Bayside Reading Plus More Sunrise, Sunset, & Bird Photos Here At Flamingo - Everglades National Park - Florida

It was a quite relaxing day here at Flamingo in Everglades National Park. I enjoyed taking photos, and we did some reading beside Florida Bay.

Sunset - Flamingo Area - Everglades National Park - Florida

Still in the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park, I, once again, got up early to watch the sunrise while Linda slept in.

It was a different sunrise this morning.  The tide was way out exposing mud flats and the dolphins didn't come in to feed.

 

 

But the clouds provided some special colors and effects.

 

 

And I incorporated a palm tree just to give the morning an extra "Florida feel".

 

 

The Flamingo area was settled in 1892, but it was a difficult life.  The population went up and down and, eventually, the few residents left were re-located when the National Park Service took over the area.  In 1959, a lodge and cabins were built.

The lodging survived until Hurricane Wilma caused significant damage in 2005, and the lodge and cabins haven't been re-opened.  The pink buildings are part of the history here at Flamingo.

 

 

After the sun came up, I made my usual stop at Eco Pond.  Most of the action has been in the vegetation near the entrance rather than around the pond itself.

Lots of Gray Catbirds were feeding.

 

 

 And the Painted Buntings were back.

 

 

Birders never get tired of seeing this gorgeous species.

 

 

As with every morning, I returned to the campsite around 8:00.  Linda was up making her coffee.

We've been fortunate this week with cooler temperatures and daytime breezes which have kept the mosquitoes down.  And we haven't been anywhere close to needing our air conditioner.

 

This afternoon was warmer than it has been, and I wanted to go sit out by the water and do some reading.  So, we hauled our loungers and our Kindles out to the walk-in tent camping area and selected a spot that was somewhat sheltered from the wind.

Ahhhhh.

 

 

 

I'll go ahead and just say "Sorry" to our friends up north.

 

 

After doing some reading and a little napping, we noticed that it was starting to get cooler, so we packed it in and headed home.

Around 6:00, I went back out to take some more photos.  This Red-shouldered Hawk flew into the tree near our campsite.

 

 

I rode my bike back out to the shoreline.  I just liked the look of this tree in the low sunlight.

 

 

A little later, I walked around to the other side of the tree, and took this backlit shot with a young lady sitting underneath playing with her dog.

 

 

I moved west ....

 

 

and talked with a guy who was fishing and enjoying the sunset.  After chatting with him, I took a few more shots from his vantage point.

 

 

But I still wanted to see if I could get a clear shot of the sun without an island in the foreground.  With the tide not back in yet, I was able to squeeze into the mangroves through a bunch of spider webs and stepped out onto the soft shoreline.

I got the angle I was looking for, ....

 

 

but where I was standing wasn't sand.  It was a squishy mucky mess, and I was sinking to my shins.  I couldn't lift my feet, so I just stood there taking pictures, and was rewarded for the effort.

 

 

 

After one last shot, ....

 

 

I had to dig my sandals out of the stinky muck, and carefully step back through the mangrove roots to solid ground.  After washing my shoes and shins in the bay, I made the chilly bike ride back home.

It was another fantastic day here in Flamingo, and we're hoping for another one tomorrow.  Bright and early in the morning, we are going fishing with a guide. Really looking forward to that.