This morning I put in almost 10,000 steps, slowly exploring the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. According to their website, “the refuge consists of 145,188 acres, or 226 square miles, of Everglades ecosystems including a mosaic of wet prairies, sawgrass ridges, sloughs, tree islands, cattail communities, and a 400-acre cypress swamp. These lands provide habitat — food, water, shelter, and space — for more than 250 species of birds, 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, 40 species of butterflies, and 20 types of mammals.” My main goal was bird watching, but I did happen to spot two alligators sunning on mud.
If you are interested, I will talk about the birds that I saw and anything notable while encountering them. The most prevalent and numerous were the Common Gallinule, American Coot, and Purple Gallinule. More than once I was startled by their alarming calls from the water line very near my path. When not reacting to me they were swimming around like ducks and eating vegetation from underwater. The Purple Gallinule reminded me of a very large pigeon in shape and the iridescent coloring of their feathers.
The largest birds descending in size were the Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Anhinga, and Little Blue Heron. They were mostly out in the open and easy to observe. The Anhinga in particular really surprised me. I heard a splash and turned around to see 10 inches of its head above water, with a small fish skewered on the end of his upper bill. He then submerged for 10-15 seconds, came back up, and then seemed to disappear underwater, not to be seen again. It was hard to believe I was seeing a bird that stays underwater that much. Makes sense someone nicknamed it “Snakebird,” because that is how it looked.
There were a few birds that I was not able to identify. The more I get into birding the more I realize there is to learn. But when you love something and it is exciting the motivation is there. The last bird I will mention from this part of the refuge is the Loggerhead Shrike. What a handsome predatory songbird, mostly gray coloring, with black and white, and a precise mechanical song.
The Cypress Swamp at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
The last area I visited was the 400-acre cypress swamp, a small vestige of its historical range before Florida was transformed into what it is today. It’s an area covered in shallow water, with Cypress Trees, ferns, Spanish moss hanging everywhere, lichens, and all other sorts of swamp plants. It was eerily quiet while I navigated the constructed boardwalk, and I imagined how it might be much more active and noisy at night. Just when I had about given up seeing any birds, I was surprised by the appearance of three different types of woodpecker in a matter of minutes. A Pileated Woodpecker, which always seems surprisingly large, a male and female Red-bellied Woodpecker pair, and what I think was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. What a great way to spend half my day!
