My trip to Orlando is coming up next week, so I am checking back for advice about active sites. I will have about 2 1/2 days for bird photography after my conference. I am definitely going to spend one of the days (early morning and late afternoon) at Gatorland. I'll probably take Marina's suggestion and try the Circle B Reserve, although the photos I've seen on Facebook suggest that it is difficult to get a "clean" background there. What do you think? Also, friends have suggested Lori Wilson Park and Merritt Island...has anyone had good luck at either of those sites lately? Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. By the way, I'll be bringing the 300 f/4 lens with the 1.4 extender, as well as the 70-200 f/ 4, so I'd prefer sites where the birds are relatively close.
Circle B is not the best place for photography in my opinion, however, I know you can get some pretty good images there. The images you are seeing on their FB site are not taken by serious photographers. If you go to this link, http://www.zuropak.com/photogallery/florida/index.html, you will see some pictures by a photographer who was just there in early March I think and many of the pictures on this page were taken there. He absolutely loved Circle B. So I think it could well be worth a try.
Your other option would be to go to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge which I hear is starting to pick up again. You can check their FB page to see what's going on. Tom Dunkerton who posts on there would be the person to ask for help and advice about that refuge.
Fort Desoto if you are going to be in the Tampa Bay area. If you want to wander farther south, you have the burrowing owls with chicks popping up everywhere right now in Cape Coral.