds and other birds. In fact, Wakodahatchee is one of my top places to photograph a large variety of birds within a short distance.

There is no need to walk miles or drive long and slow one way drives to photograph birds. Birds are all within a compact 50 square mile radius.

What Camera Gear To Bring

At Wakodahatchee you are usually, but not always, close to the action and don’t need a long lens to get great shots.

Wakodahatchee- Thing to Know

The first time I visited Wakodahatchee Wetlands, I brought a 500mm lens and also a 70-200mm lens. The 70-200mm was too short and the 500mm was great when the bird was on the ground but clipped too many bird parts when birds took flight.

Bonus: I have included a link to a very well written article from a site called Pointinfocus about Wakodahatchee where the author does a nice job discussing what camera gear to use at the wetlands: Wakodahatchee. I highly recommend taking a minute to read his guide as it is packed with everything you need to know about the wetlands.

3. Green Cay

Located just minutes from Wakodahatchee Wetlands is Green Cay Wetlands which is on land that previously belonged to a pepper farmer. The wetland is about 100 acres and filled with a large variety of birds. (I am not aware of any significant rookery activity at Green Cay.)

The birds at Green Cay Wetlands, tend to be more skittish than at Wakodahatchee and rarely come as close to its 1.3 mile boardwalk. The open water areas of Green Cay Wetlands, however, provide some wonderful and unobstructed backgrounds for bird photography that are not present at Wakodahatchee.

Green Cay Wetlands is also good for landscape photography and I highly recommend combining a visit to Green Cay Wetlands with Wakodatachee Wetlands. Both are great birding destinations but different enough to warrant spending time at each location.

Green Cay Wetlands- Best Times To Visit

The best time to visit Green Cay Wetlands is about the same time frame but also later in spring than Wakodahatchee. Green Cay is also good for landscapes on the back section of the boardwalk.

What Birds Are At the Wetlands?

There are 250 different species of birds that have been documented at Green Cay Wetlands. In fact I find it easier to photograph hawks and green herons at Green Cay Wetlands than Wakodahatchee.

What Camera Gear To Bring

Green Cay Wetlands- Things to Know

Cost: It is free to visit Green Cay Wetlands.

Hours: The wetlands are open from sunrise to sunset.

Website: Green Cay Wetlands.

Restrooms: At entrance.

4. Ding Darling

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, on Sanibel Island in Florida, is a 6400 acre sanctuary with a 5 mile one way wildlife drive and miles of trails. For photographers, it is the wildlife drive that is the draw where one can photograph a wide variety of birds with ease.

Note: I have not been to Ding Darling since it reopened after sustaining major damage from a hurricane so I can’t attest to the latest conditions on the drive.

Best Times To Visit

The best time to visit Ding Darling is from February and March and if possible, plan your drive for when early mornings coincide with low tides. However, Ding Darling can be good year round, just with fewer birds.

What Birds Are At Ding Darling

Ding Darling has over 245 species of birds with a large number of wading birds. This is one of my favorite locations from photographing all types of wading birds in Florida including the black capped night herons.

What Camera Gear To Bring

The great thing about Ding Darling Wildlife Drive is all your gear can be with you! Well, of course, only the gear that you brought on your trip. So I will skip listing any specific camera gear, other than to say you will definitely want a good telephoto lens in the range of 100-400mm and a longer lens if you own one.

Ding Darling Things To Know

Cost: The cost to enter Ding Darling is $10 for a vehicle and $25 for an annual pass. There are special rates for cyclists and seniors.

Hours: Ding Darling is open from 7:30 to 5:30 every day but Fridays when it is closed. I do believe it closes later in the day during summer months.

Website: Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.

Restrooms: Award winning restrooms at Visitor Center

5. Audubon Corkscrew Swamp

Audubon Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida features a popular 2.25 mile boardwalk through an old growth bald cypress swamp. Unlike many of the other places on this list, photographers here will not be photographing birds in open bodies of water, but instead in an enclosed swamp setting. Lighting and backgrounds can be much more challenging but also more rewarding in the types of bird photography found in the swamp.

Best Times To Visit

Birds throughout South Florida are more prevalent in winter and that holds true for Corkscrew Swamp as well. However, there are a number of year round birds at Corkscrew Swamp.

Regardless of what time of year you visit, I highly recommend visiting the swamp as soon as it opens. Less crowds usually translate to more bird sightings. This is especially true if you are hoping to photograph some of the owls that are at the swamp. Also as the crowds increase later in the day, so does the amount of shaking of the boardwalk.

What Birds Are In Corkscrew Swamp

The swamp is home to 17 different wading bird species, a large number of song birds, woodstorks, barred owls, waterfowl and raptors.

