Paul Holmes and I traveled south to the Everglades to do a liitle exploring.  Our first stop was the Everglades National Park Gulf Coast Visitor Center.  This center is located just south of Everglades City.  The only attraction at the Center is a 1-½ hour boat trip ($16) among the TenThousand Islands.  There are no birding trails in the immediate area.  We had a good discussion with the two rangers in attendance at the Center.  They recommended several areas, including the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve.

We backtracked along US41to the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk.  This boardwalk extends for about ¾ mile into the Fakahatchee Strand.  There are no restroom facilities.  We walked the length of the boardwalk.  The area is dry.  The only water we saw was at the end of the trail.  It was essentially a mud hole inhabited by a female alligator and several dozen little ones.  We also saw a large Florida water snake in the area.  We saw no water birds along the length of the trail.  However, we saw or heard several land birds, such as White-eyed Vireo, Carolina Wren, Cardinals, and Woodpeckers (Pileated and Red-bellied).  A Swallow-tailed Kite was observed flying overhead.

We then followed US 41 to SR 29, where we turned north.  We went a short distance and turned west onto CR837.  We followed this road for several miles until we reached what is known as gate 7.  We followed this trail for about a ½ mile.  Again, the swampy area was dry and no water birds were seen.  Very few land birds were seen or heard.  Of course, it was early afternoon and everyone knows that birds seem to disappear at this time of day.

Following are a few images taken during the outing.  (For a larger view, double click on the desired image.)  

I visited St Marks NWR, locate about 25 miles south of Tallahassee, this morning, arriving there about 8:30.  There is a $4 entry fee unless you have a Golden Age Passport, in which case there is no charge.  My first stop was the Visitor's Center.  The rangers said there aren't too many birds around this time of year, but my best bet would be to start at the Lighthouse Pond. 

There are many pools, ponds, and marshy areas along the 7-mile stretch from the Visitor's Center to the St. Mark's lighthouse. During the winter months, I imagine this is a birder's paradise.   In the pond by the Lighthouse, I observed quite a number of wading birds.  Birds observed included Egrets (Great & Snowy), Herons (Great Blue, Green, & Tricolored), Moorhens, Willets, and a Least Bittern.  Other birds observed included an Eastern Kingbird, Cardinals, Tree Swallows, Cormorants, Laughing Gulls, Starlings, and Boat-tailed Grackles.  Although I didn't observe any butterflies in this area, there were hundreds of dragonflies.