We soon became friends with our neighbors, Doug and Anita from British Columbia who arrived the same day. Both Harry and Anita opted out of the 9 Mile Pond canoe trip so Doug and I partnered up. The water was higher than last year which meant more birds to see but less concentrated alligators. One canoe in our group flipped and was rescued by the designated “sweeps”. They also had to get wet because the canoe and all the gear sank. Unfortunate but the folks who flipped had a good sense of humor – not so the sweeps!
Taking a break from the heat and bugs, we ventured off to John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo for a day of snorkeling and soon realized there wasn't a shady spot to be found to leave Nina. We were able to get a vacate site for the night and discovered Doug and Anita also ended up in the same park. Doug joined us for snorkeling in the morning while Anita took the glass bottom boat trip. The fish were beautiful but the coral was still recovering from storm damage.
In the Everglades, there was lots of birding with the highlight of finally seeing the elusive Mango Cuckoo. Another highlight was renting a canoe and heading out into the bay and around to Snake Bight. Fishing for Harry and birds for Sally!
We transferred our final night to Long Pine Campground which was 38 miles back towards the entrance of the park giving us a boost in the morning. I had been tipped off by Ranger Bob about good birding on the Old Ingram Highway with the probability of seeing a Snail Kite. Harry dropped me off with my bike, assorted optics, camera, bottle of water and 3 Fig Newtons at 9:30 in the morning. Once I got to the mound which was to be a good vantage point, I got spooked with the thought of snakes. Coming back down, I met a woman who asked what I saw. Confessing my fears, she said it was fine and encouraged me back up. We hiked and biked the area and then walked through a mystical cedar swamp.
My guide, Maryanne Biggar, shared her knowledge of the everglades and snippets of her life with her husband, John Ogden. In the swamp, she identified many of the plants including the orchids that were not in bloom. She showed me a “princess crown” that was orchid plants circling a cypress tree. We talked of snakes and of how she and her husband would string hammocks in the swamp to hang out. Coming out of the swamp, we had an incredible sighting of a barred owl. John died 2 years ago and quoting from his obituary, he was “one of the world's leading authorities on wading birds and a scientist who fought for and shaped Everglades restoration plans.” He came to the Everglades NP in the 60’s and spent “the next four decades in positions of increasing influence with Audubon, the park and water district. Audubon hired him back in 2007 as director of bird conservation.”
Needless to say, this was a very special day for me and I totally lost track of time compounded by the loss of an hour w/daylight savings time. When I got back to the campground at 5 p.m. looking for Harry, there was a crowd asking if I was Sally including a security ranger. Harry had filed a missing person report and they had sent UTV’s out on the trails looking for me!!!! Ugh!!!
So many more stories but I have already rattled on too long!
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