Marco Island: A Nature Photographer’s Paradise
Introduction
From sunrise to sunset, Marco Island is filled with mesmerizing birds & wildlife and glorious landscapes & scenic views. My experience at Marco Island was nothing short of memorable, and I captured some of the greatest coastal photos to add to my portfolio. Read along to find out some of my most memorable moments from my trip as well as some of the MUST-STOP locations for photographers to capture some memorable images.
My Travel & Stay
If you don’t know me (About Rylan Meadows), I’m from a rural town in Kentucky so Marco Island, Florida is pretty far away from me. To get to Florida, I took a direct flight from Cincinnati, Ohio International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport. Although I’ve flown with other airlines in the past, Delta Airlines is always my favorite and I took a Delta Airlines flight from Cincy to Florida and from Florida to Cincy. Upon arriving and picking up the rental vehicle, I made my way to the resort where I was staying which was South Seas Tower 4. The condominium I stayed in was around 1,500 sqft. So it was spacious and comfortable for three people to stay in for the week. The condo wasn’t dirty, but I have stayed in condos that I have felt were cleaner than this one, however, I would still feel comfortable recommending this place to stay. The staff was friendly, however, reviews advised some of the permanent residents were not fond of younger children and tourists being in the area, so keep this in mind if you choose to stay in this exact location.
Photography Around the Island
Moving beyond the amenities of South Seas Tower 4, it is stationed at the perfect location giving the perfect opportunity to exit the tower onto the sand by going right or left. If you choose to go left, you will end up out on the beach beside the ocean and on the sand banks. If you choose to go right, you will end up on the sound side which is more like a swampy area. The beach and the ocean is the perfect spot to photograph shorebirds and stunning sunrises and sunsets. The sound side and swampy area is the perfect place to see swamp birds like herons, song birds, and other wildlife.
I spent the majority of my time on the trip near the tower, photographing shorebirds along the coast and in the swamp and I loved the results of all of the photos I had the opportunity to capture in the area. I highly recommend staying in this area so you can get the best of both worlds (the ocean and swamp) right outside your door! Some of the species that I got to photograph right in my backyard include Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Snowy Egrets, Reddish Egrets, Wilson’s Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, Long-Billed Dowitchers, Little Blue Herons, Great Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Ospreys, Raccoons, Kentish Plovers, Dunlins, Sanderlings, Palm Warbler’s, American White Pelicans, Wood Storks, White Ibis’s, and honestly probably a lot more… I could go on for a while. I photographed every single one of those species without ever leaving the nearby trails and coastal walking area surrounding South Seas Tower 4 on Marco Island. If you’re a wildlife photographer looking to travel to the beach to photograph a variety of birds and wildlife, what better place could you wish for?!
Photography Near Marco Island
I didn’t spend every single day at Marco Island, Florida… so let’s talk some about where I adventured to for photography in the area. Marco Island is very close to the Florida Everglades and Everglades National Park so I spent two days of the week trip in that area as well. One of those two days I ventured into some backroads near the Everglades National Park, unfortunately, I was feeling pretty under the weather that day so I didn’t get to capture many photos or enjoy that much of my time, but the Everglades are gorgeous and if you’re feeling up to it don’t be afraid to venture out and explore some less populated areas of the park. The second day I adventured into the Everglades was undoubtedly my favorite.
I spent pretty much an entire day out in Everglade City searching for different birds and wildlife. But I wasn’t searching on my feet too much… I did two different tours with Jungle Erv’s Airboat tours. The first tour I did, I was too afraid to bring a camera with me because I had never personally been on an airboat tour over the water and I didn’t want to risk any damage occurring to my camera or lenses. However, after having experienced it I would be comfortable taking a camera and a telephoto lens. I probably would have taken my secondary camera (My Nikon D500) and my 70-200mm lens (Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8) or it’s possible that I may have taken my 200-500mm lens (Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6). Although I think I would have been perfectly fine with the Z9 (Nikon Z9), I probably wouldn’t take the risk of bringing it on an airboat due to the amount of money that camera costs hahaha. Although I didn’t have a camera with me for this tour, I saw a variety of birds and a Raccoon on the muddy bank. Shortly before going on the airboat tour, I trekked out onto the boardwalk that is at Everglade City. There’s a package deal that goes along with this tour that allows you to walk on the boardwalk, or you can pay a fee of around $8.00 and get to walk out and explore the territory without having to go on the tour. The boardwalk is a good area for birding, and you can also see the airboats fly by on the homestretch back to the dock. The boardwalk does have some hurricane damage that is yet to be repaired which unfortunately limits you from being able to visit some parts of it, but it is still a nice scenic walk.
The second tour that I did in Everglade City was a buggy ride. I saw a variety of birds on this tour and I was comfortable with taking my Z9 (Nikon Z9) and my 800mm lens (Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 Z mount lens) on the buggy. The tour guide was extremely informative and friendly the entire tour. Although there is a variety of other wildlife in this area besides birds, I didn’t get luck enough to see anything unique. The tour guide even noted that there are a lot black bears in the area that visit it frequently. If you want to see something like this, I recommend taking the earliest tour of the morning and you just might get lucky.
One of the great things about Jungle Erv’s Airboat Tours is that they also have a gift shop and some animal exhibits. They also have alligator shows and you can hold an alligator after the show if you’d like. I certainly had mixed feelings on holding on to an alligator, and if you look close enough you can see the fear in my eyes… The alligator shows are very personal, and everyone has the opportunity to ask questions and hold an alligator at the end of the show without any upcharge. I believe this experience comes with the purchase of any tour that Jungle Erv’s offers so make sure that you go and become more educated about these cool creatures!
Conclusion
All in all Marco Island, Florida and the surrounding area is a nature photographers paradise. From the gorgeous scenery that you can find on the coastal waters, to the alligators in the Florida Everglades there’s truly something to photograph for every nature photographer. If you have more specific questions about my trip please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask. I would also love some feedback on this article… how detailed do you want me to be?! Would you like to know details such as where I recommend eating and my normal travel experiences not including photography as well?! Be sure to comment and let me know! Thanks for reading!
