Day Tripping At Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park is a regional wildlife venue in south Florida I would choose to visit more often if not for the long drive from Fort Myers.

The Merlin above (image 1) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

It is a hurried four hour drive from home to Flamingo, the terminus of Main Park Road within the park as a day trip. This park is unquestionably best visited with much time on your hands with camping a recommended option to explore at a leisurely pace.

The Merlin above (image 2) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Killdeer above (image 3) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Glossy Ibis above (image 4) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

On this particular journey, I was disappointed that White-tailed Kite was not observed at the Sparrow Fields where the kite is commonly seen. Tom Obrock traveling with me on this trip was keen to observe other specialties that were missed.

The Great Southern White Butterfly above (image 5) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 6) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 7) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

Tom forwarded me a 21 February report from the L31 W Canal by Big Year birder, Corey Callaghan. Tom and I had made our day trip to Everglades National Park on 3 February as reported here which includes what I believe were observations north of Corey's.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 8) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 9) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 10) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The L31 W Canal forms the eastern boundary of Everglades National Park in Homestead while also forming the western boundary of Frog Pond WMA (Lucky Hammock), and Southern Glades WEA (the Annex), as noted by Florida wildlife author, Brian Rapoza.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 11) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 12) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 13) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

Corey is a Palm Beach County birder who's Big Year was most recently undertaken in 2014 with the remarkable observation of a Western Spindalis made on 3 May 2014 at Seacrest Scrub Natural Area in Boynton Beach. Wow, I regret not chasing that bird!

The Green-winged Teal above (image 14) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Green-winged Teal above (image 15) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Pied-billed Grebe above (image 16) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The kite was for me the target species of the day, and with good fortune was seen, but not photographed in the area of the Annex at Luck Hammock. The day was getting quite long at this point and the journey home was unfortunately imminent.

The Great Southern White Butterfly above (image 17) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 18) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 19) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.

The Sparrow Fields is certainly a venue I plan to explore further.

The Spotted Sandpiper above (image 20) was photographed at Everglades National Park in February 2015.