Winter 2006 - Florida Birding

Back on the road, we headed south in search of birds and warmer weather. We stopped for a few nights in Titusville, near the Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. We arrived mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day cleaning and shopping and getting caught up with laundry; pretty normal domestic chores, just like at home. Tomorrow we go in search of birds.

Once again we drove Black Point Drive at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (we did it last year). This dirt road meanders through the marshes and let us get close to hundreds of neat birds. We saw 47 different species today. The highlight was a Clapper Rail which is a life bird for us. We also spotted a Bald Eagle. It is a really beautiful place. We also drove along the shore on another dirt road leading into the Canaveral National Seashore. We saw lots more shorebirds and numerous alligators.

We got an early start and drove back to the Black Point Drive. We hiked the five mile Crukshank Trail across the dike separating the fresh water lagoon from the salt marsh. We saw many of the same birds we saw yesterday as well as several new ones. The highlight was a Sora, a reclusive little bird that hides in the mangrove roots. After the hike, we drove to the beach to eat our picnic lunch and walk along the seashore for a while. In addition to the Sanderlings and Willets and gulls, we saw several Northern Gannets cruising offshore. By now it was mid afternoon and we were pretty tired. We went back to the coach to relax, read and update our bird list. Temperature was in the high 60’s so we sat outside for the first time this trip. After dinner we lit Hannukah candles and exchanged first night gifts. Happy Hannukah to all our Jewish family and friends.

Merry Christmas to all our Christian family and friends. We packed up this morning and headed south to the Big Cypress National Preserve, a National Park property north of the Everglades National Park. Sandy was feeling really lousy, fever, achy and upset stomach. When we stopped for lunch, she took some drugs and a long nap. She felt better as we got rolling again. We arrived at Midway Campground about 4:30. This is a lovely place with 24 RV sites laid out in a loop around a small pond. The paved sites are pretty close together but with only seven of the 24 occupied, we are pretty spread out. Curiously, the sites have 50 Amp electricity but no water. Not a problem for us since we will be here just three nights. Each site has a palm tree but the new trees are not too tall so we have a good internet connection. We had a nice sunset and Carl saw a flock of about 40 Great Egrets flying over as they headed to the everglades to roost for the night.

After two weeks of procrastination, we began today with a run. It felt good to be jogging along the road with lots of birds but the passing traffic at 60 mph+ was unnerving. After breakfast we went to the Shark Valley center of Everglades National Park. We hiked about two miles down the visitor loop where we saw lots of wading birds (herons and egrets). We also saw a red shouldered hawk and several purple gallinule. Oh, and lots of alligators, many on or alongside the road. We then took a 20 mile loop road through the Big Cypress Preserve. The tree lined road limited wildlife sightings but it was a pleasant drive. On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Visitor Center and got information on trails and drives where we would see birds for tomorrow. After dinner we had our first campfire of the trip under a canopy of brilliant stars.

Another delightful day. Although it was 45 degrees when we awoke, there was not a cloud in the sky and it rapidly warmed to the high sixties. We drove down some more back roads with lots of birds and alligators in the adjoining canal. We stopped to photograph a Red Shouldered Hawk and when he (?) began squawking and flying in circles, we got out of the car to see what was happening. Love was happening!! There was a second hawk circling around and within a few minutes they both landed on the same branch and copulated, which, sadly for the birds, takes less time that it took me to type this ;-). We added two birds to our trip list today, Black Crowned Night Heron and American Kestrel. Though we have seen a lot of birds, there are still quite a few LBBs (little brown birds) and RDDs (rapidly departing ducks). We still lack the patience and/or skill to identify the birds that give us only a fleeting glimpse.

We then drove to Everglade City and took a boat ride through the “Ten Thousand Island” section of Everglades National Park (where there are between 16,000 and 18,000 mangrove islands). The highlight of the trip was when a Bottlenose Dolphin swam in front of our boat for a while and at one point, surfaced so close in front of us, that he sprayed us with water when he exhaled.

On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Clyde Butcher Gallery. This famous Florida photographer uses a huge 11 x 14” view camera to capture scenes of the everglades in black and white. The prints hanging in the gallery were awesome, prompting Sandy to suggest that this might be the next Ansel Adams. The very large view camera negatives allow huge enlargements and preserve extraordinary detail. At one end of the gallery hung a four by eight FOOT print. of a small mangrove island under a richly textured cloud pattern. It was breathtaking, as was the $13,000 price tag. Check out his work at www.clydebutcher.com. After supper we walked around the campground then spent a few minutes admiring the stars.

Another run in the brisk morning air started our day. After breakfast we packed up and headed to West Palm Beach. Following a super market stop, we checked in to the Lion Country Safari campground where we stayed last year. After lunch we drove over to visit our dear friends Eileen and Al Kates. We got caught up on common friends and had dinner before heading back to the campground. We also picked up our mail and several UPS packages we had forwarded to them.