The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.Tom Obrock advised me before my departure that the birds have been in the canopy when seen.
Upon my arrival, I was surprised by the large number of cars in the parking lot as it's still early for tourists visiting the area while locals are not known to take advantage of such great venues as this in their relative backyard.
The Anhinga above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.Beyond the stand of cypress trees I came across a Great Blue Heron posing on some vegetation where I had last seen feral pigs foraging months ago.
The water level was high after a good rain early in the week.
The Common Cooter above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.I next caught sight of a rarely seen Gray Catbird that is heard much more than seen.
My walk along the boardwalk was slowly paced waiting for the wildlife to come to me.
The Brazilian Skipper above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.I ultimately would stay in the Preserve for a longer period of time than I had expected meeting interesting people while intrigued by the wildlife making its way through.
Several species of bird I'm familiar with by sound were heard, but regrettably not seen.
The Green Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.I met Debbie who told me she had received her camera (a great entry level kit) this past holiday season.
She showed me several of the images she had taken within the Slough and told me of her newly acquired interest in learning about wildlife and its behavior.
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.Another frequent visitor met at the Preserve told of how the feral pigs were cutting down the Alligator Flag plants during drier conditions noting that more than 80 wading birds were once seen at Wood Duck Pond with the pigs at his back.
While a lot of birds were tantalizingly seen in the canopy as Tom had noted, I had the occasional glimpse of Black-and-white Warbler with Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by far the most common bird seen closer to eye level.
The Tufted Titmouse above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.A Downy Woodpecker stayed within range of observation for quite some time, but never made for a good photo-op.
Debbie also noted her observation of an alligator building a shelter for its young during the heavy rains from one day to the next.
The Downy Woodpecker above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.She also told me that the resident alligator at the Preserve has been named Rebecca.
Another pair of visitors named Melony and James were observing an alligator at extremely close range at Wood Duck Pond where I spoke with them briefly.
The alligator above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.James noted that an alligator will provide shelter for their offspring to protect the slime coating of its young.
His sense of humor was enjoyed while telling me of a possible location for photography of Florida Scrub Jays he sees with regularity.
Melony and James above were photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.What I thought were dogs in the parking area when leaving the Preserve were a family of feral pigs.
There were a half dozen puppy sized young in tow while the adult marked its territory.
The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in October 2011.Mike Peters again told me of his sighting of flamingo closer to Pine Island Marina than noted before.
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