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From: jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Everlades National park info requested.
Message-ID: <1123@inuxd.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jan 88 16:35:32 GMT
References: <10017@mimsy.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Consumer Products, Indianapolis
Lines: 83

> 
> We are planning to visit Everglades National park around 15th of Jan. for
> 3 days.
> 
> What birds do I expect to see? Which book will help?
> Do migratory birds reach till southern florida?
> What kind of weather will it be? Does it rain a lot?
>

Welcome to paradise.  I moved to the Florida Keys in April.  My
path is Indianapolis, through the miracle of modern
telecommunications, but I am sitting at my computer right now
looking out over sub-tropical waters.  The Keys are the southern
border (well, not really, but really) of the 'glades, and you
have picked an interesting ecosystem to visit.

Birds you should expect?  Egrets by the tens of thousands..two
weeks ago we were driving Rt 41 through the 'glades and estimated
some trees had as many as 200 egrets roosting.  Herons, all
kinds, including the great white, which is thought to be a color
mutation of the great blue and is found only in the 'glades and
Keys.  They are a little larger than a blue and more
aggressive...just about every waterfront home in the Keys has a
white heron begger.  Ours is named Sir Winston.

Osprey are VERY common, and coexist very well.  An antenna on my
home is the morning lookout for one noisy fellow.  Several dozen
bald eagles nest in the 'glades, and, while not as common as
osprey, are often sighted.  All kinds of hawks, several kites,
and MILLIONS of turkey vultures (when I lived in Ohio I wondered
where the turkey vultures went in the fall...now I know) are most
of the large birds.  You will see ibis, roseatte spoonbills, and,
even though the book says you won't see them I have and I know
where they live--wild flamingos.  Comorants and Anhinga (in the
fresh water) are two common water birds.  They dive like loons.
Brown pelicans, of course, and terns and gulls.

BTW--you can tell a great white heron from an egret by the
legs...egrets have black legs and herons have grey/yellow legs.

I probably should have mailed this, but I find our bird life so
exciting that I wanted to share it with everyone.  Monroe County,
Florida, which includes Everglades National Park and the Florida
Keys is a wildlife preserve.  It is against the law to discharge
a firearm in the county.  Wildlife are considered more important
than people (for instance, you can't cut down a mangrove tree,
even if it's in your own yard), and building a single family
dwelling requires an environmental impact study.  It's an
interesting place to live.

GOOD bird books are available at the gift places in FLamingo and
Everglades City (you didn't say which part of the 'glades you
would be visiting).  Much of the flora and fauna in the 'glades
is found only here, so it's the best place to get information.
One word of warning...the airboat rides offered by every tourist
trap on the roads into the park are rip-offs unless you like
paying $10 a person to go ripping through sawgrass and making so
much noise everything withinn two miles goes into hiding.  Take a
boat ride from the ranger stations, with a ranger or naturalist
aboard, or just walk the nature trails or rent a canoe.  The
quieter you are, the more you will see, as you all know.  We rode
a boat through the 10,000 islands at Everglades City recently and
were treated to a very close view of an Osprey with a mullet.  He
(or she) landed on a channel marker with this pretty big fish and
we glided along within 10 feet or so of the marker.  The bird
just glared at us.   Also at Everglades City, a crazy fellow by
the name of Happy Harry offers airplane rides for $13 a person.
He will show you eagle nests (not close enough to bother the
birds) and alligators and manatees and dolphin.  He's at the
airport.

Have a good time!  Oh...the weather.  It's 75 degrees and sunny.
There is little rain in the winter.  Nights generally go to the
mid 60's.  Once in a while a "brutal" winter cold front will take
it down into the 50's at night, so bring your snuggies.  So far
this year it has been HOT.

        
 
-- 
	Joyce Andrews King                      
	ihnp4!inuxd!jla
	AT&T, Indianapolis