Beyond the Aviary

Posted on February 25, 2013February 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

As much fun as I was having in the huge aviary I knew there was much more to see so I packed up my gear and bid good-by to the squawking, flapping crowd.

As I followed the path away from the aviary I approached a huge tree.

It was so large it reminded me of the banyan trees I’d seen in Hawaii. But it’s no banyan, it’s a cluster fig tree.

Trees like this always make my mouth drop open in awe. I can only imagine how I will react when I finally see a giant sequoia! This was one time I wished I had a person to stand next to the tree to show the perspective.

Not too far away was the Flamingo Cafe. It was easy to see why it was named that way. On one side was the Flamingo exhibit and on the other was the butterfly garden. On the back side was a Hummingbird Garden. No matter where you choose to sit there’s something to look at. Food offerings were limited to things like hotdogs and chips and like all places of this nature the cost was top dollar. Still if one is hungry you pay the price. As it turned out the hot dogs were giant ones so I can’t complain about the amount of food for the money.

It was a slow day for humming birds and butterflies so I sat watching the flamingos.

I have seen them in all the various shades of pink but these were really a deep, rich color. More of a coral than a pink.

Nearby was a tram ride so after lunch I hopped on board for the tour of the rest of the grounds. This part seemed really familiar. It made me wonder if I had been here before. If so it must have been 10 years ago. Not much had changed. The little tram takes you through some fruit orchards and past the founder’s Historic Wray Home.

The tram driver tells a little of the history and points out some of the exhibits. It’s a nice little ride.

Back at the tram station I meandered over to the Florida Panthers exhibit but they were not around. They are diurnal so it was a bit early for them to be active. Same with the bobcats in the bobcat exhibit. I had better luck at the Geese, Swans and Cranes. I especially liked the pair of sand hill cranes in this exhibit.

The otters were very active and there was a little bridge to stand on to watch them.

And of course…Alligators. After all we are in Florida so what would a pond of water be without the alligator?

A Foot Note to The Pelican Post

Posted on February 24, 2013February 24, 2013 by Dusty Roads

One of the great things about blogging is what you can learn from your followers. Because of the comment on the coloring of the Pelican in yesterday’s post I did some research and that is mating plumage.

But even more interesting to me is that the fibrous growth on the white pelican is not an injury! Sure looked like one to me but according to the internet (And we all know the internet doesn’t lie) it’s a breeding display :

In breeding season they get a light yellowish crest on the back of the head and males get a “nuptial tubercle” or fibrous plate on the upper part of their bill that is unique to white pelicans. The feet and bill turn more brilliant colors when breeding as well. The nuptial tubercle will fall off when mating season is over and the crest will turn gray.

I hope that clears up any misinformation.

Pelicans

Posted on February 23, 2013February 23, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Pelicans are everywhere in the Aviary.

Grey ones.

A white one.

One with an injured bill.

And a brightly colored one.

Flamingo Gardens

Posted on February 22, 2013February 22, 2013 by Dusty Roads

My early start had been side tracked by the unwelcome visit to the Welcome Center. Now that I’d wasted a good 45 minutes I decided Everglades National park was best delayed until tomorrow.

So where to head today? In my brochures of the area I found a one for a Botanical Garden and Wildlife sanctuary. In my travels I’ve had really good luck with botanical gardens and wildlife sanctuaries. I am about to see if my luck will continue.

Flamingo Gardens is located at 3750 South Flamingo Rd ,(Davie) Fort Lauderdale. My GPS said it was about a 20 minute drive. My full “kit” was loaded in the car including tripod and telephoto lenses. I would not be traveling light today.

To my surprise when I arrived there was a flea market well underway. The botanical gardens had not opened yet so I wandered around the stalls. I didn’t see anything I was interested in so I made my way over to the entrance.

I watched a Peacock preen while I waited for the doors to open.

The entrance was through the gift shop.

I was handed a map of the grounds with my ticket.

As I passed through to the grounds on the other side I spotted a huge tabby cat. It gave me my “kitty fix” of the trip.

The paths were almost jungle-like with flowering plants and overhanging vines and branches.

It was only about 9:30 am and the morning light filtering through all this lush growth was an artist’s dream.

Eventually I arrived at the Aviary. All of the birds and animals in the sanctuary are rescues. Their injuries prevent them from ever being released back into the wild. The sanctuary allows them to live out their lives while serving as animal ambassadors for their species.

I entered the aviary with limited expectations. I was quickly surprised. I first spotted some white wading birds..egrets or maybe white herons but as I came closer I realized there were many more birds than I first noticed.

Continuing along I met more birds… wood storks

and anhinga,

ducks,

pelicans

and spoonbills

were just a few of the residents.I even spotted some good sized turtles.

I found my self spending hours among these feathered creatures with my camera working overtime.

I was surprised that there weren’t more people passing through the aviary. In fact only one small group came through while I was there. Maybe being surrounded by uncaged birds wasn’t to everyone’s liking.

Alligator Show At Home of the Gator Boys

Posted on February 20, 2013February 20, 2013 by Dusty Roads

What do Cheetos and fences have to do with alligator wrestling? When you are at Everglades Holiday Park it means that the alligator show is being done by volunteer alligator gladiator J.- Mart. I don’t know J-Mart’s real name but that’s what they call him on the Animal Planet Show Gator Boys.

J-Mark’s first appearance was in an episode where Paul reprimanded him for feeding Cheetos to the alligators. We next see J-Mart trying to install a new fence around the alligator pit against Paul’s directions. J-Mart is one of those colorful characters that help add fun and interest to a show that revolves around a couple of trappers who catch nuisance alligators with their bare hands.

J-Mart was the person who had been in line behind me in the snack bar before my airboat ride. And J-Mart is performing the Alligator Wrestling show I am about to watch. That is sooo cool.

Now I am not a silly star struck kid and celebrities don’t make my heart go pit-pat but I was pleased that someone who I had actually seen on the show was going to do this demonstration. It also made me think that I might be able to get my “burning question” answered. Was Gator Boys coming back to Florida?

I stood front and center by the fence with my camera at ready. J-Mart started off asking if anyone watched Gator Boys. I don’t know how many other people said yes but my hand shot up right away. He looked right at me and said “Did you see the episode about the Cheetos?”. Laughing I said yes and about the fence too! His reply was classic J-Mark. “They made me look bad. I can build a fence.”

The gator show was great! J-Mart called the gators to him by imitating a baby gator chirping sound.

Then he took one of the bigger gators and had him snap his jaws shut. Wow! It’s amazing how loud the pop sound is as the jaws close in a split second.

The easy stuff out of the way J-Mart got serious and performed the more dangerous tricks like holding the gator with his head and no hands.

After the show I asked him if the Gator Boys were coming back to Florida.

He looked surprised I asked. Then he tossed off “they are back now”. Yay! Mississippi will be coming to an end and Paul and Jimmy will be back catching Florida Gators again.

Airboat ride, gator wrestling and my “burning question” answered. Throw in J-Mart and it was a very successful visit! I said good-bye to the birds and peacocks and headed back to the Ramada.