Jan 22 - At Last for me a visit to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

This morning was just like every day here so far, warm and sunny and then hot by 10:00 am.  Sorry to tell you this weather news, especially family and friends in the land of snow and ice.

We left Immokalee around 9 am  and Corkscrew was 12 miles away.  Both Barbr and Colleen have been here before but I have never had the chance to visit it before.  This is a true Florida Everglades marsh with Cypress tree stands and palm trees and all kinds of ferns and epiphytes.  We took water with us and some snacks as the boardwalk trail was over 2 miles long and it was hot already.   The boardwalk was started in 1956 when the Sanctuary was set up.

Everyone was keen for this day.  At the Visitor Center there were feeders set up and  there were a couple of Painted Bunting pairs and an Indigo Bunting!!  What a sweet start.  

We then we set off on the boardwalk.  We saw the usual wading birds and  some snakes also.  Both Colleen and Barbr took photos.  I was hoping for a Bittern as they are supposed to be at Corkscrew but we were not lucky. 

   

There were look-outs and observation towers.  Corkscrew Swamp is really well done.  We saw a small group of warblers  (yellow-rumped, and Black and White).    We saw several big alligators .  There were lots of people on the boardwalk.  We finished the boardwalk by 12:30 pm and  had lunch watching the bird feeders.   

We then drove to a Scenic Drive off the highway (the name info is in the car and we are all in our night clothes now and for the first time we are not in a drive-to-the-door motel).  The drive had bird activity but as the afternoon was late, Colleen brought up the point that we should not be caught out on the roadway after sunset as there were alligators along the road and there were many stretches & markers as Panther Crossings.  We were in the Everglades area and there are few towns in the area..  We headed north on 41 to south of Naples and a motel room, the Glades Inn.

This place has a very weak internet and it took 5 minutes to load the blog page and so I decided I will do this in Word and just copy it tomorrow when we will be in a different area and a different motel. I did this Monday night also (we are in Boynton Beach).

While we are having relaxed birding days, they are all hot days and the heat gets to one sooner or later.  So we are all tired to different degrees.  The weather had been awesome since we arrived.  Now it is hard to believe that we only have a couple of days left before Colleen catches the Amtrak train to go back home to Lakeland and husband Paul.  Barbr and I are going on to Trinidad and Tobago and joining Peggy and Brenda there on the 26^th.

Bird of the day for Barbr was the Painted Bunting and the Crested Caracara.  Colleen's was the Painted Bunting also and the snakes we saw.  My bird of the day was the Painted Bunting.

So another good day, gosh we are getting spoiled.  We are having a splash and a bowl of ice cream and fresh local strawberries, it can't get any better than this.

Barbs & Colleen  Photos added.