Everglades National Park – Paint Your Landscape

Walking along shadowed paths, the sun not yet quite ready to greet the day, contentment settles over me. I feel as if I am floating upon the fog that is blanketing the grasses, alert to the callings on the wind and the chirping of insects underfoot. I think this is how it feels to be in the moment.

I marvel as egret wings caress the pastel sky above me but I am keenly aware that I am only seeing a small percentage of the birds as those seen back in the 1940’s when this land was slated for protection under the National Park system.

We are back in the Everglades, and after the exhilaration of the Keys, this has been quite an abrupt change. A bit of sadness washed over me as we left to start our trek north, but strolling this campground my spirit is buoyed by the calm, ready for a week devoid of cell phone and internet connectivity, free of the trappings of modern existence.

Our travels have taken us to the southern tip of the Everglades, the Flamingo campground, our home for five days. This is America’s Crocodile Capital, where saltwater melds into fresh, the only place in this country I have read where alligators and crocodiles co-exist. We had already visited the western part of the park so I was wondering if we would find enough to occupy ourselves for this length of time. I need not have worried.

Here are our top 6 favorite activities while visiting Flamingo (in no particular order):

1) Eco Pond

A trip to Eco Pond, about 0.5 miles from the Flamingo campground, particularly at sunrise, is a birder’s delight. Bug repellant is a must as these pesky insects seem to like first light as much as we do.

Hundreds of egrets with a splash of pink coloring the landscape.

The roseate spoonbills’ captivating pink plumage comes from a red pigment found in some crustaceans they feast upon.

The ravishing roseate spoonbill — The ravishing roseate

2) Anhinga Trail

We were lucky to be in the park for the ‘Big Day Birding Adventure’, led by Ranger Christi, conducted only twice monthly. We started at the Anhinga Trail, spending a couple of hours there, and headed back south, making several stops until we arrived back at the Flamingo Visitor Center.

Ranger Christi (center) pointing out anhingas nesting in the surrounding trees

Lots of boardwalks cross over lily pad laden waterways, with countless wading birds on the shores contemplating a delicious breakfast.

Long lengths of boardwalk traverse the watery depths.

We entertained ourselves watching a cormorant try to gulp down a rather large walking catfish before a waiting wood stork swooped in. He swallowed it just in the nick of time. 🙂

A cormorant desperate to enjoy a big breakfast before having it stolen away.

3) Bike Rides

We spent many a day biking the campground and roadways, stopping off at various ponds or boardwalks to enjoy the wildlife.

4) Pinelands Trail in Search of Tree Snails

As you walk this 0.5 mile trail, keep your eyes trained up into the canopies of the smooth-barked Jamaican dogwood and gumbo limbo trees, and you just might spot some of the colorful Liguus tree snails.

5) Hang out at the Marina

This time of year, spending time at the marina will reward you with some pretty spectacular views of osprey nesting, and if you’re lucky, you might be there for feeding time.

A tender moment captured as an osprey feeds her chicks

Many also come to the marina to spot the crocodiles lying on the banks or taking up residence in the boat slips. Early in our stay this is where we saw the crocs from a safe distance. Much to our surprise, the very next day a 9-footer decided to visit us at the campground, causing a bit of excitement.

6) Kayak to your Heart’s Content

We spent many a day paddling the waterways in the park. It is one of the best ways to see roosting birds, pelicans feeding, dolphins frolicking, and alligators and crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks.

The water level in the Florida Bay rarely exceeds a depth of six feet so watching the tides is important if you don’t want to get grounded in the seagrass. Low tide is the best time to check out the variety of birds on the mudflats. We paddled Florida Bay one blustery day at low tide, which made for a nice shoulder work-out. We also experienced it at early morning high tide, paddling from the marina to Snake Bight, a 5-mile round trip that rewarded us with dolphin sightings and a variety of roosting birds in the mangroves.

At peace on the water

Reddish egret spotted in the mangrove canopy

If you want a bit more excitement, venture out into the Buttonwood Canal and paddle among the crocodiles and alligators. I didn’t let my mind linger too long on what would happen if our inflatable decided to spring a leak.

Traversing the Buttonwood Canal - a much different feel from the open Florida Bay — Traversing the Buttonwood Canal – a much different feel from the open Florida Bay

Nature’s many voices can be heard in this pristine wilderness. Hopefully the future health of the Everglades can survive the many demands being placed on her water supplies so future generations can enjoy her wild beauty.

Our journey north and back to civilization officially begins.

On what was to be our first glimpse into this intriguing land known as the Everglades, we loaded up our bikes before the light of day and were on our way to Shark Valley, an interesting name for a valley whose watery depths average 3-4 feet, with not a shark to be seen. The Shark Valley Slough runs through this terrain, supplying much of the water to the Everglades, and feeding into the Shark River. It was at this river where early settlers saw the fins of bull sharks, hence the name.

Shark Valley can be experienced in several ways, a two-hour tram ride, on bikes, or a leisurely stroll. We opted to bike, allowing us to traverse the 15-mile loop at our leisure, making plenty of stops to see yet another bird species or an alligator lazing upon the canal bank.

Limpkin

Common gallinule

Mama gator and her pod

I’ve got my eye on you!

An observation tower at mile seven provides a 360º view of nothing but Glades.

Visiting Shark Valley at first light gave us the chance to share its quiet beauty with just a few avid birding photographers (at least for a short time). As the sun welcomed the day, the mist rose off the marshlands, the air refreshingly cool. The bellows of unseen alligators mingled with the calls of wading birds, a lyrical yet eerie chorus.

Don't get any closer! — Don’t get any closer!

Nicknamed the “River of Grass” for the sawgrass prairies that tower six feet above the land, the Everglades stretch 100 miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. Woven throughout her vast watery plains lies a symbiotic mosaic of nine distinct ecosystems. It is home to 36 protected animal species, has the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere and boasts the most meaningful breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America. Shark Valley is a beautiful embodiment of this montage.

Black-crowned night heron

Juvenile black-crowned night heron

Prior to visiting the Glades, my mind conjured up images of swampy bug and reptile-infested waters but the Everglades is ever so much more. This National Park was created, not for its unique topographical features, but rather to protect a fragile ecosystem, one that has suffered greatly by human hands in our never-ending quest for development. This region’s only source of water is the rain that falls on it and the extensive canal systems that have been put into place to support the explosive population growth in South Florida have redirected these crucial life-giving waters away from the Everglades. The natural habitats of many species are being threatened to the point of extinction. We can only hope that the 30-year Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) put into plan in 2000 will revive a dying ecosystem and allow this natural wonder to heal.

We have just scratched the surface of the Everglades and have a future stop planned later this month in Flamingo, at the southern end of the park, where we hear the mosquitoes are as large as some of the wading birds and quite the voracious little eaters too!

Just a few pics from a pole-boat tour taken in Big Cypress National Preserve: