Pat,

The spoonbills at Ding are at the mudbar on the left just past the observation tower. Takes 10 minutes to get there from the gate, which opens at 7, and the last two times I’ve been there, some are already leaving by the time I park. On a good day, some may stay until 8, and some that depart may fly directly toward you if you’re standing on the water control structure (the best place to be anyway, as the breeze there minimizes the no-see-ums.

Earlier in the year, some spoonbills were also overnighting at the Education Boardwalk that’s a quarter mile down the Indigo Trail from the fee station at the gate. Heard there was one there again yesterday morning. Possible close shots there too for green herons, night-herons, and anhingas, though less now that breeding season is over. Gators possible there too, as well as along the trail itself (trail’s as wide as a road, but be alert). Unfortunately, the best time for the Indigo Trail is the same time you’d want to be at the mudbar.

Other spots that have been good in the past, like the Bailey Tract and Reclamation Ponds, seem inactive. A guy I talked to Thursday morning, who lives near Harns Marsh, said it’s dead there too; the only thing he knew about was an Eagle Nest in North Fort Myers (didn’t get a location, seems early for eagles).