Snail Kite heaven: Lake Kissimmee, Florida
Last edited Fri Nov 22, 2013, 02:57 PM - Edit history (1)
For those that want to see and photograph Snail Kites, as far as I know, the best place to visit is Lake Kissimmee in central Florida.
Lake Kissimmee and Joe Overstreet Rd that leads to the east shore of the lake is a popular birding area. A major prize of the area is the Snail Kite which breeds around the lake. Often you can see the Snail Kites from the shore by the end of Joe Overstreet Rd. I took the last four Snail Kite pictures there this summer of one that was hanging around the dock at that time. Usually you're not that lucky.
To get better looks, take the airboat ride from the company that operates at the end of Joe Overstreet Rd and ask them to take you to see the Snail Kites. You can get really close to the kites from the boat:
coordinates: N27.93716, W81.22577
https://plus.google.com/105463564447692038513/about?gl=us&hl=en
At least right now, there are a lot of Snail Kites on the lake. There is a huge population of snails in the lake so the kites should be reliable for a while. The kites do move around central and southern Florida, but the airboat operator told me that Lake Kissimmee currently has the largest population.
The first three Snail Kite pictures I took from the airboat on November 17, and the last four I took this summer of a kite that was hunting around the dock. The Bald Eagle and the other snail hunting specialists, the Limpkin, I took on November 17 from the lakeshore by the dock:
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Deer and some other game seasons would be in effect, but:
http://myfwc.com/media/2657128/MigratoryGameBird-Regulations.pdf
First Phase: Nov. 23 – Dec. 1, 2013
Second Phase: Dec. 7, 2013 – Jan. 26, 2014
We'd be down the last week of January - my husband's birthday is the 30th, so we'll just miss it.
When we visited Merritt Island NWR, it was the week after the season ended and the ducks were still really skittish, though we still got to see a lot of them, especially in the wetlands along the roads where hunting was not permitted. Most other birds were OK and we got lots of pictures.
Birds are pretty smart about hunters. Way back after we'd been on our farm for a few years and didn't allow hunting, a guy bought the land next to us and planted millet and corn to attract doves. During the season he'd go out before dawn to try to shoot doves - and not see a one. Meanwhile, they'd be roosting in the trees and on the wires, waiting for him to leave so they could go back and dine on the bounty he provided. He'd leave and see hundreds of doves on our property - it frustrated him no end.
Our wildlife population doubles as soon as hunting season begins - we still allow only limited hunting. One young man, and he only takes one or two old does a year to help manage the population. We had so many deer they were no longer healthy, so this is good.
They are widespread throughout much of the tropics in North and South America, but in the US they are only in Florida: 
