Florida Run - May 6 - May 12

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

Whiskeyman

Whiskeyman

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Marketplace
Member's gallery
I'm starting a Florida photo trip on Saturday. I'll leave my house on Saturday morning and plan to be at the St Augustine Alligator Farm on Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning (May 6-7), before I head to Vero Beach to meet up with Tom and his wife for two days of photography with a guide, Dick Vautrinaut on Monday and Tuesday (May 8-9). I'll leave Vero Beach and drive to Venice on Wednesday (May 10) and plan to meet with Anjin San at the Venice Rookery Wednesday evening. After we're done there, I'm driving to the Sarasota area and plan to visit The Celery Fields, Benderson Park and any other place that might offer great photo opportunities. I'll be in the Sarasota area until mid-morning on Friday (May 12).

Why tell you about this? Because if anyone is in the St Augustine or Sarasota areas on the days I/we're there, I'd/we'd invite any others from the forum to join us on our photo shoots. In addition, I'm open to any more suggestions as to where to go for the best opportunities. Keep in mind that the schedule in Sarasota is fluid as of now.

If you're able, and also wish to join us, please PM either Anjin San or me and we can get you the information to join us.

Thanks, and I hope that we hear from some of you. Better yet, I hope some of you are able to join us.
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
Myakka River State Park is a beautiful place. I would check ebird to see what birds are being seen there when you are in Sarasota. You will certainly find big alligators and likely see wild turkey and hogs. Near dusk there are a lot of Whitetail Deer. I was there a couple weeks ago and photographed a deer with antlers in velvet and a flock of 8 American Avocets. For me, I would rather spend my time at the north end of Fort Desoto Park (not that far from Sarasota) than at the Celery Fields but it depends on the type of birds you want to photograph. Last year there was a nesting colony of Black Skimmers at the beach just west of St. Armands Circle in Sarasota but you may be a little early for them (assuming they come back there again this year). If you go to the Celery Fields make sure you check the feeders and trees around the feeders behind the visitor center. I have photographed Painted Buntings, Nanday Conures, and a Yellow headed Blackbird there. Unfortunately I’ll be working and won’t be able to meet with you.
 
Member's gallery
Whiskeyman said:
I'm starting a Florida photo trip on Saturday. I'll leave my house on Saturday morning and plan to be at the St Augustine Alligator Farm on Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning (May 6-7), before I head to Vero Beach to meet up with Tom and his wife for two days of photography with a guide, Dick Vautrinaut on Monday and Tuesday (May 8-9). I'll leave Vero Beach and drive to Venice on Wednesday (May 10) and plan to meet with Anjin San at the Venice Rookery Wednesday evening. After we're done there, I'm driving to the Sarasota area and plan to visit The Celery Fields, Benderson Park and any other place that might offer great photo opportunities. I'll be in the Sarasota area until mid-morning on Friday (May 12).

Why tell you about this? Because if anyone is in the St Augustine or Sarasota areas on the days I/we're there, I'd/we'd invite any others from the forum to join us on our photo shoots. In addition, I'm open to any more suggestions as to where to go for the best opportunities. Keep in mind that the schedule in Sarasota is fluid as of now.

If you're able, and also wish to join us, please PM either Anjin San or me and we can get you the information to join us.

Thanks, and I hope that we hear from some of you. Better yet, I hope some of you are able to join us.
Click to expand...
I sure wish I could join you! I had hoped to get back down to FL in May but work is just getting in the way.
 
Member's gallery
Rookie Roy said:
Myakka River State Park is a beautiful place. I would check ebird to see what birds are being seen there when you are in Sarasota. You will certainly find big alligators and likely see wild turkey and hogs. Near dusk there are a lot of Whitetail Deer. I was there a couple weeks ago and photographed a deer with antlers in velvet and a flock of 8 American Avocets. For me, I would rather spend my time at the north end of Fort Desoto Park (not that far from Sarasota) than at the Celery Fields but it depends on the type of birds you want to photograph. Last year there was a nesting colony of Black Skimmers at the beach just west of St. Armands Circle in Sarasota but you may be a little early for them (assuming they come back there again this year). If you go to the Celery Fields make sure you check the feeders and trees around the feeders behind the visitor center. I have photographed Painted Buntings, Nanday Conures, and a Yellow headed Blackbird there. Unfortunately I’ll be working and won’t be able to meet with you.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry that you're unable to join us; work is a four-letter word, isn't it? If only I could win a big enough prize in the lottery, but that's hard to do when you do play, and impossible to do when you don't play, like me! :sneaky:

Thank you for the site advice. I'll be sure to check the feeders at The Celery Fields. Do you have any specific spots in MRSP that you've found to be consistently good? I've wanted to get to Fort DeSoto as well, and might make that my Friday morning shoot location, depending upon when Anjin San wants to leave the area and where he wants to go. Fort DeSoto is a detour, but is still along the route of my trip trip back home.

