Posted by Brian Rapoza on December 21, 2015 at 19:50:16
This morning, I went down to Flamingo to check out the condition of the trails in preparation for the Coot Bay/Everglades National Park CBC on January 2. I first visited the Coastal Prairie Trail at the far end of the Flamingo campground. Small flocks of Common Ground-Dove scattered from the roadside as I drove through the campground. As expected, the mosquitoes were thick along the shaded first section of the trail, but were almost completely absent from open areas of prairie. The trail was muddy but passible. I spent about an hour off-trail. I encountered a few wet areas, but most of the prairie was relatively dry.
I flushed a Sora while bushwhacking and heard a couple of others whinny. They would be the only rails tallied today. The only sparrow I encountered was Savannah. American White Pelicans streamed over the prairie in an almost content parade. There was also a large congregation of pelicans on the sandbar off the Flamingo visitor center; almost all were American White.
The water was high in Eco, Coot Bay and Mrazek Ponds. White Ibis covered the trees on the island in Eco Pond, a sight I haven't often seen there since Hurricane Wilma. Not much else was at the ponds; not a single duck was present. There were also no shorebirds at the campground amphitheater.
The gate at Bear Lake Road was locked, so I wasn't able to check the condition of Bear Lake Trail. I'll contact the park to get the gate opened for the CBC. At the Christian Point trailhead, the short section of trail leading to the boardwalk was under water, so I didn't make an attempt to investigate the condition of that trail. The Rowdy Bend trail seemed okay along the short section I checked, but I'm guessing that much of it is overgrown.
I hiked the Snake Bight Trail all the way to the boardwalk and back. Most of the trail is dry; just the last hundred feet or so before the boardwalk was a little muddy. The trail was virtually obstruction-free, though it was a bit overgrown towards the end. Mosquitoes were abundant throughout. Several White-crowned Pigeons were flushed along the way, as were a couple of Ovenbirds. At one point, a flock of American Goldfinch passed overhead, giving their "potato chip" call.
As I got closer to the boardwalk, waders became more numerous in the canal that parallels the trail. An impressive flock of waders was assembled along the creek at the boardwalk. Most were White Ibis and Snowy Egret, but also included three Roseate Spoonbill and a Wood Stork. A half-dozen Pied-billed Grebe were feeding at the creek mouth and a small flock of Gull-billed Tern were working along the shoreline. About halfway down the trail on my way back, I spotted a Barred Owl, who posed obligingly for photos. Before heading home, I stopped at West Lake, Nine Mile Pond and Paurotis Pond, but all were very quiet.
Anyone planning to participate in the Coot Bay CBC should definitely be prepared for mosquitoes. Repellant, as well as long-sleeved shirts are a must. Anyone hiking the trails should be wearing appropriate footwear. I'm guessing that rubber boots will be needed for Christian Point and maybe Coastal Prairie. Hiking shoes should suffice elsewhere. To participate, please email me at brianrapoza@aol.com.
