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Posted by Hawker on 14:38:42 02/04/08
In Reply to: Re: Update: Great Horned Owl At Coe Visitor Center 2/1/08 posted by Wil Domke
Thanks to Wil Domke and Paul Leader for the flawless aerial map and directions to the Great Horned Owl nest.
Mossy and I were up at 3:30 a.m. and arrived at Coe long before daylight. We decided after careful deliberation not to disturb the owls and left without getting out of the car.
We worked our way through the park stopping to check our usual spots, and explored new ones we picked up from fellow TASers or their postings. As one might suspect, Everglades National produced today like She usually does.
By midmorning we arrived at Flamingo, drove and walked that area, then launched the canoe for a short paddle into Florida Bay. The tide was near dead low which kept us out of Snake Bight, so we threw the canoe back on the car s roof and went looking for crocs by the The Plug. We came up with three nice animals plus the toothless brute that Jeff Weber referred to affectionately as Gumby in his 02/21/2005 posting. One has to wonder how this croc makes a living without a set of dentures; it must be one remarkably resilient and clever reptile.
After a snack we boarded the Pelican the park s concessionaire s tour barge for the Buttonwood Canal to Whitewater Bay trip. I wasn t expecting much, but it turned into a surprisingly productive excursion. I saw more crocs than I have ever seen in single day including several small animals. The tour narrator said an increased number of hatchling crocs are now surviving; partly because of the blowdowns created by the 2005 hurricanes which give the young ones added concealment from predators. We also nailed a few other high point creatures including: a peregrine falcon, a red phase mangrove water snake and a dark morph short tailed hawk.
On the way out of the park we decided to give Research Road another pass. No panthers, but we found a fine diamondback rattler about a yard long, which I began shooing off the road where it was sunning. A group of tourist bikers soon pulled up and asked, What in world are you doing? When I told them, they instantly drew their pocket cameras and began shooting. A member of their assemblage made the incredibly incisive declaration that you cannot kill a snake too dead. Once the thug bikers peddled out of the area, and I was sure the rattler would be safe from their harm, we headed to our ultimate destination --- the owl rendezvous.
The cuddly future killer lurked in its nest alone. It glared at me menacingly as I approached, yawned, winked one eye, and then slumped over and fell asleep. Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Mossy was befriending a family, which included two little girls. When Moss asked the children if they would like see the owl through binoculars, they excitedly replied Yes, please! It took them more than a few attempts before they coordinated looking at the target and then bringing the binoculars to their eyes. Once they and their mom got the hang of it, they became totally enthralled with the now fully awakened owlet.
We proceeded to Robert Is Here where we downed a couple of cold, relaxing milkshakes and picked up two messes of turnip greens for our Tuesday Mardi Gras gumbo dinner.
Then we headed home, where I collapsed, and slept completely through the Super Bowl.
You have to love Everglades National Park; its ever unfolding stories and wildlife possibilities continue to be an endlessly renewable resource for both live entertainment and everlasting enlightenment
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