Texas to St Augustine, FL

[jocareed]

Next month I and the wife are planning a trip to St. Augustine, FL. Since I'm a newbie with bird photography and would like to be able to photograph a variety of birds. Do any of you know of some places I could go where I could get some shots of a variety of birds? My setup:

Canon 40D; 24-105mm L; 100-400mm L; tripod
Would a monopod be better than a tripod? If so which brand?

Any special places for other types of photos would be appreciated.

[j_m_k]

If you are going through Tallahassee on I-10 you may want to make a stop in Wakulla Springs State Park. When I lived there I wasn't into bird photography but really wish I was, the area is beautiful. There are lots of different birds, lots of gators, and turtles all over.

http://www.wakullacounty.org/wakulla-5.htm

You might also want to check out http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/index.php. Alot of the people on the forums there are from Florida it seems.

[Nighthound]

Hi Joe. If you want some close ups of Great and Snowy Egret, Wood Stork and a variety of small Heron, the Gator Farm in St. Augustine comes to mind. You'll be going at the tail end of nesting but there should be plenty of young birds around. Your 100-400 will fit the bill nicely there. I'd suggest a tripod first. I use the Bogen 30011 BN with a Bogen 486 CR2 ball head, the 486 CR2 has the quick release plate which is a very nice feature. Plenty sturdy for the 100-400L. I have a Bogen monopod but I haven't used it since getting the tripod, I prefer the stability of the tripod. Good luck, I hope you have a great trip.

[sparker1]

I am not personally familiar with the Florida panhandle, but I do know there are numerous state parks and national wildlife reserves in that area. The Apalachicola estuary must be a good place for birds. I suspect Mobile Bay also has good spots, as well as manyother locations along the Gulf coast. Use Google to identify specific locations along your route. I just made a trip to Brevard County, FL based on Googled research and enjoyed several great birding locations.

[mikeivan]

Just like Texas, Florida has a birding trail, with numbered sites and excellent maps: http://myfwc.com/gfbt/
Of course, Texas has the first one:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildlife_trails/coastal/
My personal Florida experience is very limited (one trip) but Black Point Drive on Merritt Island NWR is an unforgettable memory for me and my wife.

[sparker1]

Just like Texas, Florida has a birding trail, with numbered sites and excellent maps: http://myfwc.com/gfbt/
Of course, Texas has the first one:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildlife_trails/coastal/
My personal Florida experience is very limited (one trip) but Black Point Drive on Merritt Island NWR is an uforgettable memory for me and my wife.

Funny you should say that. We just did Black Point Drive and were very disappointed. We then went to the visitors center, where a volunteer agreed that Black Point Drive is poor at this time, due to on-going drought. However, she pointed out some other drives in Merritt Island NWR that proved to be excellent. In addition to Google, it pays to ask the experts (which is why the OP came to this forum).

[mikeivan]

Funny you should say that. We just did Black Point Drive and were very disappointed. We then went to the visitors center, where a volunteer agreed that Black Point Drive is poor at this time, due to on-going drought. However, she pointed out some other drives in Merritt Island NWR that proved to be excellent. In addition to Google, it pays to ask the experts (which is why the OP came to this forum).

Oops, sorry, I am no expert and hope I did not represent myself as such, just relating a wonderful experience from a few years ago and trying to help. Did not mean to mislead the OP.

[sparker1]

Oops, sorry, I am no expert and hope I did not represent myself as such, just relating a wonderful experience from a few years ago and trying to help. Did not mean to mislead the OP.

Not meant as a criticism, just pointing out how things change and current knowledge is key.