Spring Vacation 2023
March 20, 2023 - Spring break 2023 was a great week for bird photography in Central FL! Sandhill Crane colts, nesting Roseate Spoonbills, & Great Egret chicks
Lake Morton
 | Description | Lake Morton, located in downtown Lakeland, Florida, is home to about 60 Mute Swans and a myriad of other ducks and geese. Walkers and joggers frequently feed the birds, making them very tame for photography. Even the Wood Ducks are pretty tame. My favorite time to visit is the spring (March through June), when the birds are nesting and raising their young. |
| Photography Advice | I use both my long lens and my intermediate telephoto. |
| When to Go | March through June |
| Species Photographed (31) | American Coot, American White Pelican, Anhinga, Black Swan, Black-Necked Swan, Boat-Tailed Grackle, Bufflehead, Common Gallinule, Double-Crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Indigo Bunting, Lesser Scaup, Limpkin, Louisiana Waterthrush, Mallard, Mandarin Duck, Muscovy Duck, Mute Swan, Palm Warbler, Pekin Duck, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Redhead, Ring-Necked Duck, Roseate Spoonbill, Ruddy Duck, Scarlet Tanager, Shelduck, White Duck, White Ibis, Wood Duck, Wood Stork |
| Website | https://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-morton-lakeland |
| eBird | https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1314027 |
| Google Map | Click here to view Google Map |
| Trail Map | None |
More from Lake Morton
March 1, 2023 - Springtime walk at Lake Morton yields great light and great birds! Redhead, Wood Ducks, and American White Pelicans
Golden Hour with the American White Pelicans
February 26, 2023 - Sometimes the lighting conditions, weather, and subjects come together in a magical way, like when the sun's glow illuminated these American White Pelicans
Aliens Invade at Lake Morton
June 7, 2021 - Alien-like baby Common Gallinules invaded Lake Morton in late April, along with courting swans and a lone Lesser Scaup still at the lake
Cuteness Alert! Baby Wood Ducks at Lake Morton
June 4, 2021 - Three families of Wood Ducks with tiny ducklings at Lake Morton. Mama kept the babies close and Papa joined them for a swimming lesson
Wood Ducks in Flight at Lake Morton
April 19, 2021 - Wood Ducks in flight gave me my best images from my springtime photography walk at Lake Morton. Drakes calling and a mating pair in flight!
The Sun Came Out at Lake Morton! Lifer Louisiana Waterthrush
April 16, 2021 - Springtime bird photography at Lake Morton - my lifer Louisiana Waterthrush, colorful flying Mallards, & an American Coot with super-powers!
American White Pelican Head Shots at Lake Morton
April 13, 2021 - A foggy morning turned out to be perfect for American White Pelican head shots as these beautiful birds preened at the edge of Lake Morton
A Foggy Walk around Lake Morton
April 10, 2021 - A foggy morning turned out to be good for photography with Mute Swans, Wood Ducks, Lesser Scaup, and a nesting Great Blue Heron pair
Great Blue Herons Building Nest
May 21, 2019 - Late-nesting Great Blue Herons put on a stick show for my camera at Lake Morton in late April
Limpkin Nest
May 18, 2019 - Photographing my first Limpkin nest...six tiny babies nestled in the reeds with Mom and Dad keeping close watch over them
Springtime Stop at Lake Morton
April 20, 2019 - Springtime bird photography at Lake Morton, Lakeland. Baby ducklings, birds in breeding plumage, nesting Mute Swans, cooperative Wood Ducks!
Common Gallinule Nest at Lake Morton
July 16, 2017 - Photos of a Common Gallinule family tending their nest and three young chicks. Mom and Dad brought in food while a juvenile sibling baby-sat
June Morning at Lake Morton
July 12, 2017 - A June morning of photography at Lake Morton yielded juvenile cygnets, Wood Ducks, Wood Storks, and a Common Gallinule nest
Early April at Lake Morton
May 7, 2016 - A quiet morning of bird photography at Lake Morton - Ruddy Ducks, Muscovy ducklings, American White Pelicans, and wise Wood Storks
Springtime at Lakes Morton and Mirror
May 13, 2015 - Springtime is the best time at Lakes Morton and Mirror, where it's easy to photograph tame birds in breeding plumage, and cute babies!
In Search of Swooning Swans at Lake Morton
February 17, 2015 - The swans didn't do much swooning for me at Lake Morton, but the new pair of Coscoroba Swans posed for my dad and me.
Ducks are Back at Lake Morton
November 21, 2014 - Ducks are back at Lake Morton! They gave me some good wing-flaps last weekend when the sun finally came out.
Small Things to Make You Smile (Lake Morton)
August 6, 2014 - A summer morning at Lake Morton led me to tiny turtles, young swans, and a protective Father Goose with teenage Muscovy Ducks.
