Bird watching in Florida - Day 4
Drive along US Highway #41 and make stops at:
• Shark Valley Visitor Center
- Shark Valley Tram Tours
• Oasis Visitor Center
After leaving the visitor centre driving back to my hotel Best Western Gateway to the Keys using the Loop Road Cypress National Preserve. And I will stop to explore the Nature Trail Tree Snail
Saturday 1 st
of April 2023
and I will go north today visiting two visitor centers along US Highway #41. This is the highway I will take to my boat ride at Everglades City tomorrow morning.
Highway #41 cross the National Park. The road to Flamingo Visitor Center ends at the Visitor Center. But highway #41 is not part of the Everglades National Park. But I still need my entry permit as I will enter the national park when I leave the highway.
There are 2 visitor centers that I want to visit. And I will start at Shark Valley Visitor Center as I have booked a ticked for the 9 o'clock Shark Valley Tram Tour.
• Shark Valley Visitor Center
• Oasis Visitor Center
Driving along highway #41
Driving along highway #41
I reach the Shark Valley Visitor Center just before 8 o'clock and there is a line of cars at the gate. I see that they don't open the gate until 8 thirty so I leave again. There is a creek next to the highway and I stop at something that turns out to be an eBird hotspot, the “Miccosukee Indian Village”
Just a very few minutes away from the Shark Valley Visitor Center and I had seen that there were many birds along the creek driving to the visitor center. I parked the car, looked to be a closed down “Airboat” tour place. I walked along the creek looking for birds.
Gorgeous morning and a beautiful area
Gorgeous morning and a beautiful area
White Ibis
White Ibis
White Ibis
White Ibis
Northern Mockingbird
Double-crested Cormorantt
Double-crested Cormorantt
Double-crested Cormorantt
Green Heron
eBird Report
Miccosukee Indian Village, Miami-Dade, Florida, US
Apr 1, 2023 08:05 - 08:28
Protocol: Traveling
0.22 kilometer(s)
10 species
Anhinga 1
Double-crested Cormorant 19
Great Blue Heron 1
Great White Egret 2
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1 Juvenile far away
White Ibis 7
Northern Mockingbird 1
Common Grackle 1 Heard only
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S132418181
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Approaching the gate to the Shark Valley Visitor Center
Parking area with the trams parking
Anhinga sitting on nest
Anhinga
Anhinga
Time passed quickly and I turned off the eBird app at 08:28 and I restarted the app at Shark Valley Visitor Center 8 minutes later. I discovered one Anhinga nest with one baby across the creek so this was interesting to see. Otherwise, there was not many birds at the canal, of course, I did not have much time as I needed to catch the tram
It was a beautiful area and I spent about 20 minutes before I walked to the ticket office.
I got my ticket and the tram looked to be quite full, but I got a seat in the back together with 2 other passengers. Two seats between us so it was OK.
We are ready to leave for the tram adventure
We are ready to leave for the tram adventure
We are off
We are off
We stop to have a look at alligator babies
We stop to have a look at alligator babies
Mama alligator watching out for her babies
Shark Valley is a beautiful area
We make many stops to have a look at alligators
We make many stops to have a look at alligators
The tram stopped every time they spotted an alligator. I was just interested in the birds, but no stops when we spotted any birds. And to take pictures from the moving tram was not easy. I spotted a beautiful Red-winged Blackbird.
I also spotted one Snipe when the bird was flushed by the tram. And there is only one kind of snipe at Shark Valley, the Wilson's Snipe. So, I knew the ID even though I did not get ay picture.
We reach the Shark Valley Observation Tower and we make a 20 minutes stop. I find one very friendly and loud Boat-tailed Grackle in the hedge and I make a recording of the bird.
Listen to the Boat-tailed Grackle
Remarks from the Recordist
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.
Bird in a hedge and it took quite a while before I could see the bird. Calling or singing and at 01:48 we can gear wing flaps when the bird moving within the hedge.
At 01:51 we heard the bird again, this time a different sound. And at 03:08 the bird is going back to the same sound as in the start.
Grey Catbird
Crocodile
Crocodile
In this area there is only alligators because of the fresh water. The crocodiles are in the salty water in the south Everglades. But here is one crocodile, and no one know how it came here. They think it might be a releases pet.
One way to see if it is a crocodile is that they have open mouth to cool down. They have some kind of heat exchanger in the mouth You don't see the alligators with open mouth as they can cool down, well, it was something like that.
We are leaving the Shark Valley Observation Tower, but now they cannot start the tram as the battery is empty. I jeep is coming and they fail to start with jumper cables. Failing again, and we are about one hour delayed as we have to wait for a new tram.
Great Egret in the wetland
Coming back to the visitor center and I discover a Snowy Egret and one Tricoloured Heron and I take a few pictures before I go back to the car. Of course, I have a last look at the Anhinga nest to see if there is any action.
