Part 3 -- "Natural" Florida

"Natural" is a relative term. Let's face it, there are few, if any, places left anywhere in the country that haven't been impacted by human activity. I guess I'm defining the word "natural" to describe those areas that are screwed up the least. While we cannot go back in time and see the world as it was, we can celebrate the tracts of land that have been protected from further degradation. And, in reference to the locations that I have written about, there has been an effort to undo some of the damage. Here is my final post (for now) about areas I enjoy visiting in Southwest Florida:

Matanzas Pass Preserve
Lee County Parks & Recreation

www.leeparks.org/pdf/Matanzas.pdf
(239) 432-2004

How to get there
In Fort Myers Beach, travel south on Estero Boulevard (FL 865) just over a mile from the foot of the Fort Myers Beach bridge. Turn left on Bay Road and drive about 200 yards to the parking lot

An oasis surrounded by humanity…

One of the few natural habitats left on Estero Island, Matanzas Pass Preserve includes a historic cottage and 1.25 miles of trails through wetlands and mangroves. Look carefully for tiny mangrove tree crabs on the roots of red mangroves. Among the variety of plants and animals, you may also see  bald eagles and manatees. Free admission.

Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve
Lee County Parks & Recreation

www.leeparks.org/sixmile(239) 432-2004

How to get there
On Six Mile Cypress Parkway, 1.5 miles north of Daniels Parkway – Exit #131 off I-75

A 2,200 acre haven…
Bromeliads, orchids, irises and 10 different species of endangered plants and animals are found in this long, narrow preserve. As you follow the 1.2 mile boardwalk through five distinct ecological “communities,” keep an eye out for the occasional non-native armadillo. Parking fee.

Lover’s Key State Park
Florida State Parks Service

www.floridastateparks.org/loverskey
239-463-4588

How to get there
Approximately 10 miles west of Interstate 75 at exit 116. From Fort Myers Beach, drive just over seven miles south on Estero Boulevard (FL 865).

For lovers of beach and nature…Two miles of beach (with abundant shells) and five miles of hiking/biking trails make this a must see destination. Among the wildlife, you may spot manatees, dolphins, roseate spoonbills, marsh rabbits and bald eagles. Fee area.

More "Natural" Southwest Florida Destinations

This is my second in a series of posts describing special "natural" places in Southwest Florida (as opposed to the many unnatural, man-made, and trashed sites in the Sunshine State. I'm interested in what's left of the Florida before Mickey, South Beach, and tacky tourist traps. Although I do think my idea of an alligator petting zoo could fly. Here are two more very special spots for glimpsing another side of Florida:

Little Blue Heron -- (c)2011 Jeff Webster

Shark Valley -- Home of the Hungry Grackles!

National Park Service -- part of Everglades National Park
http://home.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/(305) 242-7700

How to get there
From Interstate 95 in Miami, drive west on U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) for 35 miles. From Naples, drive 75 miles east on U.S. 41.

Please don't feed the birds! At the visitor’s center, a sign warns you that grackles will swoop down and steal snacks from your hands. I was more concerned with gators eating my hands, so I promptly forgot the warning. Soon after, just as I was about to put a cracker in my mouth, a grackle landed on my shoulder and snatched the snack. The bird had timed it perfectly. Needless to say, the incident sparked laughter from other visitors.

After inadvertently feeding the grackle, we boarded a tram for a two-hour ride through the sawgrass marsh dotted with hardwood hammocks (“tree islands”). Along the way, a tower offers broad vistas of the park. Watch for purple gallinules and snail kites, along with turtles, the ubiquitous gators and white-tailed deer.
Fee area.

Welcoming Committee -- (c)2011 Jeff Webster

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

National Park Servicehttp://www.fws.gov/dingdarling(239) 472-1100

How to get there
In Fort Myers, cross the 3.5-mile causeway leading to Sanibel Island (toll). Turn right on Periwinkle Way and bear right on Palm Ridge Road for approximately 5 miles.

"Ding" Darling was a nationally syndicated, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. He was also an outdoorsman and an early conservationist. In 1934, FDR appointed him as dirctor to the agency that became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge that bears his name is a "must see" for anyone who values nature.

Showy birds and shy crocodiles…The 6,000-plus acre refuge contains part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. Of course, there are alligators, but you may also find a few reclusive salt-water crocodiles. Easier to see are the beautiful pink roseate spoonbills. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded here. Fee area.

Next post -- some lesser known gems in the Fort Myers area.

"Natural" Southwest Florida – Corkscrew Swamp

Over the next several posts, I will be writing about special places in Southwest Florida. This will appeal to those of you want a different Florida vacation, without a white-gloved mouse in sight.

There is no doubt that Florida is one cliché after another: Miami Vice, Mansions on the Gold Coast, spring break parties, Mickey, hurricanes, alligators and senior citizens heading to early-bird specials, turn signals blinking the whole way.

