PHOTOGRAPHER'S PERSPECTIVE ON LOCATION SERIES: FLORIDA

INDEX

ANHINGA TRAIL - THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, HOMESTEAD
GATORLAND, KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA
WAKODAHATCHEE WETLANDS, DELRAY BEACH

ANHINGA TRAIL
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, HOMESTEAD FLORIDA
Text copyright A. R. Forns, all rights reserved

ACCESS
The Park is open to the public 24 hours a day all year and there is a nominal admission fee. Information is available at the Park website listed below.

AREA LAYOUT
Anhinga Trail is located four miles past the park entrance on the left, a short distance from the main road. There you will find ample parking, a small souvenir shop, vending machines and restroom facilities. The area consists of .5 miles (800 meters) of paved and boardwalk surrounded by native vegetation and is wheelchair accessible.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND
This is the prime area for bird photography in the park since it has the most abundant concentration of wildlife. The area is water dependent and winter is by far the best time. Low water levels bring out the concentration of birds. Good shooting conditions will vary accordingly. Usually February and March are good months.

Birds that are usually abundant: Anhingas, Cormorants, Egrets (Snowy, Cattle & Great), Herons (Great Blue, Green, Tricolor & Black Crown), Limpkins, Moorhens, American Coots, Purple Gallinules, Ibis (White & Glossy), Gray Catbirds, Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, Red-winged Blackbirds, migratory song birds, Wood Storks, Swallow-tailed Kites, Ospreys, Red-shouldered Hawks and others. Additionally, you could spot a deer early morning; alligators, rabbits and squirrels are plentiful and you have a chance for the elusive Florida Panther.

You will find the birds very tame and easily approachable. They can be photographed with a medium telephoto, but 500mm and 600mm lenses would be better, with a flight lens ready for action. You may wish to include extension tubes since you will be able to make good use of them. You will have many opportunities to photograph Anhingas fishing and coming up with their catch.

The first week in March is be the best time for the Swallow-tailed Kites. They fly over the area, but the best photographs are made right from the parking lot as they swoop down to pick up nesting material. Spectacular!

Summer months are not productive and heavy with mosquitoes. Even in winter you should take repellant and don't forget sunscreen!

LIGHT
Very early morning and late afternoon are best, by far, unless you have an overcast day. Mid-day sun is very harsh and not conducive to good images; shade is best. Mixed lighting will usually result in deleted images.

MORE INFORMATION
The official website for the park is: http://www.nps.gov/ever/home.htm

The site will provide you with specific directions and answers to general questions. I would also suggest posting questions in the NatureScapes.Net Florida Chapter forum for up-to-date information from local members.

GATORLAND
KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA
Text and image copyright R.J. Amoruso, all rights reserved

ACCESS
The park is open to the public 9am to 5pm each day all year; until 6pm in the summer and on some holidays. The 6pm closing is variable and you should call ahead to be sure. Photographers living in the area may wish to purchase the Photographer’s Pass allowing admission at 8am before the general public. Admission fees are currently $20 adult, $10 child and $33 annually. The Photographer’s Pass provides annual access and costs slightly more. Information is available at the link below.

AREA LAYOUT
Gatorland is a tourist destination with habitats for alligators and crocodiles, snakes and other reptiles, plus an aviary, breeding marsh and bird sanctuary, offering the bird photographer a significant amount of nesting activity in the trees around the alligator breeding marsh and a year round presence of roosting birds.

Most photographic opportunities exist in the alligator breeding marsh/avian rookery. The marsh’s entrance is near the train station. A boardwalk surrounds the marsh on three sides. From this entrance, opportunities exist on either side of the boardwalk. On the right of the boardwalk is the open marsh area with trees and nesting birds on the far bank, where focal lengths of 500mm and greater are recommended. Further along, you come to the first gazebo canopy that overlooks an open section of the marsh on the right which is good for flight photography.

Next is a three story tower overlook, each story offering different opportunities. Continuing along, you come to a junction. To the left the boardwalk continues and to the right are restrooms, a snack bar, petting zoo and the shows and attractions, including a cypress swamp boardwalk. The restroom here is a good turnaround point from which you can retrace your steps. If you proceed to the left, a few look-outs have been cleared that offer some possibilities. The path continues to the crocodile habitat. After the lookouts you come to the back of the marsh and other attractions. I have not personally had any good luck here.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND
In my estimation, the boardwalk area and especially the area from the entrance to the three story tower offer the most opportunities. For nesting birds, March through July is generally best. For those in the area at other times of year, there can be some opportunities for birds roosting in the trees near the front entrance as well as in the marsh.

Nesting birds that are present include Anhingas, Cormorants, Snowy, Cattle, and Great Egrets, Tricolored and Little Blue Herons, and Boat-tailed Grackles. Great Blue Herons do not nest at the park but will fish the marsh amongst the alligators. Wood Storks roost and Ospreys sometimes soar overhead. You will find the birds easily approachable, many just feet from the boardwalk and on nests. They can be photographed with a medium telephoto up to 500mm and 600mm for close-ups and reaching over to the far bank of the marsh. The cypress swamp boardwalk gives you an opportunity for close-ups so include extension tubes or a macro lens.

