I am finally to the Everglades, a uniquely beautiful gem among our National Park system. Many of the birds introduced earlier in this extended blog series were also present in the Everglades. Here I give a sampling of birds not seen - or not photographed - previously in our south Florida travels.
A surprise sighting (and one noted by a naturalist in the Visitor's Center) was this
Western Kingbird ...
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| Western Kingbird |
Briefly we watched as 3
Swallow-tailed Kites soared and swooped overhead, a study of winged gracefulness, and one which I wish I could have seen more of ...
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| Swallow-tailed Kite |
Alas, during our Florida travels we had only one encounter with a Roseate Spoonbill, but it was a treat ...
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| Roseate Spoonbill |
The birds of prey were well into their nesting season. We saw Red-shouldered young not long out of the nest. In Flamingo, there were several
Osprey nests which were active in incubating or feeding young ...
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| Osprey |
... and on two occasions, nestling
Barred Owls tipped off their presence by hooting for food. ...
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| Barred Owl (nestling) |
Not feathered, but still fauna, were these deer ...
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| White-tailed Deer |
And finally, while driving the keys, we stopped at The Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary, a funky and fascinating rehab center. High in a tree, a
Great Horned Owl kept watch over the visitors ...
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| Great Horned Owl |
