Northeast Everglades, and Green Cay

I just got back from both the Northeast corner of the everglades (via airboat launched from Everglades Holiday Park in Broward county) and Green Cay, and there’s not a whole lot going on out there. Water levels in the ‘glades are still pretty high, though I forgot to look at the reading on one of the water quality stations we ran by. As for birds, I saw a couple of Great Blues, a couple American Bitterns (at least I think they were, they were too big to be Leasts), some vultures, Anhinga Cormorants and a couple Osprey. On our way in, we ran into a couple of duck hunters, as I understand it this is the last weekend of the season, and they said they hadn’t had any luck either. So things are still very quite right now.

When I got out of there I headed back up to Green Cay again (I was there Friday as well) to shoot Blue-grey Gnatcatchers again. I had some success Friday and a little today, though not for lack of birds being out. The usual suspects appeared to be around, I was there to shoot Gnatcatchers not general birds, Blue-wing Teals, Mottled Ducks, a Hawk (I think it was a Red-shoulder), the usual assortment of Grebes, Loons, Coots, Moorhens, herons and egrets as also there. Not very busy again.

Friday I ran by Wakodahatchee while I was up that way. Pretty quite up there as well. The Herons are still incubating at their nests. Not a whole lot else.

All in all so far this is starting to look like a rather disappointing season, at least unless it doesn’t pick up. The water levels in the Everglades are still a bit higher than the normally would be this time of year.