“USA 🇺🇸 Florida ~Happy Thanksgiving from Miami/Homestead Everglades National Park, Everglades and the Frances S. Taylor Wildlife Preserve and an Air Boat Ride”

• November 25, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

Everglades National Park and Everglades Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Preserve ⬇️

On this day, we got an afternoon spot on an Air Boat, and for this, we drove about 45 minutes from Homestead, where we were Glamping, to the outskirts of Miami, on Tamiami Trail/Highway 41. Daryl had never been on an Air Boat before, so he was in for a treat.

There are many, many Air Boat businesses to choose from and their locations seem to be lined up along Hwy 41. There are only three Air Boat companies that are allowed inside the boundary of the National Park. We saw one of those boats, as we drove by one of those locations.…

…..HUGE Air Boats, with so many seats. We enjoyed our smaller boat option, with a six-seater, plus operator.

No matter where you do the air boat ride, around this area, it’s all the same wildlife and geography.

Here is a map to show what I mean  ⬇️

I love the Air Boat rides, because I imagine, if I were to float on a cloud at high speeds, it would be a very similar experience. It’s a “smooth as silk feeling.” These boats do not need water to work. They can move along dry ground as well. These boats are also very noisy, so ear protection is provided and recommended.

I picked “Everglades Air Boat Tours” at $123 for the two of us; outside of the Park, but in the Everglades Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Preserve.

Our guide/driver was very good and we enjoyed the experience. He founds us Gators, a Soft Shell Turtle, and a very rare bird; Purple Gallinule. There were only a few Egrets/Ibis birds.

This bird; the Purple Gallinuleis is rare and only found in this part of Florida.

The weather was perfect, and having some clouds in the sky was very pretty for photography, with their reflection on the marsh water. The tour was only an hour, but it was fun.

I have to say, that while quite beautiful, there is not much diversity in the scenery, in the Florida Everglades, and for all the open space we thought we would see way more wildlife. The area is quite expansive, and certainly seems to go on and on.

I might just be spoiled, having done the Louisiana Bayou Air Boat ride, many years ago. In comparison, there was more wildlife there to see, and going in and out of the many channels in a huge swampy area was way thrilling. The Air Boats can turn on a dime and that was a lot of fun whipping around the bayous. Also, the Louisiana rules were different. The guide on that boat tour, baited baby gators, so we could hold them…well those guests who wanted to, and that was me. The babies were released and were not harmed.

One of the reasons for the number of wildlife sightings being low, in the Everglades, has something to do with the Bernese Python Snake, and a major mistake that took place during  the 1992 Hurricane Andrew. At least, this is what we were told on this day. BUT, there are two stories circulating to pick from:

*Between 1996 and 2006, roughly 99,000 pythons were imported into the United States as pets. It’s believed the pythons began breeding in the wild as a result of two primary causes: irresponsible pet owners releasing them and the animals escaping their loosely-kept cages, as a result of hurricane or stormy weather.

Or

*It was during Hurricane Andrew, in 1992 that a Python breeding facility (housed right next to the Everglades) was destroyed, releasing countless snakes into the nearby swamps.

Today, authorities have no idea how many Pythons occupy the area; in large part because the Everglades, in their vast inaccessibility, are so hard to conduct surveys in.

I lean toward the breeding facility debacle. I say this because why doesn’t Louisiana have the same problem in the Bayous, if it’s the occasional irresponsible human? I’m sure a certain number of pythons snakes do get released by irresponsible owners who were not prepared for the responsibility. That would only be a few here and there…. But for a breeding facility to lose thousands upon thousands, at one time. THAT literally grew into a huge problem, all at one time.

Regardless of which story is true, the Python problem is real and has been devastating to the local eco system. According to our guide, it was the fault of the research breeding facility.

These Pythons not only survived, they thrived in this environment and they have no predators. There has been a bounty out on these Bernese Pythons for many years. As a result of the bounty, locals partake and their numbers are reducing. The Pythons are found all over south Florida; anywhere there are trees. One killed, recently, was digesting two deer in its system. Apparently, as the Python numbers get reduced, the wildlife numbers should increase; but this takes years, obviously.

The Burmese Pythons are large constrictors that can grow to over 20 feet in length. Those caught in Florida are generally, 10 feet long. As adults, they are larger than almost all native snakes, and as big around as a telephone pole. Typical Burmese pythons are tan in color with dark blotches along the back and sides.

After our Air Boat ride, we got back in Jonah and buzzed further up the two-lane Hwy 41. We picked the Northern visitor in the Everglades National Park; “Shark Valley.”

On December 6, 1947, President Harry S. Truman, dedicated Everglades National Park, saying; “Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it.

The Everglades is a unique treasure found in South Florida, and is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States. It consists of 1.5 million acres of saw grass marshes, mangrove forests, and hardwood hammocks, dominated by wetlands.

