The Everglades
After driving from NJ to the Alabama gulf coast, I decided I needed to find somewhere a little warmer, and a little more exciting. Apparently the gulf coast actually gets pretty cold in the winter Since I’d already ready driven so far I might as well make my way to the everglades, a place I’ve wanted to go to for a while.
Everglades National Park is known for its birds, and for my three days there it did not disappoint. Shorebirds, raptors and song birds were found in great abundance, in addition to non bird wildlife such as alligators, manatees and much more. For me the most exciting sightings were the many red shouldered hawks that I was able to follow, and a closeup view of an osprey munching on a fresh caught fish.
A red-shouldered hawk going in for the kill
An osprey returning to the nest with a fresh catch.
A red-shouldered hawk leaping from a tree.
An osprey halfway through lunch.
Anyone who has been to or read about the everglades has probably seen pictures of the roseate spoonbill. I was hoping to get some good shots of these bright pink birds, but they were actually pretty hard to come by. I was excited to see a few fly overhead, but was unable to get a decent shot. However, speaking of colorful birds, I was able to spot some purple gallinule which nicely added a splash of color to my photos.
Purple Gallinule
Since there aren’t too many hiking trails near where I was in the everglades, I decided to spend a few hours one day exploring by boat. Since I wanted to bring my camera and take pictures I opted for a motorized boat tour over a kayak. I was very excited to spot some wildlife that I didn’t see on the trails.
Royal Tern
Manatee
While I was mostly excited by the wildlife I was able to witness in the everglades, there is one animal I need to warn any future travelers about; mosquitos. I spent two nights camping in the national park and left with hundreds of mosquito bites. And this was in the winter. I did my best to cover up while I was out and about, but I’m pretty sure they got in my tent and munched on me whilst I slept. While the mosquitos were certainly a nuisance, and disrupted several nights of sleep, they will not stop me from returning. And I hope they won’t stop you from checking it out.
