CREW Bird Rookery Swamp

Bird Rookery Swamp shares 60,000+ acres of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) with Flint Pen Strand, Corkscrew Marsh, Camp Keais Strand and the National Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 1) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

CREW is in Lee and Collier Counties situated East of Interstate 75 and predominantly between Corkscrew Road and Immokalee Road. While the watershed has favorable habitat for the Florida Black Bear and Florida Panther, the Bird Rookery Swamp's 12 miles of trails with a relatively short boardwalk is not an ideal venue to walk a dog with hopes of seeing such endangered beasts as alligators are known to be prolific and intimidating at times.

The juvenile Little Blue Heron above (image 2) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Pied-billed Grebe above (image 3) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

I have been following in recent years the journal of Dick Brewer who very rarely misses a weekly trip to Bird Rookery Swamp. He also compiles a list of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals as well as reptiles and amphibians he encounters on each of his visits to the swamp. Dick is a volunteer for the CREW Land and Water Trust. So on the cool morning of 22 March, Tom Obrock joined me on my first visit to Bird Rookery Swamp.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 4) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 5) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

While I chose to end my walk at the 1.25 mile marker, Tom continued further on. It was hoped to see a lot of warbler activity on this day, however they were very limited and were heard more than seen. Perhaps due to the cool temperature and relatively short distance walked I did not see any alligators. A low overflight of a Roseate Spoonbill was a nice surprise. Back at the parking area Tom pointed out a Purple Martin which I hadn't seen in years while a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck was observed on the North side of Shady Hollow Boulevard.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above (image 6) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Blue Dasher Dragonfly above (image 7) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

Bird Rookery Swamp appeared to offer a lot of opportunities beyond birds. In fact there was the largest concentration of dragonflies I have yet seen at any one venue. There were many dozens of Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies observed with the females outnumbering the males by at least 5 to 1. My future visits to this venue will require the use of my bicycle to fully explore the trails of the Swamp. CREW's Cypress Dome Trails allows bicycle use as well.

The Anhinga above (image 8) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

The Anhinga above (image 9) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.

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The Swallow-tailed Kite above (image 10) was photographed at Bird Rookery Swamp in March 2016.