Birding & Photography
LAKE KISSIMMEE STATE PARK
Lake Kissimmee State Park hosts excellent opportunities for birders. The park’s abundance of water, wetlands and numerous different habitats offers birders views of different water fowl and birds of prey. The scrub habitat throughout the park is home to the Florida scrub jay. The Park is open 365 day a year from 7:00 a.m. to sundown. Fee for the park is $5.00 per vehicle limited to 8 people per vehicle or $4.00 for single occupant vehicle and $2.00 for pedestrians, bicyclist, and extra passengers in a vehicle with a holder of an Annual Individual Entrance Pass.
ALLIGATOR AIRBOAT TOURS
Rated #1 TripAdvisor tour in Lake Wales, Alligator Air Boat Tours is a fantastic way to get close to nature and see areas of the lake only accessible to airboats as you travel back and capture what Florida was like in the yesteryears. Alligator Airboat Tour is located on site at Camp Mack offering nature, alligator, and bird tours. Tours last approximately 2 hours with an hour and half time on the water. We do suggest arriving 30 minutes prior to tour leaving.
Alligator Tour – The marshland gator tour allows visitors to see alligators both big and small. Nests with babies are often found on our gator tours, and the big guys love to lie out to bask in the sunshine on COOL DAYS, making good photo moments. By taking one of our airboat rides in Florida, you’ll be certain to see some pretty amazing things. If you want to only go and look for alligators and take extra time photographing them just let Alligator Airboat Tours know when booking and they can accommodate you.
BEST TEMPS for viewing gators, happens when nights are cold and days are cool to a low warm with sunshine. This brings them out to shorelines to get their bodies heated up. The best months for viewing gators on our Florida swamp tours; are typically December – March and typically weekdays when there is less boat traffic on the lakes.
Birding Tour – Early morning tours are the best time for birding. Birds are found in abundance, including Great Blue herons, tricolored and Little Blue Herons, The Great White Egrets and smaller Cattle and Snowy Egrets, along with Ibis and Wood Storks, Caracars and Bald Eagles, just to name a few, present daily shows. The Snail Kite on the endangered species list also something that can be found on the ride hovering over plant life in search of lunch.
GATORLAND’S PHOTOGRAPHER’S PASS
From February to June photographers and birding enthusiasts have the unique opportunity to enter the park at 7:00am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and stay until dusk on every Friday and Saturday with the purchase of the Annual Photographers Pass or check with the park directly for single day passes.
The famous Gatorland Bird Rookery was created in 1991 as an alligator breeding marsh. This unique habitat has grown into one of the large and most accessible wading bird rookeries in Florida. Today this area provided protected nesting, foraging, and roosting area to over 20 different species, many of which are listed as Endangered or Species of Special Concern.
The Gatorland Boardwalk provides birders and photographers with the close access to these incredible birds with the safety of observing them and capturing stunning photographs.
For more information on the photographers pass at Gatorland
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