At the tower, the first level (boardwalk level) allows for flight shots over the marsh and is quite close to the far bank. To the left and right are favorite fishing locations for Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons that frequently fight for position. On the second level, a bridge over to the attractions area is good to shoot flight as birds go over the bridge. From the tower, you can get flight shots of birds at eye level or as I like to do, looking down as they soar over the marsh. On the third level you have the added advantage of eye level Cormorant nests in a cypress tree growing next to the tower.

I find that some of the best perches are found in the area between the entrance and the gazebo. From the gazebo to the tower are good flight opportunities and perches farther off. All along this area are nests, some close to the walk. In case of rain, the tower as well as the gazebo offer shelter and you can still shoot. Don’t forget the trash bags to cover your equipment as afternoon showers are the norm.

LIGHT
Early morning and late afternoon are best, unless you have an overcast day. Late morning and afternoon sun is very harsh and produces high contrast. As most of the best subjects are on the west side of the boardwalk, morning is my favorite. However, there’s lots to do in the afternoon as well so you will not be disappointed.

MORE INFORMATION
Go to Gatorland’s website at www.gatorland.com or call them at 1-800-393-JAWS. The website will provide you with directions and descriptions of the parks attractions. You can also post questions in the NatureScapes.Net Florida Chapter forum for up-to-date information from local members photographing at Gatorland.

Robert Amoruso is a Florida resident and member at NatureScapes.Net. To view more of his work, please visit www.wildscapeimages.com.

WAKODAHATCHEE WETLANDS
DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA
Text and image copyright Heather Forcier, all rights reserved

ACCESS
The Wakodahatchee Wetlands area is open to the general public from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. The boardwalk into the wetlands is wheelchair accessible.

AREA LAYOUT
On Jog Road in Delray Beach, the wetlands are located next to Palm Beach County Water Utility Department's Southern Region Operations Center. Two separate parking areas provide ample space for visitor vehicles, and there is a portable bathroom facility near the first parking lot. Wakodahatchee Wetlands is accessed entirely by boardwalk and walking paths, most notably in a half mile loop with three sheltering pavilions along the way.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is maintained by Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department. The water treatment facility of Palm Beach County adds highly treated water into the wetlands and the natural environment serves to further treat the water. This has created a thriving thirty-nine acre habitat for a variety of birds and animals.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands is arguably one of the most notable places to photograph Least Bitterns which appear around March and are most numerous around May and June. They become less shy around this time frame, and their young can be seen in the bulrushes around June. Also among the Wetlands' more common bird populations are Snowy and Great Egrets; Great Blue, Green, Tricolored and Black-crowned Night Herons; Limpkins; Sora; Common Moorhens; American Coots; Purple Gallinules; Double-crested Cormorants; Anhingas; Least Terns; Purple Martins; Boat-Tailed Grackles; Glossy Ibis; Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals; and Pie-billed Grebes. Additionally there are alligators, turtles, Marsh Rabbits, and sometimes numbers of Bobcats.

As with many locations in Florida, the wildlife is relatively approachable. Patience and careful approaches can really pay off. It is possible to photograph with smaller lenses through lower rails of the boardwalk, but it’s also best to be prepared to look for birds on higher perches as well as to have enough focal length to reduce the apparent angle when shooting down into a subject in the water. “Clean” backgrounds often coveted by photographers are a rarity at the Wetlands, and being creative and flexible to include habitat in images may make visits more productive.

During spring and summer duckweed spreads its greenery over the water’s surface. Young of many species are making their first appearances and can be seen at various points along the walk. The summer heat of south Florida can be oppressive, making carrying photography gear seem more exerting. Lenses may fog up, especially during the mornings. Significant rain storms may come on suddenly and go as quickly as they arrived.

In winter the birds are more numerous, temperatures more moderate, but there may also be more human visitors to contend with as well. Even in summertime don’t count on spending any significant amount of time without someone walking by. It is a place enjoyed by photographers, people out for a walk, and other outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.

LIGHT
While there are trees around much of the Wetlands, there are also plenty of open areas so not much of the first and last rays of sunlight are obstructed. Mid-day sun in south Florida can be quite harsh, especially during summer months. Overcast conditions may make photographing birds in the water more difficult if the water is reflecting gray skies, but the presence of duckweed, especially during summer, often covers the water’s surface and negates this effect.

MORE INFORMATION
With Wakodahatchee Wetlands providing an important water filtration function and growing in popularity, the Utilities Department has plans to construct a similar site across the road anticipated to be three times the size of the original wetlands. Groundbreaking on the new project is anticipated during the summer of 2003. For more information on Wakodahatchee Wetlands visit www.pbcwater.com/wakodahatchee.

This article would not have been possible without input from Sandy Mossberg, a regular visitor to Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Sandy’s portfolio can be found at www.pbase.com/sandy_mossberg/galleries. Heather Forcier's web site can be found at www.hforcier.com.

Feel free to send your comments on these location review to the at NatureScapes.Net.

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