One of the perks of a driving trip is there isn't a hard schedule like there is when travelling by air, and I can be as flexible as Gumby as far as shooting locations go. Even with a dawn stop in Fort Desoto, I could still be home by 7 or 8 PM. My only issue is that I've never been there, so I'm not knowledgeable of the details of a shoot there.

DavidT said:
I sure wish I could join you! I had hoped to get back down to FL in May but work is just getting in the way.
Click to expand...
Dadgum work gets in the way too much for me, too. My boss wanted me to reschedule this trip, but I reminded him that this trip is happening now because he had asked me to reschedule two trips before, and I abided with his request. He looked at me a bit sheepishly after I told him that, and didn't say another word afterwards. Maybe another time! Or maybe I'll take a trip out your way to Texas and you can lead the way around the places you know.
 
Member's gallery
As far as MRSP I really don’t have any specific spots. Just keep your eyes open as you drive deeper into the park. I stop when see something interesting and walk a bit. Please see the other threads on this site for details on Fort Desoto. My favorite area is the area beyond the north beach. There is partially enclosed water area which forms sort of a mud flat where there are a lot of shore birds. A good spot for warblers is the fountain beyond the rangers house and another good spot for shore birds is the east beach turn around.
 
Member's gallery
Rookie Roy said:
Myakka River State Park is a beautiful place. I would check ebird to see what birds are being seen there when you are in Sarasota. You will certainly find big alligators and likely see wild turkey and hogs. Near dusk there are a lot of Whitetail Deer. I was there a couple weeks ago and photographed a deer with antlers in velvet and a flock of 8 American Avocets. For me, I would rather spend my time at the north end of Fort Desoto Park (not that far from Sarasota) than at the Celery Fields but it depends on the type of birds you want to photograph. Last year there was a nesting colony of Black Skimmers at the beach just west of St. Armands Circle in Sarasota but you may be a little early for them (assuming they come back there again this year). If you go to the Celery Fields make sure you check the feeders and trees around the feeders behind the visitor center. I have photographed Painted Buntings, Nanday Conures, and a Yellow headed Blackbird there. Unfortunately I’ll be working and won’t be able to meet with you.
Click to expand...
I visited Myakka in February. The hurricane did some damage To the canopy walk. The gators did not disappoint.
 
Member's gallery
On the plane in 2 hours to Orlando to meet up with Wiskeyman and spend 5 days with Dick on Blue Cypress Lake. I will post shots from both the OM-1/300 F4 and the OM-1/100-400 so persons who are interested can see the IQ of the two lenses. In my view the IQ of the 300 F4 is superior to the D-500/500pf but only by a smigeon and the 100-400 is about the same as the 500PF but with deeper DOF which sometimes results in a lessor background but an ultra sharp eye.

Tom
 
Member's gallery
I am just back from Ft. DeSoto and then Vero Beach. The above post is correct, the flats north of North Beach had a lot of activity. The Beach by the pier behind the museum also had many shorebirds. In the evening, East Beach was pretty good. Around Vero I did Stick Marsh and Sebastian Inlet -- both were pretty good.
 
Member's gallery
Ok, Whiskeyman and I have coordinated…we are meeting at Venice Rookery Wednesday evening. Sunset is at 8:06 so we will meet somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00. Friday morning at Celery Fields…sunrise at 6:45 so meet around 6:30. I think he’s gonna do Brandeson (spelling?) SP Thursday morning but I won’t be there…so no idea on his real plans…but I was gonna recommend Fort DeSoto unless he wants to stay closer to his hotel in Sarasota. If ano Urdu is in the area and wants to show up,..come on down…there might be a cocktail afterwards Wednesday and/or breakfast after on Friday…ya never know.
 
Member's gallery
The Blue Cypress Lake is awesomely beautiful. The highlight of the day was playing with a pair of friendly barn owls
WR014493 copy.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
Member's gallery
I met Anjin San last night at the Venice Rookery, and we shot for over an hour; until the light ran out. (I was surprised with how small it actually is after hearing so much about it over the years.) There really weren't many species of birds there, but there was a lot of activity. One small GBH chick on the nest that I saw, and one older juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron still on the nest, along with many Great Egrets providing the bulk of the rookery's population.

I went to the Celery Fields this morning, arriving before the sun came up, and while there was activity to photograph, it is definitely way past peak. There are still Stilts with chicks, along with two broods of Mottled Ducks and Wood Ducks with ducklings that were out on the water for a while. My focus became the Black Capped Skimmers that were flying over the lagoons sporadically. They were very active for about ten-to-fifteen minutes at one point, but then became scarce. I missed many opportunities to get a shot of them because of idiocy (my own) and now am going to revisit the park again this evening since it is only about six-to-seven miles from my hotel.

I discussed the Celery Fields situation with Anjin San, and we've cancelled our visit there tomorrow morning, so if anyone was planning on meeting us there, know that you'll be on your own if you visit tomorrow. My guess is that since I've decided to not visit there tomorrow, the activity will be great and exciting.

Since I'll start home early tomorrow morning, with a stop at Fort DeSoto State Park on my way. I've encountered several people who've said that the activity there is still quite good, especially at North Beach.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top