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricoloured Heron
Tricoloured Heron
Anhinga sitting on nest
I have a last look at the Anginga nest before I leave Shark Valley
eBird Report
Shark Valley Tram Tour, Miami-Dade, Florida, US
Apr 1, 2023 08:58 - 11:44
Protocol: Traveling
23.79 kilometer(s)
16 species
Wilson's Snipe 1
Anhinga 11
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 5
Great White Egret 11
Snowy Egret 1
Little Blue Heron 2
Tricoloured Heron 1
Green Heron 1
White Ibis 16
Glossy Ibis 5
Roseate Spoonbill 1
American Crow 3
Grey Catbird 2
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Boat-tailed Grackle X Many
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S132418372
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Today's track with the Tram Tour
There are two trails at the Shark Valley Visitor Center:
• Bobcat Boardwalk
• Ottercave Trail
But as its mid-day and hot I don't expect any birds so I leave Shark Valley Visitor Center and I continue west on highway #41 to the Oasis Visitor Center. But they did not have much to offer so I left again. We had been delayed on the tram tour and I decided to get back to my hotel, Best Western Gateway to the Keys.
I will take the Loop Road Cypress National Preserve going back to my hotel in Florida City. And I will stop to explore the Nature Trail Tree Snail
Loop Road Scenic Drive
Rustic road surrounded by cypress & pine trees, with swamps home to alligators, vultures & turtles.
Journey 27 miles through dwarf cypress forest, pine forests, hardwood hammocks, and some of the most photographed landscape in the Preserve. Click to read the DETAILE GUIDE
pdf file.
I continue towards west from the Oasis Visitor Center and I turn south when I reach the “Loop Road Scenic Drive” and I stop after about 100 meters to try out the Gator Hook Trail
Warning when entering the Loop Road Scenic Drive
Warning when entering the Loop Road Scenic Drive
Gator Hook Trail
Gator Hook Trail
I turn around and I go back to the car
Continue on the “Loop Road Scenic Drive”
I walked for 50 meters or so on the Gators Hook Trail before I turned around and walked back to the car. I only spotted seven Wood Storks soaring above. Back at the car and I continued south, passing a “LAST CHANCE” to turn around point.
Driving south on a gravel road and we were soon in a forest. Driving through the forest and there are some beautiful parts. Alligators in almost every water pond that I can see when passing bridges. I made a few stops to try to get pictures of birds, among them one Black-crowned Night-Heron. I took a few pictures from the car but when I went out the bird took off.
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Common Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula
But it was nice to walk around, the smell of forest and the sound of birds and water. I was approaching one bridge and I slowed down to look in the water. One Roseate Spoonbill came in to land in the pond. I gave it my very best to try to get out of the car.
I had seen the bird in Everglades but no pictures, and I really wanted a picture of this beautiful bird. They had almost guaranteed me to spot the Roseate Spoonbill in the Eco Pond at Flamingo, but there was no Roseate Spoonbills to be seen
I got out and I sneaked up on the bird and I managed to get some pictures through the bushes before the bird took off.
Alligator resting in the water
I stop to take pictures
Roseate Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill
Alligator resting in the water
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
I reach a paved roads and there are some houses and a school. I am soon stopping as there is a Red-shouldered Hawk sitting in a tree and I stop to try to get some pictures. It is hard when the bird is between my camera and the sun. But I gave it my best try.
I reached highway #41 and I turned to the east to drive back to my hotel. I have only been eating ham and salad since I arrived to Florida, well, some cheese as well. I was really feeling peckish for a steak and I was thinking to look for a restaurant.
Of course, when you want a steak house there is no steak house. I asked in the reception when I was back at my hotel and they told me that there were two, close to the hotel. She gave me a map and I took off. She had marked #7 on a handy map the hotel gave out. Just next to the hotel.
I almost ended up at Key Largo as I came out on the highway. I managed to make an illegal U-turn to get back to Florida City. I saw the ad for Sonny's Steak House driving back. But no sign of any steak house and I stopped to check the map.
Different legends, she had marked #7 in a ring with white filling (Restaurants) but she had marked #7 in a black circle (shopping) on the map. This pet store or whatever it was, were just south of the hotel, Sonny's Steak House was way north along road #1.
Needless to say, I was not in a good mood. Anyway, I had salad with ham when I was back in my room. Going to bed early to be full of vim for tomorrow’s photo safari at Everglades City.
Click HERE
to find out what I see on the boat tour.
eBird Trip Report
Since April 2023 eBird offer a new feature, to create Trip Reports. At least this is when I first heard of this feature and I have decided to make the eBird Trip Reports instead of my list of OBSERVED birds.
And of course, this also means that I will HAVE TO go back and do the same for my old birding adventures, WHEN I HAVE THE TIME!
Today's Trip Report: Bird watching in Southern Florida - Day 4 | Click HERE
Download | PDF
Lifers
Icons for lifers used in the eBird trip reports
Species lifer:First time that someone observes a species in their life
Photo lifer:First time that someone photographs a species in their life
Audio lifer:First time that someone audio records a species in their life
Exotic species
Exotic species flags differentiate locally introduced species from native species.
Naturalized:Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional:Either: 1)member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2)rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.
When applicable, eBird generally defers to bird records committees for records formally considered to be of "uncertain provenance". Provisional species count in official eBird totals.
Escapee:Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
bred but don't yet fulfill the criteria for Provisional. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals.