Thu, Mar 22, Everglades National Park:  After breakfast this morning we headed down to Flamingo, which is 34 miles down the road.  Stopped at Mahogany Hammock but didn’t see any owlets.  Probably too late this year.  But we did see a couple of hawks with a poor little mouse they had just caught on their way to their nest.  Also saw a pileated woodpecker.  Continued on and stopped at Poirotis Pond where the wood storks and roseate spoon bills nest every year. We saw a lot of wood storks, but only a couple of spoon bills.  Continued on to Flamingo.  The little café is still closed, and the marina is not up and running yet.  The campground looks okay.  This campground has electric, whereas ours has no electric hookups.  But the Long Pine Key campground where we stay is much prettier.  Had a snack and watched the osprey feeding her chicks.  Drove back, stopping at West Lake and walked the boardwalk.  The mangroves look dead, and the part of the boardwalk that goes over the lake is tore up.  Drove back to our campground and relaxed for a while.  An absolutely beautiful day and the refrigerator/inverter is still okay. Low 70s today.  Really chilly at night.

Mahogany Hammock

 

Bromeliad

Wood Stork tearing off twigs for his nest.

Osprey feeding her chicks--Flamingo

Mangroves along West Lake boardwalk.

Coots

Boardwalk over the lake got demolished.