Florida 2000

Tuesday, May 2nd, continued
It took me about three hours to drive the four miles of the refuge drive. Almost as long as it took me to walk the 7 miles yesterday. I went to the Visitor Center (it had been closed when I arrived) and purchased a water bottle and then filled it. See, I can learn. While leaving the center I saw a bird with a golden color fly into one of the trees. I searched and searched but could not find it. I was hoping it was a Mangrove Cuckoo. I didn't really know what it looked like. As I was leaving I gave another look at the tree and saw a Eurasian Collared-Dove. I didn't think it was the bird I had seen, but... Then a Yellow-shafted Flicker flew in. I realized that that must have been the bird. When I went to the refuge in 1992, I made a second circuit immediately after I finished the first one. The birdlife was very different that time. Most of the wading birds were gone, but I did see a lot of passerines. I decided to try again.

The tide had come in and most of the glamour birds were gone. Although I did get some close looks at a Great Egret. I remembered YR's comment about getting in shape for Friday, so I decided that I should try some of the trails. The Cross Dike Trail was supposed to be a good spot to look for wildlife. I didn't see much. The water near the shore was teeming with little fish. They were in the shallowest water, some in depths of only a half inch. As I walked along, I noticed it was getting warm. A Red-shouldered Hawk flew overhead and perched in a tree. I walked on and didn't see any other birds. A Double-crested Cormorant proved to be a willing subject. Another Red-shouldered Hawk flew by. This one looked like it was carrying a snake in its beak! I walked on and saw nothing. I came to the end of the trail, turned around and then tried another branch. I heard some Northern Cardinals singing. I thought it odd that they would be in this habitat. Then I realized that this much more natural than my Long Island neighborhood. Saw a Red-winged Blackbird and heard some Red-bellied Woodpeckers. It was a little warmer than warm. It was humid. Went back to my car and drank some of that water.

Click for More Snowy Egret Pictures

Drove along the road and saw very little activity. I felt that I had not gotten enough exercise, so I decided to walk Shell Mound Trail. The trail had a number of interpretive signs. One of them mentioned that the Brown Anole was an introduced species and that it was replacing the native Green Anole. The sign said that although there were many animals present, most of the rustling sounds would be caused by the Brown Anole. Sure enough, as soon as I finished reading the sign, I heard rustling and saw a Brown Anole. Then I heard more rustling; this time it was not a Brown Anole but a Raccoon. Watched it for a while and then continued down the trail. I heard a bird song that I knew that I should know but didn't. It sounded so familiar. I finally pished and heard some rustling nearby. There was a lot of activity behind some palm leaves, but I couldn't see the cause. Finally, a Carolina Wren flew into a nearby tree. The one that was in the palm joined it. Mystery solved.

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Copyright © 2000 Richard L. Becker