[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Everglades National Park Chat Page Version 1.60 ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Paul (65.12.207.57) on 06:01:05 12/28/06
In Reply to: Everglades Trip Report #2 posted by Paul
On to Eco-pond and the jackpot. We stayed two hours on station photographing mergansers, willets, yellowlegs, rosettes, and watched large formations of white pelicans at several hundred feet height circle on the rising thermals. We also saw what we thought might be an American Black duck. It was very shy and disappeared more frequently than that eared grebe at Green Cay. Eco pond is coming back from the destruction of hurricanes Rita, Katrina and Wilma. It is a happy day. And for photographers, the better news is that all the fences and rules are a little tattered. Trails to water edge showed that many people are already getting better photo positions than ever before. But then, you haven't had a life experience in aggravation until you drag an extended tri-pod through the clinging ground vines around Eco-pond.
We finished the mid-day with photographing a very dark-dark phase red-shouldered hawk near the tent grounds. We weren't sure what the creature was until it called...yep a red shouldered. A kestrel flew in to hara ss the hawk (cheeky fellows, those kestrel) and flew away after making its point. Which was...?
Tents were springing up all around as we packed to leave and an armada of large trailers was lined up for site reservations. Flamingo is coming alive again. Canoes and kayaks graced the canal and the close in flats. Ospreys are incubating. Old nests are in repair, some fallen down. New nests are in odd places. You can almost play "button button" in ferreting out the location of the nests.
We met many birders, photographers, and tourists. Most were impressed with the damage the park suffered. Evidence of that is the seagra*ss on top of the one remaining boardwalk at Eco-pond which is three feet above ground level. Others, pity, never knew what once was and now take pleasure in what is. I have decided that memories can be curse as well as a blessing.
We journeyed back to Anhinga to "catch the sunset". People outnumbered birds by 20 to 1. What a promenade. People from all nations. The conversations as they pas*sed by would make a scene from the Tower of Babel. As you can expect, the commotion was boisterous. We did a quick shot of the phoebe (let's hear it for the little guys of Everglades Park!). With all the alligators around there weren't many people taking in the show of the phoebe.
And speaking of shows, the water level is falling, the fish are congregating and the predators are in fish, or is it fat city. Even the dumbest cormorant or anhinga could score a fish a minute. The alligators were chomping too. A virtual fish fry without the fire.
And the anhinga are nesting. And the sun set was golden. And we took our leave.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Everglades National Park Chat Page Version 1.60 ] [ FAQ ]