Where would you go and when during the year?

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Michael H
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On our drive home from San Diego where I shot the Pelicans my wife and I were talking about travel next year. When asked where in the US I would want to go, I replied - I don't know but I know for what. We both fly fish and love seeing the ospreys and eagles when near water. I told her I wanted to go where we could reliably find Ospreys and Eagles fishing. I didn't know where that was but know there are some dams and other places with larger populations. Didn't know the best time of year either. For now my longest lens for my Nikon Z9 the 100-400 but that could change.

So please throw out some ideas. Bonus if there are other things to do in the area.

Thanks Michael
 
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Blue Cypress Lake in Florida has one of the highest number of nesting pairs of osprey. Check the internet on time.....I'm thinking June. You want to get there when they have chicks and are bringing food back to the nest. You can pre-arrange for a boat and driver. The drivers know where the best nests are. Many of the images in this gallery were shot at Blue Cypress Lake.

Alaska for eagles! LOL!
 
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BarkingBeansCoffee said:
On our drive home from San Diego where I shot the Pelicans my wife and I were talking about travel next year. When asked where in the US I would want to go, I replied - I don't know but I know for what. We both fly fish and love seeing the ospreys and eagles when near water. I told her I wanted to go where we could reliably find Ospreys and Eagles fishing. I didn't know where that was but know there are some dams and other places with larger populations. Didn't know the best time of year either. For now my longest lens for my Nikon Z9 the 100-400 but that could change.

So please throw out some ideas. Bonus if there are other things to do in the area.

Thanks Michael
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In the lower 48, Florida has one of the highest populations of nesting eagles and ospreys. In fact, it’s hard to spend more than 5 minutes near any FL coast without spotting at least one osprey. Eagle nests also are easy to find thanks to an interactive locator map https://fl.audubon.org/news/eaglewatch-launches-novel-nest-locator-map, but be sure to be ethical when approaching any nest. A little further north, in Virginia, there are several tour operators specializing in bald Eagle tours on the James River (https://www.discoverthejames.com/?q=Eagle-Tour). The eagles there are acclimated to photographers and often will swoop right overhead the boat, sometimes even making it hard to get a shot because they’re so close! I’m less familiar with locations out west, but I’ve heard that the Olympic Peninsula has a large eagle population. Good luck!
 
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In February Klamath Falls Oregon has lots of snow geese wintering over, and along with them a large population of eagles hunting them. I went last year; while water levels were lower than usual (and likely will be the same this year), we did see many, many eagles.
 
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Headed to Australia in February to include SE Queensland, NE New South Wales, and Western Australia. Also doing a side trip to the South Island of New Zealand from Queenstown to Picton the first two weeks in March.
 
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1-November: Chula Vista (on California-Mexico border) for San Deigo Bay wetlands and the Tiajuana Slough. (driving trip)
2-December: Bosque Del Apache (driving trip)
3-February: Laguna Seca Ranch is South Texas
4-March: TBD (driving trip)
5-May: Blue Cypress Lake, Florida.
 
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If wintering Sandhills Cranes with a mix of Snow Geese and other flying creatures that collect in large flocks is of interest to you check this out Wings over Wilcox (Arizona) - while it may be easier to visit other than the actual week of this event, it is quite popular. Maybe four hours or so from metro PHX. I usually go in early February to avoid the crowd, but before the cranes all leave by late February to migrate back north. Closest accommodations are in either Tombstone or Bisbee to “Whitewater Draw” Unless you stay in Wilcox which is closer to other groups of migratory flocks.
 
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JamesFarrell said:
If wintering Sandhills Cranes with a mix of Snow Geese and other flying creatures that collect in large flocks is of interest to you check this out Wings over Wilcox (Arizona) - while it may be easier to visit other than the actual week of this event, it is quite popular. Maybe four hours or so from metro PHX. I usually go in early February to avoid the crowd, but before the cranes all leave by late February to migrate back north. Closest accommodations are in either Tombstone or Bisbee to “Whitewater Draw” Unless you stay in Wilcox which is closer to other groups of migratory flocks.
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For those who have been to both locations, how does Wilcox compare with Bosque (not counting the festival, just the photo opportunities)?
 
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BarkingBeansCoffee said:
On our drive home from San Diego where I shot the Pelicans my wife and I were talking about travel next year. When asked where in the US I would want to go, I replied - I don't know but I know for what. We both fly fish and love seeing the ospreys and eagles when near water. I told her I wanted to go where we could reliably find Ospreys and Eagles fishing. I didn't know where that was but know there are some dams and other places with larger populations. Didn't know the best time of year either. For now my longest lens for my Nikon Z9 the 100-400 but that could change.

So please throw out some ideas. Bonus if there are other things to do in the area.

Thanks Michael
Click to expand...
Near Vero Beach, Florida you will find the T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management reserve https://floridabirdingtrail.com/trail/trail-sections/east-section/t-m-goodwin-wma/ , and Vero is also near Lake Blue Cypress. The birding is wonderful, and Goodwin is known for bass fishing. March-early April will get you breeding and nesting birds, like roseate spoonbills, ospreys, ibis, great egrets, etc.
 
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Butlerkid said:
Blue Cypress Lake in Florida has one of the highest number of nesting pairs of osprey. Check the internet on time.....I'm thinking June. You want to get there when they have chicks and are bringing food back to the nest. You can pre-arrange for a boat and driver. The drivers know where the best nests are. Many of the images in this gallery were shot at Blue Cypress Lake.

Alaska for eagles! LOL!
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I went here last may, 7-11. Lots of Osprey bringing fish to nest, high up in mangrove trees. The lake itself is murky - the birds do not fish here. They dive for fish elsewhere, then bring the fish back to the nest.
 
