Wako Wetlands Walk – 23 November 2021

It was an extremely bright blue morning in SE Florida with temperatures in the mid 60’s, pleasant walking. I decided to go to Wakodahatchee and Green Cay Wetlands to get in some walking and birding.

Being coolish and early in the season for the nesting birds, there weren’t very many people at Wakodahatchee, making it easy to find a parking place. The Wood Storks have not yet arrived for their annual (and smelly) nursery perched in the Pond Apple trees of the marsh.

I’ve always loved to do photography while walking out in nature, although I don’t take photos in my own neighborhood, out of respect for people’s privacy. I started doing photography back in the late 70’s when my father gifted me with a 35 mm camera.

When I came up on the Cormorant (see photo above) he had his head tucked into his wings, probably trying to keep warm. I took a couple of photos and didn’t see when he struck this perfect pose for me… Along with Anhingas, these birds are magnificent swimmers and fisher people. They nest at Wakodahatchee.

There were several large green iguanas perched on trees attempting to keep warm. Although the sun was brilliant, there was a sharp cool breeze during the early part of my walk. I also noted a handsome Night Heron perched in a nearby Cypress tree but could not get a good photo of him. They are a very distinctive-looking bird and fairly rare, although I have occasionally seen one at our local pond.

Here is Florida’s other great underwater swimmer (bird) the Anhinga. You’ll find them perched on the edge of a pond or in trees drying out their wings between swims. The females have the light brown necks. The males are all black but a beautiful pattern of white on their back and wings…

I haven’t identified the above bird other than it is some sort of marsh / wading bird. Look at the big feet and longish legs…

Look at those feet! These big feet enable the common Mud Hen to walk over floating marsh plants and prevent them from sinking into the mud. They are a noisy little bird and commonly found in waterways in Florida.

The Green Iguana is a non-native, invasive species that has created a home for itself in Southern Florida. In some areas they have become a pest and are collected and killed. We don’t have them in our neighborhood ponds. No alligators were sighted today. The water levels of both wetlands were extremely high after all the recent rains. Today was a brilliant almost blinding day with the sunshine glinting off the quiet marsh ponds…

Well, that’s all for today, folks. Hope you enjoyed my presentation. Happy Holidays to all!

Eliza