Thanks, pandemic. We hadn't been to the 'Glades since 2019. Obviously, we were chomping at the bit and we decided to take the plunge this year. Of course, the day we left, it hit 70° here in Boston and local friends were seeing all kinds of local animals. C'est la vie.
Well, we hadn't seen a 'gator or Brown Anole in 3 years, so down we went. We took a later flight than usual but still got to our first spot in Broward County at about 1:30 PM and started right off with a charming Burrowing Owl (#30).
Hadn't seen those in three years, either!
Nor had we seen (introduced) Monk Parakeets in three years.
This place is an Iguana hot spot and we weren't surprised to have them be our first "herps".
One newcomer to our lives was another introduced species. I'd seen some green lightning flashes and thought they were fast, young Iguanas but no... they were Green Amevias. I consider myself fortunate to have captured one on my camera!
Look, I know Florida is full of introduced species. (They're not invasive, in my mind. They aren't invading... not their fault they're trying to survive.) I just like seeing animals. Judge me not for showing the non-native species the same respect I show Florida's own.
Next up, another non-native, the Brown Basilisk.
Followed by, yes... a Brown Anole.
Looking across the river, I spied a shell! When I uploaded the pictures, I saw a couple of secret turtles! The main one is a native Red-bellied Cooter. On the left is a Red-eared Slider. Not sure what the third is.
An Iguana enjoying the sun in a field.
Another mystery turtle across the river, but the secret turtle on the right is another nelsoni.
How 'bout a couple more Burrowing Owls?
Evidently, I walked right past this guy. He was laying in the grass in the shade. Andrea saw him and we feared the worst. I nudged him with my foot. He was alive, his eye was open and he was breathing, but we suspected he was ill or injured.
I picked him up (about 2 1/2- 3 lbs. of lizard right there) and carried him to a secluded area in the trees so he could die privately. As I walked back, he kicked up and sped off. He wasn't sick at all! That was a weird one... glad he didn't perk up in my hands and tear me a new one!
A Monk Parakeet nest.
Driving out, we saw a lot more Iguanas on the soccer field. In the last 3 years, they have become much more abundant.
One last Burrowing Owl, that we saw fly up into the tree, before we go.
Before leaving Broward County, there was one more spot we wanted to hit. When we pulled in, we noticed that this place too has had an Iguana explosion. Our first sights were of a couple of big, ready-to-breed bruisers.
A little Brown Anole bruiser.
A beautiful woman...
Walking through the wooded path, we actually saw this Basilisk bi-pedaling across the trail.
We got to our favorite spot in this park... a dock overlooking the water that is filled with fish and turtles. We started with a few Red-ears, including a real old-timer!
Much to our delight, a Florida Softshell came by to visit.
A big Red-belly was also present.
We saw many beautiful birds, as well. This Green Heron (#35) couldn't have posed any better.
Brown Anole battle... (not really)
Andrea had missed the previous bi-pedaling Basilisk so it was a treat to see this small specimen dart out of the way on his hind legs.
Let us take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the Brown Anole.
Going back to the car, we noticed that a metric fuck-ton of Iguanas had descended upon the grassy field. Maybe it really is an invasion.
Heading back towards the highway was a harrowing experience. There was a lot or Iguana road-kill. I barely missed a few myself. One knucklehead ran right out in front of me and I couldn't move lanes... somehow, he made it. Asshole.
We finally made it down to our hotel in Dade County. We'd noticed an increase in Agamas each year on our previous visits. Well, now they have absolutely taken over the hotel! Peter's Rock Agama Hotel.
We wanted to poke around the grounds for any non-Agama sights. We didn't have to go far. Walking towards some flippin' rocks, we startled a Curlytail! Gorgeous guy!
He posed like a pro.
One rock held a massive surprise... a big cow-flop of a Southern Toad. I've missed these guys.
Quite a handful.
We often wonder what our "Holy Shit" moment will be on a trip. Once it was a Burm, once it was cruising a small Gator. This might have been this year's. Still poking around the hotel, Andrea found what has become a rare sight in Dade County, a native Green Anole!
A sight for sore eyes. And the only one we saw all weekend.
I could have photographed hundreds of Agamas, but I kept myself in control.
It was getting late, but we thankfully made it to our most important stop just under the wire... Robert is Here.
With milkshake fortification, we headed to Everglades National Park.
Except after we got in, I realized I'd left our flashlights at the hotel, so we drove back, then returned. We wasted a good 45 minutes, but the light was just about right for cruising, so that's what we did. Southern Toads were plentiful on the road.
Even more abundant were Two-lined Walking Sticks. They were all over. This is a matched pair, the male hitching a ride on the female.
Another small Southern Toad.
We often fail to see a snake on our Friday nights in the 'Glades but we were lucky and saw our first Moccasin in 3 years. Absolutely stunning specimen.
Cool shot of a Southern Toad, illuminated by my car's headlights.
We ventured out to our usual Friday night turn-around spot and we aurally assaulted by chirping frogs.. we could pick out Green Treefrogs and Pig Frogs, both species we'd seen in this spot before, but could find none to photograph. We got eaten alive by mosquitoes so we called it a night. I stopped to grab this nighttime shot, though.
But wait... one more peek. What just moved? Stripes! We saw a baby Alligator!
We hit the road, more concerned with the 'skeeters than Mama who was probably nearby.
Unfortunately, we did see a few DOR Moccasins on the way out.
Back at the hotel, we took a look at the fish pond before retiring. A large, skinny Cuban Treefrog was stuck to the wall.
A few years ago, there were a bunch of Marine Toads in the pool. We had only seen them once. But man, oh man... this massive cow-flop must have stayed all along. This guy is the size of a frying pan. A fat frying pan.
Another Bufo, a bit smaller but still a chubba-bub.
Our last sight of the day was a small Cuban scaling the wall.
Man, 15 species in one day? Thank you. It had been so long since we'd seen any of these guys, too. We didn't know what the weekend would have in store for us but it's easy to say that our first day was pretty successful.