What Camera Gear to Bring

If I could only bring one lens, it would be the 100-400mm telephoto lens. If I could bring two lens, I would also carry a 300mm or 400mm f4. I found the 500mm was too much reach for many of the subjects and ended up clipping bird wings and feet too often! Due to all the boardwalk shaking, leave the tripod in the car.

Corkscrew Swamp Things to Know

Hours: The swamp is open from 8-5 during December through April with the last admission at 3 p.m. However, it is highly recommended that visitors purchase tickets online in advance since only a certain number of admissions are allowed each day.

Cost: General Admission is $17.

Website: Audubon Corkscrew Swamp.

Restrooms: At entrance.

6. Rich Grissom Memorial Wetlands

Rich Grissom Memorial Wetlands, Viera Wetland, is located in Viera, Florida on the central east coast and is one of my all time favorite bird photography destinations. Sadly as of this writing, the Wetlands closed for repairs in 2023 and will not reopen till late early March.

I am leaving Viera on my top 13 list since it has been such a great bird photography destination in the past.

In fact I even wrote a blog post called a Great Blue Heron Love Story about herons at Rich Grissom Memorial Wetlands.

Update: I drove to the Wetlands, on Feb 21, 2024 to check out the surrounding areas for birds. There are no birds anywhere nearby that I could see but of course could not access the wetland area. Based on the impact of all the construction, I would recommend not visiting Viera until fall of 2024.

7. St. Augustine Alligator Farm

The Alligator Farm is located in St. Augustine on Anastasia Island and is home to more alligators than you can imagine. But that’s not all, the Alligator Farm is also one the best bird rookeries in the United States and therefore the focus of this post.

Here a long boardwalk over alligator filled ponds takes visitors right into the heart of the rookery. From this boardwalk, photographers can easily capture birds in beautiful breeding plumage, in various stages of nest building, and also as they raise chicks.

To help you plan your visit, I wrote a comprehensive post about bird photography at the Alligator Farm shown below. In the post, you will find everything you need to plan your photography trip to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.

Also here is a link to an expected rookery schedule: Alligator Farm Rookery Schedule.

Pro Tip: I find mid March through April to be the best times to photograph birds at the Alligator Farm. Not only is the rookery filled with all types of birds, but also the trees have begun to turn green creating a beautiful backdrop.

Website: St. Augustine Alligator Farm

Restrooms: Restrooms are located at the entrance to the park as well as in a couple locations throughout the park.

8. Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge is a 140,000 acre preserve in central Florida by the Atlantic Ocean and home to an amazing array of birds and other wildlife. Its crown jewel is the 7 mile one way Black Point Drive which you can read all about in my “Best Places for Bird Photography at Merritt Island” post.

During peak season from late October through March, there can be up to 359 different species of birds including many types of wintering waterfowl and wading birds. It is also one of the few places to see the Florida Scrub Jay.

In addition to being a great photo spot for birds, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge is also home to beautiful sand dunes, marshes, fishing, boating, pinewood and hardwood forests, wildlife, and more.

Tip: You can drive through Merritt Island one day and see nothing then come back the next day and the place is full of birds. Therefore be sure to allow enough time to make a few visits when coming to the refuge.

Best Times to Visit

Merritt Island is good to visit any time of the year except the dead of summer. For those interested in photographing birds, the months of December through April will be best. For waterfowl, you will definitely want to visit during winter months. Personally, I have had better luck in March through early June photographing birds such as the reddish egret and spoonbills than January and February for some unexplainable reason.

What Camera Gear To Bring

Bring all the camera gear you can from lens in the range of 17mm all the way to 600mm.

Merritt Island- Things to Know

Cost: Daily entrance fees for Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge are $9. For holders of the America the Beautiful Pass, entrance is free.

Hours: The main highway through the refuge is open 24 hours a day except for space launches. Black Point Drive and Biolab Road are open from sunrise to sunset. I have always found it best to check the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge Facebook page prior to visiting for any last minute closures.

Trust me I have been there twice to find it closed unexpectedly.

Website: Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.

Restrooms: Restrooms are located at the Visitor Center as well as several other locations in the refuge.

9. Circle B Ranch

Circle B Ranch is a former cattle ranch by Lakeland, Florida that has been restored to its original state and turned into a nature reserve on the shores of Lake Hancock. This is Old Florida at its best.

The reserve is over 1,267 acres with 6 miles of trails of various lengths to explore along with a short .5 mile Lost Bridge trail to Lake Hancock.

With so much to see and photograph, be sure to visit the ranch when you have plenty time to take in several of its trails.

Best Time To Visit

Circle B Bar Ranch is in one of the hottest parts of Florida therefore I recommend visiting during the cooler months of December-February. Although the migratory birds will arrive earlier that December and stay later than February, the heat and bugs can make for a very uncomfortable visit.

