Southwest Florida bird photography (page 8)
Boardwalk at Big Cypress bend

This relatively short boardwalk only goes out about 1/2 a mile as an out-and-back.  Like some of the others, it is situated in a dense swampy woodland forest.  It is located off highway 41 at the southern end of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve state park about 7 miles west of the junction with highway 29.  The boardwalk is free, and you can visit at any time of day.  Given some of the trail up to the boardwalk follows a small slough, you need to keep an eye out for alligators that may be lurking along the waters edge.

We stopped here early in the morning and found it active with some warblers and gray catbirds, but due to the low level of light it was not too practical for photography.  As a result, we decided to move on and prioritize the Turner River road loop further to the east for the morning light photography. When we returned later in the day, the gray cat birds were still around, but the amount of bird life by the sounds seemed to be less. At this time some of the most interesting birds about were some red shouldered hawks, and a bald eagle pair on a nest that was a little too far to get reasonable quality images.

In general this location was just OK from a bird photography perspective.  Due to the denser brush, it is more challenging to get clear photographs. But if you happen to be in the area and have the time, it is probably worth the stop. It will just require some quiet time and patience to allow the birds to come to you.