I Spy

This is the final installment of our Everglades National Park tour.  This is Pa-hay-okee Overlook just before sunset. Swamp and wilderness stretch for miles on end. It's simultaneously, beautiful and peaceful -- and a bit creepy knowing all the reptiles and other creatures that call this area home. We left the overlook with a hint of a daylight left -- and, it's a good thing we did!

As we drove away, I spotted something alongside the road!  The SDP Junior Editor gets an 'A' for creativity.  Rather than risk scaring away the wildlife by opening/closing a car door, she popped her head through the sunroof to get a better look.

She had a great vantage point! 

Dusk was rapidly setting in.  But, there was no question what was perched in that tree so close to the road.

A barred owl!  And, it seemed very curious about the activity on the road. Somehow I was able to quickly and quietly set up my tripod.  And, maxing out the ISO, I was able to squeeze out this shot.   What fun!  Believe it or not, this is how our brief excursion to the Everglades ended -- very memorable. Looking forward to returning!  

The Birds

We're continuing with our tour of Everglades National Park! Portions of the park are inhabited by vultures. And, when I say vultures…I mean LOTS of intimidating, menacing looking feathered creatures.  Apparently, they're attracted to the rubber on vehicles and have been known to cause quite a bit of damage.  Enough cars have been damaged that the park actually provides complimentary tarps, so you can cover your car and, hopefully, protect it. We saw more ospreys than vultures in this portion of the park, known as Flamingo, and didn't bother using a tarp.  The car was safe and sound.  Photo bombing my own photo, I snapped a quick pic of this unusual display with my phone, never expecting to use it for SDP.

Then we entered Paurotis Pond.  Oh, my goodness -- I felt like Tippi Hedren in 'The Birds'!  Yikes!  Vultures were everywhere -- roosting in trees, flapping their wings, and swooping down low….very low.  While they didn't attack the car, there were so many birds and they seemed so aggressive, the SDP Junior Editor and I didn't feel comfortable leaving the car.

So,  I opened the sunroof -- and quickly snapped this photo!  Even then, I wondered if the vultures were watching and would plunge into the car.  We didn't stay long!  Unfortunately, we didn't have an opportunity to talk with a park ranger about our experience…but, apparently, no one really understands the vultures' behavior.  I found an interesting 2012 news article on The Weather Channel website talking about the aggressive vultures in the Everglades. You can check it out here.  I see vultures at Myakka River State Park, but nothing like this.  We'll conclude our Everglades tour tomorrow with more wildlife --- and another creative use of the sunroof (this one documented!).  Have a good Sunday!

Flamingo Visitor Center

We're continuing with our adventure through Everglades National Park! The park is vast. Spanning nearly 2,400 square miles, it's the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.  Translation:  lots to explore!  The SDP Junior Editor and I entered the park via the Ernest Coe Visitor Center near Florida City.  From there, you can drive 38 miles to the southern tip of the park --- which, of course, we did.  And, this is part of what you'll see: the Flamingo Visitor Center, an unremarkable structure located next to a marina on Florida Bay.  (At the marina, we actually saw an adult and juvenile seahorse swimming in the sea grass near the surface next to the boat docks.  Very cool experience.)

And, this is the view behind the visitor center.  Amazing! Mangroves, big sky, and beautiful blue water stretching as far as the eye can see.  It almost feels like you're at the end of the earth.  Technically, I suppose, you could say you're at the end of Florida here, before heading to the Florida Keys.  See those dark blobs on the horizon?  Those are just a few keys scattered throughout the bay.  You may have heard of the 10,000 islands in Florida?  This is part of that vast chain of mangrove islands.  While they're uninhabited, the park allows "back country" camping on several keys.  It's not for the faint of heart, though.  According to a kayak outfitter website I found, one of the closest park approved campgrounds is 12-15 miles (one way) from this spot.  Whew!  

Anhinga Trail

The most popular trail at Everglades National Park is the Anhinga Trail.  It's an easy walk along a boardwalk around an open swamp area.  The vistas are quite nice.  

Of course, you never know what you're walking near…or over. It's wise to keep your eyes open…and camera at the ready.

This is an anhinga -- the trail's namesake.  These are the birds that many times are seen with their wings spread out, drying, after plunging into the water for a meal.  Since it was late spring when the SDP team visited, I suspect most of the migratory birds, like the pretty roseate spoonbills, had already left.  So, we're already sharpening our pencils and planning a return trip in January or February.

Adjacent to the Anhinga Trail is the Gumbo Limbo Trail.   This one goes through the woods around many gumbo limbo trees and others.  We made a point to hit this trail after a particularly helpful National Parks volunteer randomly told me a barred owl nest is located there.  He even marked it on a map -- without me asking.  At the time, I thought it was bit odd.  Why would the volunteer want to direct tourists to a nest?  Well, once we saw the trail, I realized immediately it was so dense with foliage it would be nearly impossible to find an owl nest.  And then…I heard it call!  Again…and again.  Then, it went silent.  Darn!  I've seen several barred owls here in Sarasota…but, I was on a mission to find this particular rascal.  After walking around for a few minutes about ready to give up, amazingly, maybe 30 yards deep into the thick brush there he was….sitting  in a tree watching me.  He was  tucked in so far it was difficult to get a clear shot.  But, we were able to point him out to a couple visiting from Germany who we had met on the other trail -- and they were pretty excited. Success! The Everglades journey will continue...

Say 'Aaaaaah!'

Well, since Everglades National Park is synonymous with alligators, we'll start the highlights of our recent trip there with what can only be described as a "Show off Gator".  This guy really wanted us to see his incredibly large (and pristinely clean looking) maw.  So, how did we get to this point?

Well, we were hiking the Anhinga Trail, a very popular walk in the Everglades. At the end of a boardwalk, we paused to take in the beautiful scenery when this guy spotted me immediately. (Note I say me…not the SDP Jr. Editor who was present and accounted for on this adventure.  I suspect I may have been viewed as a smaller, more manageable snack….but, who knows?!)  For whatever reason, the gator made a beeline toward me as you can see in this video.

Although there was decent bit of separation between us (and I was elevated on a boardwalk), there's something a bit unnerving about an  imposing beast like this staring you down and swimming straight for you. It didn't even wait to get on land before exposing it's massive white/pink mouth, teeth and all.  Naturally, I was looking down at my camera at the time -- and almost missed the entire "gaping maw scene" which happened very quickly. Fortunately, the SDP Jr. Editor was on her game and alerted me: "It's mouth is OPEN!"

  

This is what it looked like without my long lens -- and no cropping.  Welcome to the Everglades!  It's perfect timing that we're sharing these photos, because it's National Park Week in the U.S.  Although I've lived in Florida for almost 18 years, this was my first visit to Everglade National Park and I really enjoyed it.  We'll be sharing more from this wonderfully wild and swampy area soon.