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Posted by David S. on 21:48:51 11/28/10
Five people joined David and co-leader Wendy, on a canoe/kayak trip out of Flamingo marina, Everglades National Park into Snake Bight, located about 2 miles east of Flamingo. There were 3 kayaks and 2 canoes, total. We left the marina at 9:15 am and returned about 3:45 pm. Total distance traveled was about 9.5 miles. The weather was calm with overcast conditions most of the day. Temperature was a balmy 80 degrees.
As we left the marina, we picked up an immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron, both Turkey and Black Vultures, a Prairie Warbler in the Mangroves, a pair of Ospreys, Belted Kingfisher, and of course, a few Starlings on some power lines.
The highlight of the trip were the numbers of Black Skimmers on the mudflats (~400-500) and American White Pelicans (~250). Large flocks of mixed shorebirds would fly within several feet of us before landing on the flats. Large numbers of wading birds were also observed, such as Snowy & Great Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and Great & Little Blue Herons. Other wildlife observed on our trip were mullet, small sharks, a manatee, tarpon, and a few crocodiles, one being in the 7-foot range.
Other birds observed:
Blue-winged Teals
Pied-billed Grebes
American White Pelicans
Brown Pelicans
Double-crested Cormorants
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron (both morphs)
Great Egrets
Snowy Egrets
Reddish Egrets
Little Blue Herons
Tricolored Herons
Yellow-crowned Night Herons
White Ibises
Roseate Spoonbills
Wood Stork
Black Vultures
Turkey Vultures
Ospreys
Bald Eagle
American Coots
Black-bellied Plovers
Semipalmated Plovers
Black-necked Stilts
American Avocets
Spotted Sandpipers
Greater Yellowleg
Willets
Ruddy Turnstones
Semipalmated Sandpipers
Western Sandpipers
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitchers
Dunlins
Laughing Gulls
Ring-billed Gulls
Royal Terns
Forester's Terns
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmers
Belted Kingfishers
American Crows
Starlings
Prairie Warbler
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