Florida Bird Photography Calendar
To be a successful bird photographer, it is important to be at the right place at the right time. The purpose of this calendar is to help make that possible, by providing you with locations and the species to photograph. Please note that this calendar is not an all-inclusive list of places to photograph birds in Florida - that would be a daunting task. Rather, this calendar is where I know through personal experience the places to go and the birds you’ll see throughout the year. Florida is a big state though, so if you have any suggestions please comment below.
In addition to this list, I recommend you visit the website for the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. This is a wonderful resource that describes many of the best birding spots in our state. Social media is also a great resource. On Facebook, there are several “birding in Florida” type groups where folks regularly post photos of birds. Following these groups can both confirm recent sightings and also give you ideas for other locations. eBird is also an excellent tool.
This calendar is available as a free downloadable file.
January
Painted Buntings are best seen at locations that have white millet feeders, such as the Visitor Center at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the bird blind at Felts Audubon Preserve (where you’ll also find Indigo Buntings), and the bird feeder at Bok Tower Gardens. You can also find Painted Buntings at Circle B Bar Reserve and Green Cay Nature Preserve.
White Pelicans in small & mid-sized lakes throughout Florida. My favorite is Lake Morton in Lakeland.
Oak trees are dropping their leaves so the tree canopy is opening up. A nice time to photograph song birds in local parks.
February
Painted Buntings as described in January.
White Pelicans in small & mid-sized lakes throughout Florida, as described in January.
All rookery locations where Great Egrets and Wood Storks are the first to begin the nesting season. Well-known sites include St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Gatorland in Orlando, Venice Audubon Rookery Park, and Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Before photographing nesting birds, please read this article from Audubon on the “Do’s and Don’ts of Nest Photography.” The rookery at St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a particularly well-known spot to photograph Roseate Spoonbills. As a result, it can get fairly crowded with photographers and other tourists (who are primarily there for the alligators). Be sure to purchase the Photo Pass to gain early entry.
Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto Park. The Reddish is coming into breeding plumage, which is the perfect time to photograph it’s two-tone beak and bluish legs.
Late February, Barred Owls along the boardwalk at John Chesnut Sr. Park.
March
Painted Buntings as described in January.
White Pelicans in early to mid-March. They will be leaving the area by the end of the month.
All rookery locations. Great Egret and Wood Stork chicks begin hatching mid-month.
Reddish Egret and Red Knots at Fort De Soto Park. The Reddish is in breeding plumage, which is the perfect time to photograph its two-tone beak and bluish legs.
Be on the lookout for Sandhill Crane colts. Orlando Wetlands and Myakka River State Park are great places to look for Sandies, Spoonies, and other birds.
Barred Owls along the boardwalk at John Chesnut Sr. Park.
Florida Burrowing Owls at the Pelican Baseball Complex in Cape Coral, and in the Fort Lauderdale area Vista View Park and Brian Piccolo Park. Owlets start exploring the outside of the burrow mid-March and all of April.
April
Spring migration starts this month! Warblers, songbirds, and hummingbirds are arriving at botanical gardens, parks, and backyards everywhere. Fort De Soto Park is a noteworthy hot spot.
Painted Buntings as described in January. They’ll be harder to find after April.
All rookery locations. Wood Stork and Great Egret chicks are small and cute. Roseate Spoonbill chicks start hatching mid-month at St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Snowy Egret chicks start hatching end of the month.
Reddish Egret and Red Knots at Fort De Soto Park. The Reddish is in breeding plumage, which is the perfect time to photograph its two-tone beak and bluish legs.
Florida Scrub-Jay at the Helen and Allan Cruikshank Sanctuary. You don’t even have to look for the birds here because the birds will fly directly to you and probably land on your head! Although it is illegal to feed the scrub-jay, people obviously do resulting in this behavior. Bring a short lens. Also, many if not all, of the scrub-jay’s are banded.
Florida Burrowing Owls at the Pelican Baseball Complex in Cape Coral, and in the Fort Lauderdale area Vista View Park and Brian Piccolo Park. Owlets exploring the burrow area all month.
May
Spring migration peaking late April/early May, and is essentially over by the third week of the month. Last chance to see the warblers, buntings, and grosbeaks!
All rookery locations. Early to mid-month you can find chicks of all sizes. Great Egret and Wood Stork chicks are pretty big by now and starting to leave the nests.
Reddish Egret and Red Knots at Fort De Soto Park. The Red Knots will be gone by the end of the month.
Florida Scrub-Jays, as in April.
Least Terns and Wilson’s Plover at Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine. Nesting starts second/third week of May.
Black Skimmers at St. Pete Beach and Lido Key in Sarasota in late May through all of June. Skimmers start nesting mid-May, with chicks appearing in last week of May to the first two weeks of June.
June
All rookery locations. Displaying is over and chicks are preparing to fledge.
Royal Tern and Laughing Gull colony at Huguenot Memorial Park near Jacksonville. A great place to get birds-in-flight photos. Royal Tern chicks will be hatching around 20 June.
Least Terns and Wilson’s Plover at Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine. Chicks in early June.
Black Skimmers at St. Pete Beach and Lido Key in Sarasota. Chicks hatch early to mid-June.
July
All rookery locations, although it’s getting late in the season. July is usually the last month to get good photos at these sites. Nesting season complete by the end of the month. Only a few stragglers remain.
Royal Tern and Laughing Gull colony at Huguenot Memorial Park near Jacksonville. A great place to get birds-in-flight photos. Early to mid-July.
Black Skimmers at St. Pete Beach and Lido Key in early to mid-July. The chicks are rather big and beginning to fledge. Some will be practicing their skimming skills at the shoreline.
Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto Park. The Reddish will be phasing out of breeding colors. Roseate Spoonbills may also be present. You can expect to find wading birds such as the Reddish, spoonbills, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, and Little Blue Herons at high tide. At low tide your best bet is plovers and Yellowlegs on the mudflats. Don’t go July 4th - it’s a zoo.
August to October
August to October are the hottest and slowest months of the year. Fort De Soto Park, Honeymoon Island State Park, and other beach locations are a good bet for all the typical resident shore birds.
Warblers are starting to return in late August/early September, setting off the Fall migration. Local and county parks are good places to explore if you can stand the heat & humidity.
November
Time to look for ducks! Hooded Merganser, Northern Shoveler, Blue Wing Teal, and others may be seen in small ponds throughout Florida starting the week before Thanksgiving.
Chuck-will’s-widow may be at Green Cay Nature Preserve.
December
Ducks, as in November.
Painted Buntings at Circle B Bar Reserve, Bok Tower Gardens, and Green Cay Nature Preserve.
White Pelicans in small & mid-sized lakes throughout Florida. My favorite is Lake Morton in Lakeland.
Plovers at Fort De Soto Park.
