The Everglades is a totally
misunderstood place that is beautiful with endless things to do, and no, we did
not see any pythons (or snakes for that matter)! The park service provides
ranger talks 5 nights a week under the stars looking out over FL Bay, day
programs and hikes, bird walks every morning and canoe trips daily at Nine Mile
Pond all for free. There are many ponds and walks such as the Anhinga Trail
where you can be guaranteed to see lots of wildlife up close and fishing for Harry. When stopping at a Bass Pro Shop, he decided to get FL license and give it a try.
We stayed 8 days but wished we’d planned for the 2 week
maximum. Flamingo campground is all the way down 40 miles from the park
entrance surrounded by coastline and mangroves. The campground is in a field
w/palms and trees for shade. Pileated woodpeckers were on both sides of our
site building nests in the dead palm trunks. Steve and Ellen had arrived
several days before us, already knew the lay of the land and had befriended
Alan and Ruth setting the stage for my immersion into bird watching!
Bikes were a must for cycling to the amphitheater, different
ponds, the marina and Visitor Center. S & E’s campsite was the place to be
at dusk when a barn owl predictably made several passes across the field
hunting. Next door, Alan, a professional birder, tutored Ellen and I on bird
identification and hotspots for seeing rare birds. Almost every morning, the 3
of us went on the bird walk, sometimes followed by a second looking for yet
another new bird. We went on an early bike/walk looking for the reclusive
Mangrove Cuckoo and found a Hermit Thrush instead. Several nights we dined at
the Buttonwood Café by the Marina where dinner was cooked in a 5th
wheel pulled up to the side and you could bring your own wine. The second time
around, we brought our own wine glasses as well because the styrofoam cups just
didn’t make it. We also found it better to order cheap (sandwich or pizza)
after getting 6 small oysters with the fried oyster dinner.
Every day was special but the 12th, my 60th
birthday, was perfect! We picked different days for the canoeing trip so S
& E could stay with Nina. The 12th was our day so for 4-5 hours
we were canoeing across ponds, through mangrove tunnels and old airboat trails.
I told Harry to avoid using the J stroke so we wouldn’t get picked as the chase
boat at the end of the line but he did it anyway and back we went! Alligators
were so close, we had to switch sides to paddle to avoid hitting them in the
head. Waiting in the back while everyone went single file through the tunnels,
alligators were bellowing a couple yards away in the mangroves. The day before
on S & E’s trip, their group came across an alligator with a PFD in his
mouth! What were the chances of being born and dying on the same day of the
year! The day ended with a special dinner of grilled lamb, Alan and Ruth singing
Happy Birthday, and we all enjoyed ice cream, Lacy cookies (thanks to Ellen)
and another bottle of wine.
Reluctantly, we said our goodbyes on the 15th and
left leaving time for a final stop at the Anhinga Trail in search of the Purple
Gallinule. The parking lot had signs warning of Turkey Vultures tearing
windshield wipers and rubber trim off cars. It’s pretty serious and tarps are
provided for those who want them. In fact this is a problem throughout the
parking lots in the park. Take a look at the photos! One more stop just outside
the park by Canal 111 in search of the Vermillion Flycatcher who was sitting
right there waiting for me and on to a Laundromat before joining Dan and Marcia
in South Miami.
Photos
