22 Jan 2023
My flight home (direct to EAU!) would leave early Monday morning out of Fort Myers, a 3+ hour drive from the Keys, which is a longer drive than I like to make before a flight, so I decided to head out a day early and spend the night nearby.
I found a fun looking swamp hike along the way and figured I’d spend a few hours critter hunting:
Welcome to Corkscrew Audubon Swamp. The hours are limited (8am-3pm, with the last ticket sold at 1pm) and tickets are timed- I ended up buying my ticket online while standing in line (it was a long line, but there was a lady scanning digital passes so I was able to skip the wait).
The whole path is a boardwalk that winds through the swamp:
White Ibis:
These guys were by far the most common critter I saw on this hike:
I also spotted several of these large shells (this one was about 1.5-2″)- not sure if snails also live here or if they are carried in as snacks by the birds:
Another Ibis:
Apparently, they have black under-feathers:
Om-nom-nom!
A young ibis- they turn white when they get older:
This guy flew out of the trees and landed on the rail next to me- totally scared me as I was looking through my camera at the time:
Isn’t he pretty!?
I didn’t realize until I loaded the pictures onto my computer, but check out the throat fan on this little lizard!
A napping squirrel:
Ugh, this little gnatcatcher would not stay still!
Titmouse:
This little warbler was hopping around the swamp and tipped over for a drink just as I snapped his picture!
Yellow-crowned night heron:
Great Egret:
Look at those pretty wispy feathers!
Anhinga:
Great blue heron:
Another egret:
Little blue heron?:
Black-crowned night heron:
Anhinga:
An alligator!!!
Another snail shell:
Red-bellied woodpecker:
Indigo bunting:
Gray catbird:
It was probably my fault for showing up at high noon, but I didn’t encounter nearly as much wildlife as I though I would. For the $17 admission, I had hoped for more, but it was still a very nice walk and I did find some cool critters.
Then it was onward to my hotel (which was maybe 10 minutes from the airport) to repack (and pay for the privilege of putting a bag in the overhead bin since I couldn’t jam all my extras- a new wetsuit and the camera bag I sent down with Matt, in my checked bag).
Unfortunately, my hotel had the worst mattress ever and there was an incredibly squeaky door outside my room that kept me awake, so I’ll have to find a new hotel, but I fully intend to use keep using these cheap, local flights, both to go diving more frequently and to explore other cool places, wherever the plane will take me!
23 Jan 2023
A Wisconsin welcome:
Don’t worry, I stashed a winter jacket and gloves in my car before I left 🙂
The parking lot may not be covered, but it cost all of $56 for over a week of parking, which is nothing compared to what MSP charges.
All in all, an awesome last-minute trip!