A Dinner Washout, More Birds and Stalking the Black Rail

Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park - Site #54

Another three days gone...and tomorrow we leave for the West Coast (of Florida).

In today’s journal: rain falls on Speedy, an anniversary dinner is moved, we see more birds and we get up early to find one that doesn't want to be seen.

The predicted rain came on Thursday, just as predicted. We got a chance to take a short walk in the morning before it started, but when it did, it rained all day. We put the rain fly on the new screen house the afternoon before, just in case. I had no idea if it was going to keep the floor dry, but it worked perfectly. I even managed to set up an awning using the leeward door with a pair of poles we had for another tarp. It also worked well. We were able to escape from Speedy during the day and sit in the screen house looking out at the fields.

The rain let up late in the day and we had planned to go over to the little restaurant at the visitor center with Ruth and Alan, who were celebrating their anniversary. The restaurant was closed. Unbeknown to us in the non-electric campground, there had been a power outage earlier and all was shutdown at the visitor center. We went back to Speedy and prepared a big dinner of “Speedy Pasta” for all of us. Since we only have a little table in the screen tent we all sat around it and had dinner on our laps. While we were at the visitor center, we had stopped at the marina store, which had regained power, and bought ice cream bars for dessert.

Yesterday was an easy day. The sun had returned and the weather had improved immensely. There is no ranger-led walk, so we did our own, going to Eco Pond and then to the waterfront at the visitor center. While looking for warblers, I got lucky with this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

This is a really small bird that flits around a lot and I just got lucky.

As we were walking along the waterfront by the marina, we checked out the Osprey nest that is right on the bridge over the canal. This Osprey pair built its nest only about ten feet over the bridge and just ignore the hubbub of the marina and the visitors gawking at the crocodiles on the other side of the canal.

They have the first chick of the season. It wasn't there when we arrived last week.

Sushi Anyone?

Later in the day, we took the spotting scope to look along the bay by the tenet campground, We needn't have as some of the birds were right on the beach and agreeable.

A pair of Brown Pelicans were just lounging about and hardly moved as we passed by.

This juvenile Black Skimmer was by itself and seemed to be asleep. I was only about five feet away when I took the photo.

On the way back to Speedy, Ellen got this shot of the most photographed Osprey in the park. There is a very picturesque dead tree near the entrance to the campground. Two years ago, it was the daily perch of a kestrel, but it has been taken over by a pair of Osprey. The have built a large nest. The female is sitting in the nest and the male, when not hunting, occupies one of the branches on the snag. There are people camped beside it all day with fancy cameras with big lenses just waiting for the perfect shot. This one is just fine without the fancy gear.

When we got back to Speedy, I opened the driver's door and found this little frog hanging out in the door frame. I have no idea what he is. He hopped into the wheel well. I hope he got out.

We went back to the restaurant yesterday evening. They were open. Fried oysters for me, grouper sandwich for Ellen. Both were good—Ellen wished she'd gotten the oysters, though. We finished off by splitting a piece of Key Lime pie. It was so good, I went back today and got two more pieces to go for tonight's dessert in Speedy.

This morning we were up before dawn to join Alan on a walk down the Costal Prairie Trail in search of the Black Rail, a small shy rail that is almost never seen. (I caught a glimpse of one last year at Dauphin Island, totally by luck—it jumped up in front of me). We walked and searched and walked and searched some more. We are pretty sure we heard one or two, but did not see any.

Steve and Alan Search Vainly for the Black Rail

This afternoon, we struck the screen tent and loaded the bikes back onto Speedy. Tomorrow we are off to the Tamiami Trail and Collier-Seminole State Park, with visits with Ellen's cousin Kathy in Naples and our friends, Rod and Ellen on Marco Island over the next couple of days. We hope to spy a Snail Kite on the way.