Davie, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary,
& Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Mainland and Sanibel Island, Florida
April 6 ~ 16, 2003
Alligator By George Grant
Pink colored buildings. Swaying Palm Trees. Roadside Boat-tailed Grackles. Yeah, we were in Florida. We flew down to visit a longtime friend who moved from the Big Apple to Sunny Florida. Not only did we enjoy White Ibises and Swallow-tailed Kites while relaxing poolside in his lush lanai, we also birded a couple of hotspots. Read a few trip highlights, enjoy some photos, and skim the notable species list -- the birds that conjure fun memories from this Florida trip.
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Anhinga by Tom Munson
Davie, Florida
Canal Leading to Friend's House~ Our friend, Matty, picked us up from the airport. Soon, he, my husband, John, and I were rounding the corner of his pretty, residential block lined by lush vegetation and a canal. As he drove, our non-birder friend insisted that we didn't have to go to Corkscrew Swamp, or stay on Sanibel Island during our visit. "All the birds you ever need our outside my front door," he swore. I only half believed him. John and I scanned the canal for birds. Frangipani and Palm trees dotted the landscape, but Mourning Doves were the only avian species until… "Stop, Stop the car!" I yelled. It took Matty a few uneasy seconds before he realized everything was o.k. "It's a bird, Matty. Her number one "wanna see bird," reassured John. There it perched in all its breeding glory -- a magnificent Anhinga a.k.a. Snake Bird -- a superb specimen. Matty laughed. "Ah, that's nothing. Wait until you see the white birds with the funny curved beaks. They're on my lawn every morning." You bet that time I believed him.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Naples, Florida~ The regular swamp birders couldn't find them, nor could the photographers. Somewhere though, amidst the great clumps of "air plants" -- colorful epiphytic tillandsia and orchids -- were two Barred Owl fledglings. Sure, I've had my share of Barred Owl songs rising from woods, but never had I seen one face-to-face. It looked like I wouldn't on this true trip too. It no longer mattered though when I heard Northern Flickers "wicka-wicking" like crazed witches; the strident cries of Red-shouldered hawks; and the maniacal calls of Pileated Woodpeckers reverberating through the swamp. Amidst the cacophony, up high, came faint hissing. I stopped a few people and asked if they heard it too. They shook their heads no. The hissing resumed. At first, I wondered if it were a snake. I scanned the trees and thick vegetation. Then I smiled. Fifty feet above, were two clumps side-by-side. I focused in tighter with my binoculars and saw not two balls of "air plants," but two downy bodies with four deep black eyes staring down and hissing at me -- the Barred Owl fledglings!
Barred Owl Fledglings, Florida, by George Grant
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Sanibel Island, Florida~ I love to dance. Naturally, I had to see if the famed Reddish Egret dance lived up to its reputation. I had read much about how the bird dashes sideways, looking like it will fall over as it searches for food. Their mantling is very well known too as they shade their vision, or trick their prey into thinking they've found a darkened, protective spot. We stopped our bicycles at the first body of water edged with thick mangrove roots. In the middle distance was a Reddish Egret. It darted. Spun. It ran sideways like a bird on a wire. It nearly pirouetted. The bird cracked me up. What wacky dancing. What peculiar foraging. The egret stopped and mantled, spreading its wings over its head like Count Dracula. It stood incredibly still. What a contrast to its former antics. Then quick as lighting it pierced the water and speared a glistening fish. The Reddish Egret gulped, ruffled its feathers, then danced some more.
Reddish Egret by Tom Munson
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Notable Species Seen in Davie, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary,
& Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Florida
April 6 ~ 16, 2003
Here are some more pictures of birds seen during our jaunts to Corkscrew and Sanibel Island. Look at the species list too. Rather than a full account, it shows notable birds seen during our trip.
~ American White Pelican, Brown Pelican
(For larger and clearer pictures, click onto these thumbnails images.)
Photos by George Grant
~ Magnificent Frigatebird
~ Anhinga
~ Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork
~ Black Vulture, Osprey, Swallow-tailed Kite, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon
~ Common Moorhen, American Coot
~ Semipalmated Plover, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Hudsonian Godwit, Marbled Godwit
~ Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Black Skimmer
~ Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove
~ Monk Parakeet
~ Barred Owl
~ Common Nighthawk
~ Belted Kingfisher
~ Loggerhead Shrike
~ Orange-crowned Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Praire Warbler
~ Painted Bunting
~ Pine Siskins
"I rejoice that there are owls."
Henry Thoreau
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