Around Lake Morton
May 20, 2014 - A spring morning is a great time to walk around Lake Morton. While I didn't see babies, the lingering winter migrants kept me entertained.
Say Hello to Mrs. Cottonball Head
May 18, 2014 - Sometimes it's fun to photograph rare or strange birds. Other times the most common birds make me smile, like Mrs. Cottonball Head!
Springtime Walk at Lake Morton
March 12, 2014 - Last weekend I visited Lake Morton in hopes of photographing swan courtship. My friend Kim recently posted an amazing image of two “love birds” whose necks came together to form a heart on the lake. It’s a touching reminder that it’s my favorite time of the year: baby bird season! I can’t wait for the […]
Cloudy Morning Walk at Lake Morton
January 15, 2014 - Three days after Christmas, the weather forecasters promised us some sun. It was a welcome forecast, as it had been cloudy for days. So I got up early and headed to Lake Morton for sunrise. I hadn’t been there to visit my swans in quite a while. But it was another dull gray day. You […]
Wow! Honorable Mention in NWF Photo Contest!
December 14, 2013 - Oh my gosh! Yesterday I received this e-mail: Your photo of a Mute Swan Cygnet has won an Honorable Mention in our 2013 National Wildlife Photo Contest. It will appear in a slide show on the National Wildlife Federation’s website in the magazine’s PhotoZone pages in January. It will also be considered for our Photo of the Week […]
Show-Offs at Lake Morton
October 23, 2013 - This summer at Lake Morton, I amused myself while on swan nest-watch by taking pictures of all the ducks and geese as they bathed in the lake. Early mornings seem to be best for bathtime. The birds are such fun to watch as they splash around, flapping their wings back and forth. Besides, it’s fun […]
More from Lake Morton
September 21, 2013 - There were lots of fun birds to photograph on my last visit to Lake Morton. Besides the juvenile swans, there was a family of baby Limpkins, as well as the regular “menagerie” of ducks and geese. Early mornings are always good for bath shots! So here’s some more from Lake Morton… A pair of Black-necked […]
Mute Swan Cygnets Returned to Lake Morton
September 19, 2013 - Seven of our Mute Swan Cygnets returned to Lake Morton last week. Regular readers of my blog may recall my springtime posts about the cute little cygnets, so adorable as they sat in their nests with Mom on the day that they hatched. I finally got to see a cygnet ride on Mom’s back this […]
Mute Swan Cygnets – Just Another Ordinary Miracle!
June 4, 2013 - On Sunday I visited Lake Morton to photograph what is probably the last Mute Swan cygnet of the season. We’ve had a great spring this year, with lots of great nests and adorable cygnets. Unfortunately the babies are taken away by the City of Lakeland almost as soon as they hatch. So we haven’t had many opportunities to […]
Another Tale of Father Goose
May 28, 2013 - Regular readers of my blog may remember Father Goose. He (she?) is a goose at Lake Morton who befriends the Muscovy Ducks each spring when their babies hatch. I’m not sure where the Muscovy dads are, but they don’t seem to be much involved in raising the brood of youngsters. Enter “Father” Goose, the lonely goose […]
Sunset with my Swans
May 23, 2013 - After our less-than-spectacular sunrise at Blue Cypress Lake a few weeks ago, I headed to Lakeland to see my swans. You see, the City of Lakeland takes the cygnets away from their nests almost immediately — sometimes on the same day that they hatch. The City believes that it’s better to raise the babies in […]
Cygnets for Mother’s Day
May 12, 2013 - Dedicated to my mom, who is my best friend and confidante. Happy Mother’s Day!! As regular readers of my blog know, I’ve been stopping by Lake Morton periodically to monitor the nesting of the resident Mute Swans. My friend Kim at the lake knows how much I love to photograph the cygnets (baby swans), so […]
Cygnet Watch at Lake Morton
May 4, 2013 - On my way back from Fort De Soto last Saturday, I stopped at Lake Morton to see if there were any cygnets (baby swans). I’ve been keeping an eye on the nests there for the past few weeks, as it is getting to be that time of year when tiny gray fuzzballs appear under the […]
Seven Baby Limpkins at Lake Morton!
April 22, 2013 - I had read about baby Limpkins at Lake Morton, and when I was walking around the lake on Saturday morning, I kept my eyes and ears open. Often I hear babies before I see them. Then I ran into my friend Jane, and she told me exactly where to find them. Woo hoo! They were […]
Cute Babies at Lake Morton
April 21, 2013 - The weather was cloudy and rainy on Saturday morning, so I didn’t want to venture miles from my car with heavy camera equipment. I opted for a trip to Lake Morton, where I knew I could find cute babies. I knew I’d be too early for swan cygnets, which probably won’t hatch till late April […]
Swans Nesting at Lake Morton
April 11, 2013 - As I wrote yesterday, my friend Carla came with me on a photography expedition last weekend. We first visited the Circle B Bar Reserve, and then we headed to Lake Morton. Carla saw her first swan’s nest! The beautiful Mute Swans are nesting all around the lake right now. We counted at least eight nests. […]
Perfect Moment
September 19, 2012 - I was going back through my images from the year to prepare my annual Christmas calendars. I came across this one and thought of my friend Kim from the lake, who will soon become a grandmother. This was such a special day, when I met Kim and got to photograph this day-old cygnet on the […]
Ring-Necked Duck in July!?
