Little Estero Island (South End)

Located just south of Ft Myers Beach is a wildlife area and in the spring is a protected part of the beach, and always great for birding with the camera.  Rarely is anyone disappointed.  Since it is also a public beach area the birds tolerate people to some extent.  The very south end, just before the last bridge, you can see small nests in the sand with very protective mothers along side.  Many times I see photographers with 600mm lenses laying on the sand with their camera on a bean-bag waiting for the mother to bring a minnow to her chick.  I could never lay that long on the hot sand.  :)

If you visit then plan to walk some and to not carry too much equipment in the hot sun.

Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area

This area offers a wonderful walk along the beach and the lagoon.  Springtime of course is the time for nesting and this place has many opportunities to view wildlife, young and old.  In this area the wildlife can be moving fast, it will challenge your skills to get a good shot.  There is a mile and a half area at the bottom of the island that is set aside for wildlife protection, but during the time these areas are roped off (really string) there is room to walk in and around the area.

Map

Dive Bombing Terns are everywhere trying to protect their nests.  They never really touch you, but they come close, very close.  This is a tern coming straight down into my camera.  With manual fixed focus I was able to burst off many shots as the bird came into range, I was trying to get at least one or two that were good.

Wilson Plovers

Sanibel Island - Ding Darling

Ding is a beautiful place with a great offering of Rosetta Spoonbills and Night Herons.  In the early morning by the tower is a good place to walk around and view the flocks of Spoons.  By 9:00 am they will start to fly overhead.  A great location to get "Birds in Flight" shots.  Set your exposure manually, and start with the exposure of the bird in the water and adjust from there.

Many photographers will be using a tripod with their long telephotos for steady shots of the bird's feeding.  But will have a quick release to pull the camera off when they start flying off and overhead.

Burrowing Owls of SW Florida

Some of the locations now are more difficult to shoot because the grasses are very high around some burrows.  The spring colors though, make for good backgrounds.

It's pleasant that these birds are somewhat tolerant of people, making them great birds to observe at a reasonable distance.  This also makes them good subjects to start learning bird photography and testing your skills, without having too many disappointing shots.  These birds have helped me get to know my equipment and limitations.  You also learn to wait a lot.  I use a monopod but a tripod is better since you are waiting for the right moment.  The monopod does make it easier to move around and change views quickly.

Many shots can be taken from the car.  The birds are more tolerant of a car it seems, a good window mount helps.  I use my monopod, shortened of course, and press it between the door and seat.

I'm not fat just shaking the dust off

Family moment

Burrowing Owls of Cape Coral

Though this is not an ideal nature walk, the area is very enjoyable and productive. In Cape Coral, FL, it is common for burrows to be located within two block clusters, making their homes in empty residential lots. Early mornings and evenings are best to catch them out and about . The Public Library area is a well known location, with many sites easily seen from the road, also the area around Veteran's Park is worthy of mentioning, with at least 5 burrows.
Though I am able to walk up to within 20ft of some (many are located just 25ft from the sidewalk), I do not always feel comfortable in doing so. Daily these birds view cars and people passing by, but testing “how close” is not something I like to do.

"Tombstone Bird"

The best to hope for is to see one sitting up on their “T” posts provided at each burrow. For me this does not happen often enough. This does provide a clear shot without interference from grasses. The other challenge is to get good even lighting. Since the usual time for shooting is during low sun angles setup is important. At the right angle their eyes do light up well.

I used a 400mm IS with an 1.4x T.C., which helped with close-ups.