At Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, the Haulover Canal connects Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River, and on the east side of the bridge is a manatee observation area.

WHITE PELICANS

We see brown pelicans along South Florida beaches all the time, but white pelicans, bigger and shyer than the brown ones, go to extraordinary efforts to get their winter in the sun. Thousands migrate to Florida’s central west coast from the Grand Teton Mountains — and they fly nonstop!

White pelicans have a wingspan of 9 feet, making them one of the largest birds in North America.

A good place to see white pelicans in the winter is along the Gulf Coast from Sarasota down to Punta Gorda and Sanibel.

• An island that serves as a rookery in Charlotte Harbor is a night-time roost for thousands each year. Called Pelican Island, it’s a long paddle for kayakers, plus the birds are there primarily at the start and end of a day. So locals recommend looking for them in several parks and waterfront locations during the day:

• Placida, an out-of-the-way location far from the Interstate and 25 miles from Punta Gorda, is located at the start of the causeway to Boca Grande and Gasparilla Island. The fishing pier and boat dock at Placida harbor are good places to watch for white pelicans. (And Placida is a an off-the-beaten-path spot that’s fun to discover. )

• Kayaking the Woolverton Trail and the Gasparilla Sound near Placida. I was on a kayak tour operated by Grande Tours Kayak Center from Placida when I saw a formation of 75 white pelicans fly overhead in October. O-Sea-D Aquatic Adventures, runs similar kayak tours and owner Vince Molar said his groups get within 100 yards of white pelicans in the water nearly every day.

Other places:

• Along the hiking trails at the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center’s Alligator Creek Preserve.

• The Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland, a favorite among birders.

• Dozens of white pelicans have been seen at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.

SANDHILL CRANES

Here’s another big bird that comes a long way to visit Florida. Sandhill cranes have long legs, wingspans of 5 to 7 feet and stand 3 to 5 feet tall. What I love: Their pretty pinkish red heads. Thousands migrate in winter to northern Florida from the Midwest and Canada, arriving in December to January and leaving by the end of March.

Florida has a small resident population of sandhill cranes, so you may spot two or three in fields in Florida all year. But the migratory birds come in huge flocks. When hundreds are together, their loud rattling call can be heard for a half mile.

Most years the best place to see flocks of sandhill cranes is Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Micanopy near Gainesville. This year, however, dry weather has dispersed the sandhill crane population and you are likely to see a few hundred or a few dozen in various smaller wetlands along the scenic roads near Paynes Prairie.

Don Pearson, a biologist with Florida State Parks, said every morning, you can see a few hundred sandhill cranes foraging in the cow pastures within 50 feet of the road at the University of Florida Beef Teaching Unit on Williston Road in Gainesville. Another good plac is along County Road 225 along Orange Lake in unincorporated Evinston.

Each year, migratory sandhill cranes also go to Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland, also a good place to look for white pelicans. This year, dozens of migrating cranes have been seen at Myakka State Park in Sarasota.

Bonnie Gross writes about her Florida travels for FloridaRambler.com