Posted by Luis Gonzalez on October 01, 2017 at 19:43:07
The park is open up to Mrazek Pond, a walk through Long Pine Key in the early morning gave me a flyober group of Lesser Nighthawks and vocals Great Horned Owls, along with showy Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and large foraging groups of Towhees and Prairie Warblers. A walk around Gumbo Limbo gave me eye level sights of Ovenbird, Worm-eating, Redstart, and Black-throated Warbler, along with the highlight being a Yellow-throated Vireo and a flyover Short-tailed Hawk. Anhinga Trail has high water levels so birdlife is low but the bellowing male alligators are fighting for their territories. Outside of the park, around the Lucky Hammock area, the prairies give views of too many raptors to not notice, outside of Turkey and Black Vultures, Red-tailed, Northern Harrier and both Merlin and American Kestrel were seen on the power lines. Take the chance of enjoying Everglades before the migration season is over, hopefully Flamingo will be open by next week for shorebird viewings.