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MikePapple said:
I went here last may, 7-11. Lots of Osprey bringing fish to nest, high up in mangrove trees. The lake itself is murky - the birds do not fish here. They dive for fish elsewhere, then bring the fish back to the nest.
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Really? When I was there they were catching fish in the lake....we photographed them from the boat. My last visit was in 2017.

The shallow edges of the lake are filled with bald cypress trees (not mangrove trees). The ospreys build nests in the trees, and many of the nests are low enough to easily see and photograph the birds.

More information on Blue Cypress Lake
 
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Butlerkid said:
Blue Cypress Lake in Florida has one of the highest number of nesting pairs of osprey. Check the internet on time.....I'm thinking June. You want to get there when they have chicks and are bringing food back to the nest. You can pre-arrange for a boat and driver. The drivers know where the best nests are. Many of the images in this gallery were shot at Blue Cypress Lake.

Alaska for eagles! LOL!
Click to expand...

I've looked at a map of Blue Cypress Lake, and it doesn't look like there are trails around the lake. Are you pretty much limited to boat photography there?
 
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When I am able to travel I try to spend 6 weeks in Kenya/Tanzania )feb/mar and oct/nov) and 2+ in Mala Mala andChobe (June/July). The rest of the year I want to be back in Africa.
 
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Woodyg3 said:
I've looked at a map of Blue Cypress Lake, and it doesn't look like there are trails around the lake. Are you pretty much limited to boat photography there?
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Yes........ kayak, canoe or boat. I just call many months in advance and reserve a boat and driver for the early morning. As mentioned in the linked article in Post #15, the Middleton Fish Camp is named after Joe Middleton who was a fishing guide on the lake for years. When he died, a small cross with his name on it was put on his favorite spot on the lake. Here are a couple of infra red shots:

Infra red
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False color IR
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Woodyg3 said:
I've looked at a map of Blue Cypress Lake, and it doesn't look like there are trails around the lake. Are you pretty much limited to boat photography there?
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You can pull your boat to the shore around the lake or up the river - if you don't mind the alligators :) In the morning you stay on the west side of the lake so your back is to the sun. In the afternoon you go up the river on the north-east side of the lake.
 
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A key predator of ospreys are bald eagles to there are fewer places with concentrations of ospreys. The Florida location mentioned is a good one and there are few others in the USA and Canada. The Cheasepeake Bay is a good location despite all the water pollution from the mega pig CAFO operations.

Cornell's ebird is a good resource for looking for hot spots and checking out bird sightings. Important though to check the years for the sightings as much has changed over the past 10 years with the ongoing habitat destruction by the oil and gas and animal agriculture industries.
 
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I know a guide who does Big Cypress Lake each May. He lives near Gainesville, Florida for much of the year and is such a well known Eagle Photographer that he is featured in an upcoming show on the Bald Eagle in North America, inspired by Jack E. Davis' book The Bald Eagle.

If you're interested in knowing more about his lake photography tours, drop me a PM and I'll get more information to you. Be advised, though, getting great Bald Eagle and Osprey shots can take a lot of time and effort out on the lakes. I've never been to Conowingo Dam, but aside from the crowds, it might be easier to set up and take good Eagle shots from someplace like that.
 
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The winter migration has started in India
I saw few migratory birds in Bhigwan near Pune two days back notable among them being the Whiskered terns
How ever I was really excited to see the Indian grey wolf after searching them for the whole day
I hit pay dirt in the evening when I saw a male eying me & cautioning me with a growl & showing me it’s teeth
I got plenty of shots in the golden light ( with A1)
Later on it was even more amazing to see male & female in a mating mood playing with each other
I got my Z9 plus 500 PF to get the low light shots & videos . I am just sharing a screen shot of the elusive Indian Gray Wolf , a subspecies of the Great Wolf
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We also saw the very difficult to find Rock bush quail & Barred button quails ( they are probably in the Wolves diet too )
Yesterday was the day of migratory raptors like Common Kestrel, White morph Tawny eagle, , White eyed buzzard, Montague harrier , Steppe eagle as well as Pied harrier
The best part about the raptors was that they were all sitting on the ground & hence got pretty good background too
Today while coming to Bangalore from Dharwad I did up close shots of the colourful Red napes ibis
We plan to visit Hyderabad Ahmedabad , Sikkim & the North east for the migratory birds & few national parks in Karnataka for the wild animals
 
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BarkingBeansCoffee said:
On our drive home from San Diego where I shot the Pelicans my wife and I were talking about travel next year. When asked where in the US I would want to go, I replied - I don't know but I know for what. We both fly fish and love seeing the ospreys and eagles when near water. I told her I wanted to go where we could reliably find Ospreys and Eagles fishing. I didn't know where that was but know there are some dams and other places with larger populations. Didn't know the best time of year either. For now my longest lens for my Nikon Z9 the 100-400 but that could change.

So please throw out some ideas. Bonus if there are other things to do in the area.

Thanks Michael
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Personally i make a point to stick around my house, there may be not exotic animals but so much behavior and opportunities to get. And it costs me near 0 in travel expenses. I won't get into the environmental debate of travelling but for hobbyists i do believe they should stick around and be wowed by the rich diversity around them.
 
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lwan said:
Personally i make a point to stick around my house, there may be not exotic animals but so much behavior and opportunities to get. And it costs me near 0 in travel expenses. I won't get into the environmental debate of travelling but for hobbyists i do believe they should stick around and be wowed by the rich diversity around them.
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True, we have lots to explore in AZ but from where we are usually 90 min or more drive so planning is required. That also said, my wife and I are now 65. The next decade is ours to explore our hobbies and interests. At this point we have the go-go years, the slow-go years and the no-go years. We will travel anyways at times so why not have photography be part of choosing a destination.
 
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