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I haven't been to the St. Augustine place. Keep me posted on that if you will.

Gatorland just south of Orlando is a good place to stop for the obvious reptiles but birds also abound there.

Flamingo is a beautiful drive through the Everglades. Bring plenty of insect repellant as the mosquitoes can be vicious. US Army does field testing of bug sprays there. It is also the only place on earth where crocodiles and alligators live together. Or so I am told. Be sure to check out the Eco-Pond if you go there.

Shark River Valley is a great place. They rent bikes and also have a tram that gives guided tours over the 15 mile paved pathway through the Everglades. Biking is best as you set your own pace for taking pics of reptiles and birds. Great Blue Herons about every 50 yards or so when we were there last. Anhinga, Lesser Blue Heron, Egrets, and gators abound.

Watch out on the East leg of the trip as there was a mother gator that was using one of her offspring as a lure. Got off my bike to take a shot of the little nipper and just spied Mama lying low in the sawgrass.

Gulf Coast, Pass-A-Grille area of St. Pete Beach is great for pelicans, gulls and plovers. Rent a jet ski and you can zip along with a dolphin escort.

And you can't beat the Gulf Coast for sundowns. Check out The Hurricane restaurant with a rooftop bar for viewing sunsets like this:

Have a good trip!

Gatorland just south of Orlando is a good place to stop for the obvious reptiles but birds also abound there.

Thanks for your list of good birding places in Florida. From what I could tell on the web, Gatorland is similar in concept to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Gatorland appears from the Google Maps satellite view to have a trail and lake that are at least twice the size of those at the Alligator Farm.

Alligators enable waterbird rookeries like those at the two parks and those in nature to exist. Without the gators prowling the waters below rookery trees, raccoons and other predators would climb the trees and eat eggs and perhaps chicks.

There is a huge rookery in Lake Martin south of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. It contains many, many thousands of birds in a concentrated area. It is one of the largest water bird rookeries in the country. When drought dropped the water level in Lake Martin five or six years ago, a large area of the rookery no longer had water underneath the rookery trees and thus no alligator protection. The birds quickly left the dry area of the rookery. The water level has returned in recent years, and the birds have been coming back.