What Birds Are There

There have been of 220 different species of birds documented at the ranch. Year round birds include Limpkins, Ibis, Wood Storks, song birds, hawks, eagles, Purple Gallinule and Sandhill Cranes to name a few. Some of the popular migratory birds include large numbers of White Pelicans, waterfowl, and many wading birds.

What Camera Gear to Bring

This is a tough one since it would be ideal to bring both a good telephoto lens in the range of 100mm to 400mm and also a longer lens of 500mm to 600mm to be able to capture the largest number of birds at the reserve. However, to see the best variety of bird life, you will need to do a number of trails and may not want to carry all that weight.

Only you will know how much gear you are comfortable carrying for a distance.

Circle B Bar Ranch-Things To Know

Cost: Circle B Bar Ranch is free to visit.

Hours: Circle B Bar Ranch is open from 6 A.M. to 6:30 P. M. standard time and 5:30 A.M. to 8 P.M Daylight Saving time. Although the trails are open every day, the Discovery Center is closed on Mondays.

Website: Circle B Bar Ranch

Restrooms: There is a restroom in the Discovery Center and a port-a-let by the parking lot. I do not believe there are in other facilities.

10. Gatorland

Gatorland is a theme park in south Orlando similar to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Like the Alligator Farm, in breeding season, it fills with a large variety of wading birds. I have included Gatorland in this top 13 birding spots in Florida based on input for fellow photographers as I have yet to visit Gatorland myself.

The reason I may never visit Gatorland is because I live closer to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine and Gatorland no longer has early entry hours for photographers. It’s opening hours as shown below are at 10 A.M which is later that I prefer to begin a shoot.

Best Time to Visit

The nesting birds at Gatorland arrive in late winter with the peak breeding season in full swing in spring of each year. Try to avoid weekends if possible although I hear it is always very crowded.

What Birds Are At Gatorland

Since I have no personal experience let me refer you to the following sites: Florida Birding Trail and EBird.

What Camera Gear To Bring

Again I have no personal knowledge but photographers who I know and respect have told me that a 100-400mm lens will let you capture most of the birds. Birds roosting further away, however, will require a longer lens.

Gatorland- Things to Know

Cost: Admission for Adults is $34.99 and $54.99 for an annual pass. There are special rates for children and seniors as well as discount days that can be found at: Gatorland Tickets.

Hours: Admission hours are from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Again this late admission is one of the reasons I have not visited the park in the past couple years as I find a 10 A.M. admission to be very late during peak rookery times.

After Covid, Gatorland only offered a photographers pass in 2012 on very limited days that allowed early entry and as of 2024, Gatorland no longer offers any photographer passes with early admissions opportunities.

Website: Gatorland

Restrooms: There are two restrooms, one close to the entrance and another one by Pavilion West as seen on this map.

11. Orlando Wetlands Park

Orlando Wetlands Park is a 1650 acre park in Christmas, Florida off Highway 50 that is a great bird photography destination in Florida. In fact, there are about 18 miles of trails on berms and boardwalks. (I have not done all 18 miles of trails as there is much to photograph just from the boardwalk and nearby trails.)

Although birds are year round residents of the park, to view the largest number of birds, it is best to visit during winter and early spring as it true of all Florida spots.

Of note, there is a new and expansive visitor center scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2024. Also there is a very large covered shelter with tables by the parking lot where you can take a break from the sun and enjoy a picnic.

Tip: Although there is a fairly large parking lot at Orlando Wetlands, it is a very popular place and the parking lot can fill up at times.

Best Times To Visit

The best time to visit Orlando Wetlands Park is from January through May and again in fall when the weather cools down. March is a great time to capture roseate spoonbills during breeding season as they build nests.

Be aware, however, that this is Florida and can get very hot, even in March. The trails have no shade so be sure to bring a hat and plenty of water.

What Birds Are At The Wetlands

Orlando Wetlands has all the typical wading birds of Florida along with some birds not often seen including the Cara Cara, Least Bittern and Purple Gallinule. In fact these wetlands are on my must visit list and include over 220 species of birds.

What Gear To Bring

Bring the fastest and longest lens you are able to carry as well as a good telephoto lens in the range of 100-400mm or 100-500mm. Not only are some birds at quite a distance but also there are many song birds here.

Orlando Wetlands Park- Things to Know

Cost: It is free but they welcome donations so please consider supporting this amazing place.

Hours: Sunrise to sunset Tuesday-Sunday. Closed on Mondays.

Website: Orlando Wetlands

Restrooms: Only at entrance

12. Lake Apopka Drive

Lake Apopka Drive is an 11 mile one way drive on the northwest side of Orlando and a great place to see wading birds, raptors and other birds from the comfort of your car. The drive goes along the shoreline of Lake Apopka which is one of Florida’s top 5 largest lakes.

In addition to birds, expect to see plenty of alligators and other wildlife.