Florida IS all that, but beyond the T-shirt shops, Florida is so much more. Many environmentalists have given up on trying to save “natural” Florida from the tacky and tawdry excesses of humankind. However, many concerned groups and individuals have preserved some spectacular havens for wildlife and wild plants.

Wild places do exist, and – even while species around the world are disappearing – wildlife is abundant. Florida has more nesting pairs of bald eagles than any other state except Alaska. And in Southern Florida, you can scarcely look up without seeing an osprey or white ibis. If it’s alligators you want, you came to the right place. Imagine what must it have been like before unchecked development nearly wiped out the Everglades and completely paved paradise.

By many measures, South Florida’s ecosystem is as “totaled” as a Mini Cooper under a big rig. But, if you can navigate unscathed through the traffic of Naples and Ft. Myers on the Gulf Coast, it is still possible to marvel at slices of natural beauty. It is hard not to be impressed by all the flora and fauna that has somehow dodged the bullets of bulldozers, airboats and greed. Of course, most of these peeks into the past include civilized touches such as interpretive centers, boardwalks and gift shops. Here's the first stop (more to come in my next posts):

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
National Audubon Society

www.corkscrew.audubon.org
(239) 348-9151

How to get there
From I-75, take exit 111 north of Naples. Travel east on Immokalee Road (County Road 846) for 15 miles. Turn left on Sanctuary Road. Warning: Do not take Exit 123 – Corkscrew Road. As the “snowbirds” from Maine would say, “You can’t get there from here.”

Painted buntings and much more…
Along the 2.25-mile boardwalk (or the 1-mile shortcut), you will experience  nature’s true “magic kingdom.” The specialties here include the rainbow-like painted bunting, wild orchids and the largest virgin bald cypress forest in North America. Painted buntings frequently visit a feeder, which allows close viewing of these spectacular birds. A barred owl is often heard during the day perpetually asking, “Who cooks for you?” Visit www.corkscrew.audubon.org for a checklist of the sanctuary’s abundant plants and animals. Fee area.

(The painted bunting photo was taken by the U.S. National Parks Service and is in the public domain.)

"These Ones" and Rufous-Backed Robin

Grammar Peeve (my wife really hates this): I can think of only one time when it is acceptable to say, "These ones." It would be when counting stacks of money. "These ones, those fives, the tens over there." Okay, I'll stop being a smartass, now. Seriously, it is not necessary to add "ones" when identifying anything in a group. Just say, "this one when singular and, "these" when plural.

Bird of the Day: Rufous-backed robin -- the most recent addition to my life list. I saw it in February 2011 on the grounds of a monastery in St. David, Arizona, southeast of Tucson. It is a Mexican species that occasionally winters north of the border. Picture a regular ol' robin with a reddish back and you have a pretty good idea of what it looks like. Here's a link to the Wikipedia article on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-backed_Robin

I don't have the proper equipment to photograph birds well, but I do have a few pix that I will include with future posts.

Peregrine Falcon - May 15, 1977

Along the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts. Three of us made our way into a meadow completely walled in by trees. Instantly a shape flashed over us. My first peregrine! It was rocketing around the clearing very close to the trees trying to flush prey. I was mesmerized. What a magnificent aerial display. The bird was single-minded in its mission and didn't care in the least that we were there. My two very experienced birding companions were as thrilled as I was. After all, peregrines had been eradicated east of the Mississippi due to the widespread use of DDT. Right then, the fastest bird in the air became and remains my favorite.

At that time, the peregrine was being brought back from the brink of extinction, thanks to the dedicated ornithologists at Cornell University. In fact, our peregrine was almost certainly a product of their captive breeding program. Many years later, while digging my way out of a mid-life crisis, I had a peregrine tattooed on my left arm. To me, it represents a modern Phoenix rising from the ashes -- a symbol of second chances.

Newburyport, Massachusetts - 1975

One of my relatives had been an avid birder since childhood. He spent hours exploring a vast meadow near his home, scaring up birds as he walked. He would remember as much about each bird as possible, then run to the local library, which had an extensive collection of bird mounts. These early birding experiences led him to become a junior high science teacher and pass on his love of birds to many of his students.

Despite his influence, I didn't catch the birding bug until 1975, when a Ross's gull brought birders from around the world to Newburyport, Massachusetts.

My wife, my brother and sister-in-law drove 100 miles to see what all the hoopla was about and catch a glimpse of the gull. And that's all it was -- a glimpse. That's all it took to get me hooked. I quickly started a life list. It stands at 562 in March 2011, which is really not all that impressive. In the common vernacular, "Whatever." I'm happy with it. Just think how many more exciting finds are waiting out there.

I intend this blog to be a very casual affair. I am also a writer and actor, so I will include an eclectic mix of topics. I'll start my next several posts by describing some of my most memorable birding experiences. And, as a writer, I also intend to include some posts on words and other topics that may or may not have anything to do with birds. (I mentioned this was an eclectic endeavor, didn't I?)