New England Seabirds | Wandering Birder | Wandering North America | South Florida   South Florida Nov 2004 Everglades Big Cypress Corkscrew Swamp Ding Darling Ding Darling is the best place to see large groups of wading birds such as Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron , Tri-color Heron,Great Blue Heron, and White Ibis. Everglades - Shark Valley Shark Valley is reached from the Tamiami Trail and is part of the Everglades National Park. National park entrance fees apply. Once inside you can choose to bike, walk or ride the concrete path on the park tram which costs an additional $12.75 ( dollar off for senior citizens). I choose the tram. The tram is an open on all sides and is a very pleasant and slow ride. In November it is relatively bug free. You ride out to the spectacular viewing tower where there is a 20 minute stop. You won't see any birds you wouldn't see driving the road on the south edge of the park out to Flamingo, but the guide gives an informative naration. In November the baby alligators are just hatching. The mother alligator does not incubate her eggs, but remains nearby guarding the nest. After the babies hatch she guards them for some time. In this picture one baby is on the rock to the left and a second in the water above the rock. The others had squirmed away before I got this shot. We came upon this Great Blue Heron eating a living snake. The guide identified the snake as a Water Mocassin. The snake was still moving and holding its body rigid. The Red-shouldered Hawk is rather common in South Florida and co-operative about posing for pictures. Across the road from the park entrance is an airboat ride and restaurant which may sometimes have birds like the Limpkin. I saw nothing here. Big Cypress Loop Road Continuing on the Tamiami Trail you will come to the Loop Road. This is a 14 mile long gravel road that makes a loop through what is left of the Big Cypress Swamp. The short paved portion passes through a housing track. Beyond the housing, the swamp lies on both sides of the road. I drove along at 15 miles per hour and stopped from time to time just to enjoy the beauty of the woods. I saw the expected Egrets: Great Blue, Little Blue, Tricolor, Great and Overbird. Drive this road to enjoy the habitat. I met about 5 cars and trucks coming in the opposite direction. No cars passed me. Most of the time I was alone to enjoy the beautiful place. Corkscrew Swamp I have heard about this place for many years and felt I just had to visit. Corkscrew Swamp is maintained by the National Audubon Society. If you are not a member admission is $10 for adults. There is a visitors center and a 2.25mile long boardwalk. This is the best boardwalk I have ever been on and I recommend spending the day here. I was lucky, there were no school buses in the parking lot. The few visitors here walked along quietly. I walked very slowly and stopped to sit on every bench. It was a lovely experience. I was most happy to see this Limpkin skulking along very close to the boardwalk. A second Limpkin was seen somewhat further away and deep in the thicket. Ding Darling - Sanibel Island Ding Darling on Sanibel Island is a National Wildlife Refuge. Admission is $5 per car or the usual Duck Stamp or Golden Age Passport. The refuge road is closed to all traffic on Fridays. On other days you can drive, bike, walk, or for an additional $10 ride the refuge tram. There is also a visitor's center, but it was closed. A related attraction across from the refuge is the Shell Museum ( admission $6 ). It contains beautiful and informative displays on shells from Sanibel and around the world. Don't miss seeing the film on the live shells. The best birding is in the vicinity of the tower. Shorebirds await low tide on a sandbar just past the tower. As the tide goes out, the area directly in front of the tower fills with feeding wading birds. And I also had a Prairie Warbler in the trees by the road. A group of 15 White Pelicans were feeding. You can also see the pelicans at the far end of Captiva Island. Hurrican damage was much greater on Captiva. This may be why more of the pelicans have moved to Sanibel. Sanibel Island was hit by one of the 4 hurricanes to hit Florida in the fall of 2004. Most damage was to the mangroves as you can see in this picture. I would expect these mangroves to make a quick recovery. In the mean time the birding is a bit easier here now.