Okefenokee 2009-Week 2

Carl had a busy morning as he repaired the tow-bar and washed the motorhome. Later we did some shopping. First stop was PetSmart since Ginger was out of food. The parking lot and store were packed. Once inside we realized why. There was a photo booth set up and about 15-20 people were lined up to have their pet’s picture taken sitting on Santa’s lap. We kid you not. Carl wanted to go over and suggest that these people get a life but sadly he realized that they did have a life; and this was IT! Back in the campground we met one of the Chai group couples. Sandy thought she recognized someone at temple yesterday and sure enough, it was Laura and Shelley Singer, a couple we first met at the FMCA convention in Perry, GA in March 2005 when we discovered the Chai Group of Jewish motorhomers. The Singers have a home in Delaware and winter in Florida in their coach. We made plans to get together with them next week when we are back here just before New Years. In the evening we joined Al & Eileen Kates at a Chanukah celebration at their temple. It was an energetic (for people averaging 80 years of age), entertaining music and comedy performance followed by a few songs by their Cantor who has a magnificent voice. After the performances, we all moved to the banquet hall for potato latkes and jelly donuts.

Although we will be back in this area for New Years, we will take a few days to do some birding in the Fort Myers area on the Gulf Coast. The 150 mile drive was uneventful and we were soon settled in our site at Koreshan State Park. It’s a big site, pretty well isolated from the adjacent sites. After setting up we walked over to the historic area. This place got its name from a group that moved down from Chicago in the late 19^th century to set up a utopian community based on shared property, no drinking or drugs. They were also celibate which explains why they eventually diminished in numbers. This group also believed in the hollow earth theory which postulates that we are all living on the inside of a 100 mile thick shell and the sun, moon and stars are reflections of gas clouds. In spite of some flawed beliefs, they thrived for many years, operating businesses, sponsoring art and music development and generally being good citizens. The site has about a dozen restored buildings representing interesting aspects of the community’s history. In addition to residences, there is a bakery, two machine shops and an electrical power plant. Back at our campsite, we did a few chores, lit Chanukah candles, had dinner and sat by another campfire. Life is good.

Today we visited one of the best birding spots in south Florida, Sanibel Island and the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. After a brief stop in the visitor center to buy the boys some essential, wildlife oriented gifts, we headed out on Wildlife Drive. The wading birds and shorebirds were everywhere; magnificent American White Pelicans with their ten foot wingspans and Roseate Spoonbills with a marvelous combination of gorgeous coloration and really weird bill shape. There were herons and egrets and plovers and sandpipers galore (we will spare you the full list ;-). After the wildlife drive we went to a city park on the ocean beach to eat our picnic lunch. We then walked along the shell covered beach, famous for sea shells and marine artifacts like horseshoe crab shells and sea urchins. We were however, distracted by a huge, mixed flock of birds on the beach. It was just passed high tide and the birds were resting as the ocean receded to expose more places for them to feed. This flock was acclimatized to people and simply walked or fluttered out of the way as people approached. There were gulls, three kinds of terns, turnstones and more than 100 western sandpipers. Fun to watch and easy to photograph. When we finished at the beach we visited the Bailey Tract, a small section of Ding Darling with a few fresh water impoundments. The habitat was promising but it was mid afternoon, hot and windy so there were few birds to see. After hiking about two thirds of the trails, we decided to leave since there was little going on. Within a minute of saying this, a Bobcat crossed the trail about 50 yards in front of us. He paused briefly to look at us as we fumbled unsuccessfully for binoculars and cameras, then continued into the dense undergrowth. Well, we were not going to top that for wildlife sightings today so we went shopping! It is a little known fact that the first and perhaps largest Chico’s is on Sanibel Island. Sandy enjoyed the store while making only a small dent in their inventory. Back at the coach, Carl began processing the 200+ photographs he had taken while Sandy went off to the local Outlet Mall. We both had a wonderful time!

Another great day of birding. Corkscrew Swamp is a gem; the largest old growth cypress swamp in the US, thanks to the Audubon Society. The start of the two mile boardwalk was pretty quiet but that changed when we got to the feeders. Here we saw a beautiful painted bunting male as well as a rare (for south Florida) white throated sparrow. Further along the trail we encountered red shouldered hawk, lots of wading birds and a marvelous collection of warblers including the uncommon yellow throated warbler. Along the way we met a couple from Rhode Island and we birded along with them for most of the trail. Once back at the visitor center, we ate our picnic lunch on the deck overlooking the swamp. A red shouldered hawk kept an eye on us as we ate. After lunch we decided to walk back to the feeder area. We got another glimpse of the painted bunting and an ovenbird but then the birds were scared off by the raccoon family. One adult and four juveniles fed and cavorted under the feeders for ten or fifteen minutes before they wandered off. At about that time a small rodent came out of the underbrush to eat some of the seeds dropped from the bird feeder. We later looked him up; it was a hinston cotton rat. Back at the coach we grilled up some salmon, lit Chanukah candles and enjoyed another campfire.

Merry Christmas to all of our Christian friends. We did a few chores around the coach before we drove down the Tamiani Trail to Big Cypress National preserve. There is a small campground there which is first come first served. We were a little concerned since there are few options here in south central Florida between the everglades and big cypress prairies with nothing but Indian villages for 40 miles. Fortunately there were plenty of sites. After lunch we drove to Shark Valley, on the northern border of Everglades National Park. We remembered this place as being very birdy from a visit three years ago and we were not disappointed. We hiked about five miles along the canal and saw dozens of alligators including several females with large clutches (10-20 juveniles). We also saw all the wading birds one can imagine including a pair of iridescent purple gallinules feeding on water lily flowers. We also spotted a huge (by grasshopper standards at 3 inches long) Lubber Grasshopper in the grass. As we hiked along, we noticed that all of the other people walking near us were speaking foreign languages. It was rare to hear someone speaking English. Have Americans stopped visiting our national parks? Following that hike we joined a ranger for a walk along the same trail, spotting additional birds and learning about the various species that nest in the area. Back in the parking lot we spotted a nest with a pair of red shouldered hawks. She also told us that, at sundown, hundreds, perhaps thousands of birds come to roost along the canal. We, of course, waited until sunset and sure enough, here they came. Wave after wave of white ibis, herons and egrets. Just when we thought the trees could not hold a single additional bird, ten more flew in, then 20 more. It was awesome and we were nearly the last car out before they locked the gate. One more thing slowed our departure. Just before the gate we spotted a three foot black snake, perhaps a black racer crossing the road.

At breakfast, Carl was telling Sandy about the turkey vulture that had perched on the post in the site next to us. As he pointed out the window, we spotted a red-shouldered hawk standing on the ground next to the post, eating a small snake or rodent for breakfast. We watched for a few minutes as first the hawk flew into a nearby tree to finish the first course, then flew off and returned with more breakfast. All within 50 feeet of our coach! Before heading back to John Prince Park, we visited the Big Cypress Visitor center and the Clyde Butcher gallery. Here’s what we said about this place in 2005. “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.” Nothing we saw today changed our initial opinion. They now show visitors a sample of the 12 by 20 inch sheet film used for these huge images. The film is so large that the four foot by eight foot print is the equivalent of a four by seven INCH print made from a 35 mm camera!!! Back at the campground we packed up and drove back to John Prince Park where we will stay for a week. Once settled in we went off to do laundry, have lunch and take advantage of the free WiFi at the Laundromat. In the evening we went out to dinner with Al & Eileen.

We relaxed today, did some coach cleanup, went shopping and finally took time to ride our bikes again. We even sat by the lake and read for an hour before supper!