The speed limit on the drive is 10 mph so plan to spending at least 2 hours, and up to 4 hours on the drive, depending on how many stops you make. Also be aware that you can easily find yourself behind drivers that will only go 1 mph and will not move over.

The first 3 miles of Lake Apopka Drive are through large open water areas with plenty of places to pull over and photograph birds. Once you reach the historic pump house with two port-a-lets, the next several miles of the drive become a narrow road with deep ditches on each side and only a few pull off areas. For photographers, this makes it very challenging to stop and photograph any birds on this stretch without stopping all traffic behind you.

The last several miles are a combination of wider and narrow roads with more places to stop but not nearly as many as the first 3 miles. For the above reason, I encourage photographers to spend as much time as possible on the first 3 miles of the drive.

Best Times to Visit

The best time to visit Lake Apopka Drive for bird photography is from December through early April, however, you can still find many resident birds in the area all year. It is best to make the drive in the early morning hours to see the most birds and avoid the crowds that visit later in the day. Also, May through October can be very hot in the Orlando area.

What Birds Are At Lake Apopka

One can expect to photograph the usual Florida wading birds, a number of ospreys, especially around mile 7, waterfowl, and other birds. Because the drive is inland, you will not find spoonbills, large numbers of pelicans, and other coastal birds like you would find in places like Merritt Island. Here is a link to the typical birds you can expect to see along the drive: Birds of Lake Apopka.

On one of my recent visits there were so many whistling ducks I could not believe it. Unfortunately they were all around mile 5 and 6 and I had no place to pull over and photograph them.

Note: As of 2024, there is one nesting great blue heron pair on the first part of the drive.

What Gear To Bring

The great thing about Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is that you can bring all the camera gear that you can fit in your car so bring it all!

Lake Apopka- Things To Know

Cost: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is free.

Hours: The drive is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m Friday-Sunday with the last entrance at 3 p.m. since the drive takes 2 hours.

Website: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive and Map. Note, the map also shows other areas on Lake Apopka that you may want to check out.

Restrooms: There are a couple portable toilets at about the 3 mile mark on the drive.

13. Fort De Soto

Fort De Soto is located over 5 different islands just south of St. Petersburg, Florida with over 1,100 acres. It is an incredible destination for anyone in Florida but is especially great for bird photographers. If you are interested in photographing shore birds and wading birds, this is a don’t miss Florida destination.

As a Florida native who has been to most of Florida’s great birding locations, this is one of my absolute favorite spots, not only it is great for bird photography, but the sunrises and sunsets can be incredible here.

Best Times To Visit

Bird photography at Fort De Soto is great any time of the year, but can be especially good when birds are migrating both in spring and fall. It is also a good nesting destination for certain shorebirds.

North Beach is a great place to photograph birds in the morning while East Beach is better in the afternoons.

What Birds Are There

Fort De Soto is a great place to photograph not just shore birds but also wading birds, song birds, raptors and more. To see the large variety of birds that visit Fort De Soto, click: Fort De Soto Birds.

What Gear To Bring

This is easy, bring every piece of camera gear you own when you visit Fort De Soto, not only will you need the longest lens for the smaller birds and other birds, but wide angle lens are great for sunrises and sunsets along with capturing large numbers of birds in a seascape.

Do keep in mind that this park is ocean front and salt water can damage equipment so be sure to keep lens cloths handy.

Fort De Soto- Things To Know

Cost: The cost to visit Fort De Soto is $5 a day by automobile and free for pedestrians and cyclists. Coming from St. Petersburg, there are two additional tolls before reaching the entrance to Fort De Soto.

Hours: Fort De Soto is open 7 days a week from sunrise to sunset although the Visitor Center and certain parkings lots close at 5 p.m.

Website: Fort De Soto. Let me also refer you to a great blog post from Florida Rambler on Fort De Soto.

Restrooms: There are a number of conveniently placed restrooms in the park that will be clearly marked on a map you pick up at the park entrance. Do be sure to pick up a map as the on line maps do not do the best job identifying the restroom facilities.

Florida’s Top Photography Spots -Closing Thoughts

Florida has so many great bird photography locations that is was difficult to narrow my list to even 13 birding hotspots. What I aimed to do in this post was provide a combination of locations in various parts of the state that included both driving and walking options.

Note: I realize there are other popular locations that I have left on this list for no reason than I keep this post to 13 locations.

The best times listed above for each destination are based on average weather conditions over a period of years and may not be accurate when weather does not behave in a normal pattern which seems to be the case these days. Therefore, it is up to you to always check the current conditions such as periods of heavy rain that could significantly impact the amount of birds at certain locations.

Lastly when visiting any birding location, especially during nesting season, be sure to photography birds in a manner that does not interfere with their daily activities such as feeding.