|
|
| Everglades Wildlife Observation Site |
Content provided by |
|
|
|
Elevation:
Sea Level
Length:
1,506,539
Recommended Season:
November-April
Reservation:
No
Season:
Year-round
From Everglades City,, The park surrounds State Route 29 into Everglades City.
Location Information
As one of the world's extraordinary natural places, Everglades National Park boasts diverse habitats including hardwood hammocks, estuarine and marine environments, pinelands, vast prairies, and freshwater sloughs. Five distinct visitor centers provide thorough area habitat descriptions accompanied by interpretive programs and ranger-led tours. Many of the park's facilities provide boardwalks, overlooks, bike routes, canoe trails and hiking paths leading into various wildlife habitats.The developed areas of the park, particularly along the coast, provide interesting sights including various resident long-legged waders. Visitors to the northern inland area of the park can expect to see white-tailed deer, alligators, raptors, and a plethora of songbirds. The boat accessible area of Ten Thousand Islands, the western area of the park, is an unquestionable location for sighting bottle-nosed dolphins, alligators, sharks, osprey and more waders including roseate spoonbills, white ibis, great blue herons, little blue herons, least bitterns, and the American bitterns. Sandy Key, ten miles southwest of Flamingo, is a hub of roseate spoonbill activity during winter. Every evening, a few hundred spoonbills roost in the islands' largest trees. At sunrise, the birds compete with the morning colors as they depart individually or in small flocks for the mainland. Literally hundreds of bird species, many on the federal endangered or threatened list, have been recorded in the park. Best viewing season ranges from November into April. Notable sites include Shark Valley, the Anhinga Trail (at Royal Palm), and Eco Pond (one mile past the Flamingo Visitor Center) are good for viewing alligators, wading birds, and other freshwater wildlife. Canoeists can paddle into Snake Bight (near Flamingo) and Chokoloskee Bay (Gulf Coast) before low tide to witness large numbers of water birds feeding in the shallows and on mud flats. A productive freshwater canoeing area is Nine Mile Pond and adjacent borrow pits (11 miles, or 18 km, up the road from Flamingo). Fishing is a popular attraction throughout the Everglades. Native species include snapper, sea trout, redfish, bass, and bluegill. A rapidly growing exotic fish from Central America, the Mayan cichlid, was discovered here 14 years ago and its impact is still undetermined. The tarpon, a common Florida game fish, is a predatory fish that feeds primarily on mullets, silversides, marine catfishes, and blue crabs; however, anglers use dead fish to attract this Florida specimen that can extend 9 feet and weight as much as 350 pounds. Obligatory air breathers, tarpon are often seen surfacing. Look for the "silver king" around both the Florida Bay and Whitewater sides of the marina and in the bay in front of the Flamingo Visitor Center. Found in the area of Florida Bay are four species of sea turtles including loggerhead, green turtle, Kemp's ridley, and the hawksbill. The park offers night nesting watches; contact one of the visitor centers for details.
|
|
More Resources at Wildernet |
|
|
