Nature Ali's Grand Adventure - Day 17, July 6th.

Waking at dawn I figured I needed to find the nearest place to bird before continuing toward the keys. I hadn’t really been birding at the optimum time so my list was languishing with few new discoveries. I really wanted to find Snail Kite and Limpkin and the name Loxahatchee stuck in my mind as possibilities for where to find those species, so off I went arriving shortly before 8 in the morning.
The butterflies at the Visitor Center were magnificent. I started to walk down the cypress boardwalk trail but found I was donating an excessive amount of blood to the local mosquito population. Back to the car for a deet dip and then to another trail that might be more productive. I asked where to find both of my target birds and was motioned toward the marsh trail. A lovely trail with less mosquitoes but it started to rain so I grabbed my umbrella and off I went. Many dragonflies but not many birds; there was a family of Common Moorhen in the little canal to the south of the trail. I took a few photos and then walked another ½ mile before I heard the cackle of rails I didn’t recognize. Turned out to be a family of Purple Gallinules that were warning the rest of the family of a lurking American Alligator, they surrounded the poor beast clucking the whole time. He just sank further into the water in a hunting posture. I watched the unfolding drama for about 15-minutes before continuing my journey. It remained a stand-off. The clouds broke and the sun began to shine brightly so I opened my umbrella to ward off the hot rays since I had taken off without any water, it made for a relatively comfortable walk. I continued on looking for Limpkin at every corner, but alas not to be found. I watched a Red-shouldered Hawk fly out of the forest followed closely by a bird I hadn’t seen before! Success, two Snail Kites flew out to enjoy the thermal that the hawk and vultures had found. I left satisfied with one more species under my belt and continued my quest to get to Key West.
Made the mistake of thinking Highway 1 wouldn’t be much worse than the turnpike where there were tolls… next time I will just pay the tolls, what a nightmare of stop light after stop light. Got through Miami and started onto the keys. The first key is Key Largo. The keys are a series of small narrow islands that are connected by relatively short bridges except for one 7-mile long bridge. It was not what I had expected, I thought there was a 30-mile long bridge… not on this trip.
Anyway, I stopped at a wildlife care center in Key Largo… that was one of the better choices for a stop. Full of cages of rehab animals, some of which I had never seen before. They also were a location for many other birds that found the place welcoming.