September 9, 2012 - The last couple of times that I’ve been to Lake Morton, I’ve noticed this lone Ring-Necked Duck out in the water. With all the ducks, swans, and geese at the “menagerie,” you might not think that was so strange…except for the fact that all his friends flew north several months ago! I wonder what made […]
Save the Best for Last
August 30, 2012 - As I prepared to leave Lake Morton on Sunday, I stopped to photograph a Limpkin standing tall by the lakeside. I approached cautiously, tucking myself behind a tree so as not to surprise him. When I emerged on my knees to photograph him at eye-level, I was the one who got the surprise. He had […]
Late Bloomer
August 29, 2012 - I was a little surprised to find a tiny Mallard chick at Lake Morton on Sunday. He toppled into the water to follow Mom when I accidentally spooked her. He had a whole family of Mallards who seemed to be watching out for him. It’s unusual to see just one of this size – the […]
The Three Stooges
August 28, 2012 - When I got out of the car at Lake Morton on Sunday, these “Three Stooges” nearly knocked me over as they begged for food. They are so used to people feeding them that they expect everybody to be a food dispenser! No matter where you go around the lake, you find these guys, often in […]
Father Goose’s Teenagers
August 27, 2012 - Regular readers of my blog may remember Father Goose from about a month ago. He’s the goose at Lake Morton that befriends Muscovy ducklings and helps protect them as they grow up. A month ago, this is how he looked with his adopted family… Well, these days he’s looking after teenagers. While I was there […]
Gray Icky Morning at Lake Morton
August 26, 2012 - I stopped by Lake Morton this morning on my way to help my dad in his computer lab. It was very gray and nasty outside as Tropical Storm Isaac approached. But I haven’t had much opportunity to photograph lately, so even gray days are fun. Plus I always enjoy my time with the birds at […]
Picture Perfect
July 24, 2012 - A few weekends ago when I was photographing at Swan Lake (a.k.a. Lake Morton), I looked up from the cute babies to see this Mallard sitting posed in great light with a perfect reflection. I loved the contrast of his feathers against the blue lake background. I kinda wished the cute babies would have stood […]
Swan Lake
July 14, 2012 - My hubby isn’t the most, um, obsessed about birding. So I had to laugh when he asked me, “are you going back to the Goosey Pond this weekend?” He was referring to Lake Morton and Father Goose…but I had to disagree on his name for the place. I much prefer “Swan Lake!” :)
Duck, Duck, Goose!
July 9, 2012 - All the birds at Lake Morton are playing “Duck, Duck, Goose!” as they watch Father Goose take care of his little ones. Mrs. Muscovy posed with her bright white face against a nice green background. She tried to be dignified, but it’s hard when you have a feather on your beak. This is one of […]
Father Goose
July 8, 2012 - Many human children grow up hearing the tales of Mother Goose. On Lake Morton, the young chicks grow up with Father Goose. This unique goose takes it upon himself to play nanny with young Muscovy duck families. I spent a sweet couple of hours with this little family on Saturday morning at Lake Morton. A […]
Baby Ducks at Lake Morton
May 6, 2012 - While checking on the swan nests at Lake Morton recently, I’ve gotten to see some other fun babies too. In early April, I came across a flock of recently-hatched Mallard chicks, probably between 12 and 18 of them. In later visits, the babies were bigger, although in fewer numbers. They are certainly well-fed at that […]
The Story of a Swan
May 2, 2012 - As I teased on last Friday, I stopped by Lake Morton on my way home from Fort De Soto and found a newborn cygnet. I went back on Sunday morning to observe the nest and spend some time with the baby. This little guy has a band of followers (hi Kim! hi Pam!) who spent […]
Black and White Wonderings
April 30, 2012 - As frequent readers of my blog know, we adopted a black and white kitten last year. He’s been helping me review my recent images from Lake Morton, and he’s a little confused. You see, here’s the picture I took of a Black Swan cygnet in early April: …and here’s the picture I took of a […]
Preview of Coming Attractions…
April 27, 2012 - I had the most incredible day today! I went to Fort De Soto to check out the migrants, and I finally got my first Scarlet Tanager male, along with a ton of orioles, grosbeaks, buntings, and a few warblers. Birders kept telling me that today was a “slow” day in comparison to last weekend’s fallout…but […]