hiden location 
Offline, Last Logged on Mar 13, 2010 16:46:02 
Is it me, or is there something wrong with this website now?? Let's be honest? Especially those members who have been here for awhile....those who have supported this website....can we be honest?? Where did FOCUS, QUALITY and GOOD COMPOSITION go?
Aida Villaronga
United States, Florida, miami Offline
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Oscar Vazquez-Ortiz hiden location Hidden
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Terry Cervi United States, New York, Kenmore OfflineWell, here they are! The greeting committee at Shark Valley. Not the usual greeters, but today about 13 gators were up on the banks, just for the visitors to gawk at and photograph. This start of the trail, near the parking lot, is the most concentrated area of wildlife, from birds to gators. The 15 mile bike trail is full of beautiful views, and lots of wildlife, but you have to stop and look - sometimes the treasures are hidden, like the gator nests!Well, in all my years in the Everglades, and sooo many weekends in Wetlands, I don't think I've ever seen as many Purple Galinules, out and about, as I did on this day at Green Cay! I mean lots, 20 or more? One of my favorite birds to observe and photograph! Love the colors, especially when they're out in the sunlight!Green Cay is a must when in the West Palm Beach, Delray area of South FLA! Just around the corner from Wakodahatchee, its not to be missed. Both of these wonderful man-made swamps are full of birds! The boardwalk around these two large wetlands are nothing but wonderful to explore. A real bird watcher and bird photographer haven! An amazing day on our first visit ever to Green Cay. Its a hidden treasure!! We must have seen every Everglades bird thats taken us years to find, all here in one day! Too bad we got there later in the day?! Sunny and cloudy day, but mostly amazing, witnessed alot of great bird activity and behaviors. We spotted Spoonbills, Galinules, Great Egrets, Limpkins, Coots, Moorhens, Little Blue Herons (even a white Immature one), Green Herons, Turtles, Great Blue Herons, TriColor Herons, even a new bird for us , a SORA!!! WOW, we were really NOT happy the sun finally set! LOL!What a great day at Wakodahatchee!! My first visit on a glorius sunny and cool South FLA day was amazing! My brother, mother, sister & hubby along with 6 of my neices/nephews walked along the boardwalk over this wonderful man-made wetland! We saw sooooo many birds just in the few hours we spent there. I, of course, stayed until the sun set. My nephew, aka photographer to be, stayed along with me and was a great student and assistant. My beautiful neices and younger nephew also tagged along. It was so much fun sharing my love of bird watching/photography with them. I just may have inspired a few, even let them use the "big kahuna" (my 500mm lens on the tripod of course), and interesting what their perspective was on each shot they took. Well, they still need some practice, but I know they'll be great at whatever they do!! Ok, so we saw - limpkins, woodstorks, great blue herons, little blue herons, white ibis, blue-winged teals, mottled ducks, coots, moorhens, purple galinules, pie-billed grebes, great egrets, anghinas nesting, glossy ibis, and much more. One photographer even claimed to have seen a Bald Eagle from afar??! I'll be back.....just don't know when. A great place for birding and photography!!Pahayokee Trail, in the southern park of Everglades Nat'l park is a great area for landscapes and dramatic skies. The contrast in the boardwalk, the cypress trees, the river of grass, and the sky is always changing here. Best times are at dusk or sunset, in winter of course. (no mosquitos)! The boardwalk is a loop, with a high, covered overlook area where you can see across the river of grass for miles. Once in awhile you'll see the Great Egrets, the herons, cattle egrets, green backed herons, and the Red Shoulder Hawks in the area. Never a dull moment in this part of the Everglades, not as popular as Anhinga Trail, but well worth a stop on the way down to the Flamingo Campground area!March 2005. We stopped at the BARNACLE, too late for a house tour, but had a wonderful view from the dock. In summer/fall there are evening concerts here, no big names, just local jazz/folk bands, bring a chair and your cooler, for a nice moonlit evening of music. The huge lawn in the front of the house has plenty of room. The park entrance is off Main Highway as you enter Coconut Grove from the south. A short trail through a hardwood hammock leads you to the back of the house, then facing Biscayne Bay as you cross to the front of the house and the long lawn leading towards the boathouse and an amazing view. A hidden treasure in the Grove, as we locals call it. The history and tour of the house is very interesting, as is the unique architecture for this house in the days of the Deering Family.Located near Jacksonville (closest major airport)- less than an hour's drive, in beautiful St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city. There is alot of history here! And this hidden treasure, the Alligator Farm and ZOO....the name is misleading...its lots more than just ALLIGATORS... LOTS of beautiful Florida native birds, in a great habitat, up close. Lots of nests with babies, lots of noise and activity....walking along an elevated boardwalk surrounded by gators in the water...Best time is NOV-MAR for bird season, but we were there in August and there were tons of birds and nests too. The entrance fee was about $16 (with AAA discount) and well worth it. AUGUST is really HOT so bring lots of water and dress comfortably and cool! You won't be disappointed here. Lots of great photos here from this wonderful place, and now we know why! We will go back in Winter.No matter what part of EVERGLADES NAT'L park you enter, you will not be disappointed. The South Entrances- Shark Valley at SW 8 ST (Tamiami Trail), and Florida City Entrance, ROYAL PALM VISITORS CENTER...are full of wildlife and very different experiences.
Lets start with Shark Valley (where we've spent most of our time this past season due to the nests and HIGH volume of birds!). Here you will find a 15 mile paved bike/walk trail (bring your own bike or rent one) and also an informative Ranger-led TRAM tour that takes you along the same 15 miles (a must for 1st time visitors). Along the paved trail, you will find many birds, gators, flowers, sawgrass, grasshoppers all within reach of your hands (but please don't touch or approach the wildlife- respect their space please). In the middle, at about 8 miles, there is the SHARK VALLEY TOWER, were you can make an easy climb up the paved tower (no stairs) for beautiful view of all the area. There's also restrooms and a water fountain. Here you will find lots of gators along the path (96% of the time) and some birds that can be viewed from the tower. The Tower is in front of a huge pond, where alot of action takes place like nesting and swimming and fishing (by the wildlife not humans..ha ha) A great "break" for those 15 miles!! No hurry, take your time when biking, and look around, you never know what you may find! No fear, the gators are usually in the water or on the side of the trail. RULE #1...if you see gator or bird crossing the trail, stop, give them plenty of room and let them do their thing. Take pictures from a good distance. The wildlife will not attack or harm you if you follow that simple rule. The best months for the EVERGLADES are NOV-APR, though I prefer JAN/FEB/early MAR. Its when our bird season and nests are at its peak! Not to mention, mating season for the gators, so lots of action to observe and photograph. There's plenty of room for everyone! The park fees are not expensive, and all the proceeds go to improve the park. The rangers are the best ever!! Full of information and very friendly! If you need ANY info on this park, or you're planning a visit, please feel free to email me for more info!
Come back soon, I'll add more info on the other park entrances too!
