Corkscrew Swamp

Just west of Naples, Florida you can find one of the last areas of 400 to 700 year old Bald Cypress trees left in North America. Over 11 thousand acres were acquired in 1954 and established as the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The National Audubon Society who has been protecting wading birds within the swamp since 1912 operates a wildlife center on a section of the land. Here you can experience wildlife from four distinct habitats: pineland, freshwater marsh, cypress swamp and hardwood hammock, all from the comfort of a raised boardwalk. This is a wildlife watcher and photographers paradise, unlike a contrived zoo where animals are caged or separated. Here the animals are free; this is their house. They go where they want and eat what they want. Most of them do stay off the boardwalk except for the snakes and alligators. Just kidding!-they rarely ever get up on the boardwalk unless they want something to eat. If you are patient and quiet you can see a large variety of birds, reptiles, insects and mammals. It is really awesome to see animals' natural behavior. We have spent a couple of days in a row during our numerous visits seeing something new and different each time.

If you visit Corkscrew Swamp in the spring you’ll most likely hear the echoing roar of a courting male alligator. It is an eerie sound. The sound resembles the roar of a lion or engine starting. The best chance to see these modern day dinosaurs is on cool days. They will crawl up on a log, dry patch or boardwalk (I said I was kidding!) to capture the sun’s warmth. I think this one is a guy because he was lying there for hours doing nothing. The females do all the parenting, building the nest, laying 20 to 60 eggs and guarding them for 10 weeks until they hatch.

When the water warms up you might spot an alligator on the move, possibly out hunting for food or looking for an access point to get up on the boardwalk (Ok Jim stop it!). Adults prey on fish, turtles, birds and small mammals.

Here is a shot of my Brother-in-law and fellow photographer, Stan, standing on a section of the alligator-proof boardwalk (that's better) within the cypress swamp. There are over 2.2 miles of paths to explorer.

This is a Yellow Crowned Night Heron. This bird is nocturnal, active at night but, seen during the day as well. I took this picture during a time when the area was experiencing a drought. Food was scarce and I am sure it was taking any opportunity it could to grab a meal. They will stalk out the same spot for hours waiting for something to catch. Now that’s patience. You and I would most likely hit the fridge or cupboard when we’re hungry. Night herons mostly eat crabs and crustaceans, but will dine on fish, snails, bugs, mussels, tadpoles and small snakes.

The White Ibis is one of the most common birds seen in Corkscrew Swamp. I look for unusual behavior when I photograph animals and this bird was perched on one leg. Great balance!

This young Red Shouldered Hawk was very habituated which means no fear of people. A wildlife sanctuary is great for animals because there is a lack of threats from humans. It is common to see adult hawks like the one on the home page. Check out the fascinating

Hawk video from our last trip on the bottom of this page. I am also working on a video of an alligator chasing someone off the boardwalk.

The Great Egret is from the Heron family. In the early 1900’s these bird were killed to provide feathers to decorate women’s hats. The birds almost disappeared. Luckily the need for women to wear silly hats disappeared. Thanks go out to the National Audubon Society. The Great Egret was adopted as this organizations symbol. Wading birds are threatened today by wetland drainage, farming and development and have declined by up to 90%.

This artful image is actually two different trees. The roots that look like a highway interchange designed by a mad engineer are from a Strangler Fig Tree and are wrapped around a Cypress tree. These roots grow from the top down and can kill the host tree if there is no frost in the winter months. The Strangler Fig produces a fruit that is the favorite of Pileated Woodpeckers, the largest woodpeckers in North America. Sorry no photos of the woodpecker yet. I’ve seen them, but can’t get any good shots. I’ll keep trying.

I discovered this Green Tree Frog during a photo workshop. My wife Edrianna, brother-in-law Stan and I were looking for rarely spotted creatures because there was a photo contest with winning shots to appear in Audubon Magazine. The frog was resting on a reed next to a boardwalk post and probably missed by dozens of other photographers. The three of us took turns snapping shots and when other shooters came close we stopped and pretended to be chatting with each other, covering up our prize. I know this was pretty sneaky, but competition among photographers can get ruthless. Stan won with one of his shots of the frog. I think my shots were better- I should have kicked his camera into the swamp. See, I told you about the ruthlessness. This is called a Macro shot and taken with a special close-up lens. This frog is only about two inches long.

I use the Macro lens to take photos of even smaller subjects like insects. These ants are harvesting aphids. They don’t eat the aphids just the droppings called “Dew”. You might say poo-dew. Ok, grow up Jim. The ants in turn protect the aphids. This relationship between the ants and aphids is called Symbiotic because both insects benefit each other. That’s teamwork!

I need your help identifying this mystery beetle. I’ve done research and no luck. Let me know. Maybe it is an undiscovered species and I will get my name and this photo in Audubon magazine. Do I sound bitter for losing the photo contest? Maybe a little.

Now this insect I know. It’s a Saddleback Caterpillar and those barb-like hairs can sting you. Its venom can cause swelling, nausea and rash that can last for days. Wow, that sounds like every prescription drug that’s sold on TV these days. Anyway, like any animal it is best to give it space and not touch it. They appreciate that. By the way, this is a larva that morphs into a beautiful moth.

There is a lot of open land within the sanctuary and you never know what you might see… (The next time I see a cool tree frog I'm keeping it to myself).

One early morning I spotted a White Tailed Deer. It was a good distance away even for a telephoto shot.

On our last trip we found this one just a couple feet from the boardwalk. We were surprised when we saw it so close. He or she was definitely used to people. What a goofy smile or maybe it was something it ate. Florida deer are smaller than those in the northern United States. I have seen deer in the wetland area before. They are excellent swimmers.

Bald Cypress trees lose their needles in the winter. When you take photos don’t forget to look up. It’s a whole new perspective. You might even spot the rare tree climbing alligator that are known to drop on unsuspecting people as they stroll along the boardwalk. I know, I have pushed this joke way too far!

SSSNAKE! This is a Cottonmouth Snake also known as a Water Moccasin and definitely on the “Don’t Touch” list. It is in the pit viper family of poisonous snakes. It has a pit in front each eye it uses to sense its surroundings. I wonder if it sensed I was slightly scared of snakes. Can you say telephoto lens? This one wasn’t very big, but the young are venomous from the moment of birth. They can grow to six feet. Can you say super telephoto lens?

I can’t wait for my next photo safari to Corkscrew Swamp! Maybe I’ll see you there and remember to avoid being on the boardwalk during meal time for the alligators and snakes. Disclaimer: No one has ever been eaten or attacked by alligators or snakes on the Corkscrew Swamp boardwalk-at least while I have been there.

For more information and location of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary go to:

http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/

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