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Location:
J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR, Sanibel,
Florida
(posted March, 2019)
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J.N. "Ding"
Darling NWR
Sanibel, Florida
The Ding
Darling National Wildlife Refuge has a reputation as a premier
bird photography site. However, my experience there was dismal
when compared with my expectations for this fabled site. I did
come away with a few worthy images, but most of them are of
either a single Reddish Egret, two or three Spoonbills, or a
brave little Snowy Egret. The only other species there were
a half dozen White Pelicans that just sat there for hours without
moving, some Willets, a couple of White Ibis that came and went,
and one Little Blue Heron that made a short appearance. The
number and variety of birds at Ding Darling was truly a sad
affair.
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Roseate
Spoonbill at Ding Darling
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A fearless Snowy Egret
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I visited
Ding Darling in March, 2019, on a 9-day photography expedition
across Florida that was to include Amelia Island, Big Talbot
and Little Talbot State Parks, St. Augustine Alligator Farm,
Estero Lagoon, Merritt Island NWR, Cape Coral's burrowing owls,
Ding Darling NWR and other sites if time permitted. Except for
Merritt Island, the trip overall was pretty dismal. I cut the
trip a day shorter than planned and skipped Cape Coral altogether.
Ding Darling, like the whole of Florida it seemed, was not the
bird photography Mecca I had expected.
The only
reason I got anything at all was that I came right as the wildlife
drive opened at sunrise so the light was with me for the one
spot on the whole 4-mile drive that had any birds at all. I
spent half a day in that one spot waiting for the birds there
to come close enough for a half-decent shot with 910mm of reach,
or to do something besides just sit. For more details, view
my blog post for Ding Darling.
The wildlife
drive itself is nice. It's all smoothly paved and wide enough
for two lanes, plus space for photographers on foot along the
side. It's one-way only though, just as most refuge wildlife
drives are. At the end of the 4-miles of mostly trees, you can
make another go-round with a short 3.25 mile return to the wildlife
drive entrance again via Sanibel Captiva Road, taking about
6-8 minutes. There are only three spots along the 4-mile drive
where the trees open for a good view of the water, and that's
the only spots where you'll likely find many birds. Only one
of those spots had any birds when I was there.
Parking
and restrooms at the visitor center are just before the wildlife
drive entrance, which is convenient when making the loop for
another go-round. You can skip the nominal entrance fee at the
wildlife drive entrance booth by investing in a lifetime pass
for national parks and refuges. I recommend checking out that
option if you do much photography at refuges and parks.
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| The comical Reddish Egret
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Roseate
Spoonbills and White Ibis at Ding Darling
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There is
but one way onto the island, requiring a $6 toll. Apparently,
traffic can be a real issue at the wrong time of day. When we
scouted the location the first day, we arrived about 4 pm, and
traffic was no issue. But when leaving around 5-6 pm, the traffic
coming onto the island was bumper to bumper and crawling. The
next day we arrived at sunrise and had no issues, nor any problems
leaving just before noon. Both were weekdays. Just keep in mind
that there is one way in and out that has to handle all the
traffic.
The visitor
center has good restrooms. The visitors displays are the stereotypical
taxidermy show and tell, however, I was impressed with their
beautiful display collection of high quality carved duck decoys.
Haven't seen anything close to that in any other refuge visitor
centers anywhere.
Frankly, that's about all there is to tell, so I'll just include a couple more images below from Ding Darling. I hope other folks have a more fruitful visit to Ding Darling than I did. At least the one Reddish Egret there netted me some shots, as it was the only one I saw during the 9 days I spent in Florida.
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The lone Reddish Egret at Ding Darling NWR
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