A Week at Flamingo in Everglades National Park

During our first Florida winter in 2023, we made a couple of day trips to the Everglades and decided we wanted to stay at the Flamingo campground someday. So this year, we drove to the Florida Bay at the end of the road and spent a week looking for wildlife.

The campground is operated by a concessionaire rather than by the NPS, so it’s hardly a deal. But the campsites have electric hookups and are large enough to fit any size rig. We loved our week there.

The first thing we did was check out the newly opened visitor center, which was under construction the last time we were there.

Next, we walked out to the marina and saw a group of people looking at something. This usually means wildlife, so we rushed over. They were looking at a crocodile!

Crocodiles have a more pointed nose and are greenish-grey, unlike alligators. They also like brackish water and are more shy around people than alligators. This was the number one thing I wanted to find this week, and we saw one in our first hour. Pretty lucky considering that the FL Fish & Wildlife Commission estimates there are only ~2,000 crocodiles in Florida, which is up from less than 100 in the ’80s.

We also saw manatees at the marina and watched a nearby osprey family all week. These babies were born sometime during our week there, and we saw mom and dad fight off a raven one afternoon.

On Saturday, we set out for a day of hiking with my telephoto lens. I was hoping to get a photo of a pink roseate spoonbill.

We checked out Eco Pond, West Lake, Paroutis Pond, Mahogany Hammock, Pa-hay-okee Overlook, the Old Ingram Highway, and the very popular Anhinga Trail. We found spoonbills at a few of these places, although from quite a distance.

The Anhinga Trail was just packed with wildlife. We estimate there were at least 10 times as many birds and alligators this year as there were the last time we hiked this trail. Our favorite sightings were of baby anhingas (above, right) and a wood stork having a snack (below, right).

I also liked this photo of the egret and alligator together.

We also went to the Nike Missile site in the middle of the Everglades, which was interesting.

A smoothie from Robert is Here, the most amazing tropical fruit stand just outside the entrance to the park, was the perfect ending to the afternoon.

Next up are three state park visits to finish out another great winter of Florida sunshine.

P.S. The bird photos may show better on our website, maryandmichaeladventures.com