Spring Break Post Mortem

I had the privilege of returning to Florida once again this year to escape the wintry weather up North. It was a good time of relaxing and taking time out of academia. A break which I didn’t really need, but wouldn’t complain having. My main goal of the trip was to photograph migratory birds down in mid-Florida and also attend the Photo Marketing Association International Conference.

Day 1:
Touchdown at the MCO airport. Jumped into my rental car and sped off to my first birding destination which was the Orlando Wetlands. I had only about 3 hours of daylight left, but managed to make the most of it. Spectacular venue with a wide variety of birds. The experience got me really pumped for the days ahead.


White Ibis

Day 2:
I met up with a fellow Nikon Café member who was from Florida, but was just as clueless as me as to where the birding spots were. Anyway, we did get help from his GPS System. We hit three birding locations which were the Orlando Wetlands once again, Merritt Island’s Black Point Drive and the Viera Wetlands. The weather was pretty gloomy and it did threaten to rain. Fortunately it didn’t but it was enough for one of our prospective trip members to pull out at the very last minute.


Snowy Egret with some ikan bilis (anchovies)

Day 3:
I decided to take a break from the birding. My back was killing me and my legs wanted to buckle so much after lugging my heavy gear across the different wetlands. We must have done a good 5-6 mile walk the day before. Anyway, Day 3 was dedicated to the PMA’s which is one of the world’s largest photo marketing events. It’s where the big guns announce their latest imaging products for the world to see. Very exciting for me.

I went as a volunteer for the Nikonians.org. Got hooked up with a bunch of free merchandise which was really cool. I also got to play with a lot of the expensive Nikon lenses which I will probably never be able to own for myself. I was like a kid in a toy store literally.

I ended the day with my customary birthday dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Customary solitary birthday dinner I must add. The last one was in HRC Las Vegas. I’m such a sucker for discounts.


Big toys for show


Day 4:
I decided to head off to this family theme park called Gatorland. As the name
implies, it’s a park centered around alligators. But there’s a really nice breeding
ground for a whole ton of great egrets and other birds. Some of my best pictures came from there because of the close proximity of the viewing area to the nests. I was in luck too to catch some birds mating and once nest which already had some chicks in them.


Tricolor Heron letting out a cry

Day 5:
I hit my final birding spot. I really wanted to see the Roseate Spoonbill for myself after seeing so many pictures of it online. It’s a really brilliant looking bird. I like it because it really looks like one of those birds that forgot to die after the dinosaurs kicked the bucket. So yeah, pretty much a descendant of the dinosaurs.

I returned to Merritt Island and decided to go to the more secluded spots. The places which didn’t really have big nice signs to point people to that direction. It proved to be a really good idea as I probably had the best birding experience of all the previous days combined. It was this day that I got most of my farmer’s tan (tan where you get your lower arm darker than your biceps).


Feasting Great Blue Heron

Final Day:
I flew off feeling kind of homesick. I didnt like staying in the hostel with Korean girls busting into my dorm room every now and then. Goodness....what happened to those Asian values? But I really do miss the weather. At least it's warming up a little bit more here in the north.

More images from my recent trip can be found here: http://www.pbase.com/mikench/birds_of_florida