Some more facts: The Everglades is home to thirteen endangered and ten threatened species. They have the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere. The Largest designated wilderness in the eastern U.S, the second largest Mangrove Forest in the world, and the most significant breeding grounds for tropical wading birds in North America.

Right away, as we entered through the Park gate, there was a big Blue Heron and a large Alligator, which was taking a sun bath.

Shark Valley: The Gateway to the Everglades

We were told by the ranger there is an unmaintained road at this location in the Park, but it is not very good on vehicles. There were some trails to hike on, but with all the flooding still going on, we were not too keen on hiking. I mean we have Bear Spray for Bears, but is there such a thing for Alligators? Gator Spray? Unfortunately, the Tram was not running, due to said flooding. That’s just bad luck for us.

NOTE ON PARK WEBSITE:

Alert 1, Severity closure, Recent flooding is causing partial closures for some guided tours

…..So we turned around and headed back to The Whale, feeling filled up in all things Everglades on this day.

Flamingo/Guy Bradley Visitor Center  ⬇️

This is the Park entrance for Southernmost tip, of the Florida peninsula.

With sunshine, still 0n our side, we took another drive on another day, to visit another part of Everglades National Park. It was not Flamingos we were seeking, since this is the wrong time of year for them. (I’ve seen Flamingos in the wild, in Kenya, Africa and Turks and Caicos)…but what we wanted to find were the Manatees. We’ve never seen them in the wild. We got a heads up, they can usually be seen in this part of the Park.

But, we did not limit ourselves to just the Manatees viewing, since there are other wildlife to watch for. We kept our eyes open for Crocodiles, Dolphins, Panthers, Deer and the many different species of birds; but this marina happens to be truly blessed with a high concentration of Manatees. Most commonly, on a nice day, the Manatees can be found sunning themselves on the dock. 

Nicknamed “sea cows,” Manatees are hefty, slow-moving creatures and one of Florida’s most famous residents, though they are actually more closely related to the Elephant. These chunky creatures are known to reside in the springs and canals of America’s Sunshine State.

We drove over an hour each way to get this part of the Park, from The RV Resort. It was well worth it, as most of that time is spent driving the scenic road, inside the Park. We had a beautiful sunny day and the road was good. Unfortunately, there were no Manatees showing themselves, above water, anywhere near the marina. The brackish water is dark and this makes it difficult to see anything swimming around in it. We still have a chance to spot them, since they can also be found in the warm waters of the Florida Keys. We shall keep looking, when we get down there.

Flamingo Visitor Center is a jumping-off point for two boat tours: 1. The Backcountry Boat Tour takes visitors through Buttonwood Canal, Coot Bay, Tarpon Creek and Whitewater Bay. 2. The Florida Bay Tour is led by a naturalist who points out the park’s interesting plant and animal habitats and rich history.

What we decided to do at Flamingo was take a 90-min Backcountry boat tour, at $100 for the two of us. It was a slow moving adventure, mostly, and we had a live narrator. We learned about the wildlife and the plants and trees in this area. It was interesting to learn, that while the Park is mostly at “0” feet elevation, there are places where this goes up to two or three feet above sea level. Just with that small increase, it allows specific growth of certain plants. We even saw a cactus along the canal.

We did see several Crocodiles, since they tend to be around in this part of the Park. There is one Crocodile who is called “Croczilla,” since he is about 15 feet long. We did not get to see that one, specifically, but we have seen that size and bigger, in Papua New Guinea, Africa and in Borneo, Malaysia. They are quite impressive! In another part of this Park area, there is a pond where both Alligators and Crocodiles live, harmoniously.

The Burmese Python problem was mentioned again on this Boat trip, as they have completely taken over. 90% of wildlife: Rabbits. Racoons, Squirrels, Deer, Panthers, baby Gators and Crocs have been devoured, by the invasive snake. Somebody better really get aggressive with eradicating these Pythons, before the entire wildlife population, completely disappears. It’s quite evident, as we’ve toured around, there is a major lack of wildlife, except for birds, to be seen; especially when you consider how large this Park is.

After the boat ride, we wandered around the marina again, in hopes of spotting some Manatees, but no luck. We were told they tend to be around more with low tide, vs high tide, and low tide was a long way off at the time we were there. We had a long drive back, so we decided to head for The Whale.

Photo Dump: From the Drive In, and the Boat Ride out of the Marina at the Flamingo Visitor Center 

Looking for Manatees 

Osprey Nest. It’s been used every year by the same mating birds for many, many years.

No Manatees around the marina, but this rare, American Crocodile was hanging out 

Everglades National Park has the second largest Mangrove Forest in the world

Another Croc

For the Everglades visit, we did a fair amount of driving and boating, to see what we wanted to see, (sans no Manatees, yet) The miles are easily explained in this Park, by mentioning there are 800 square, protected miles of Florida Bay, in Everglades National Park; representing the largest body of water in the park boundaries.

We love a scenic loop when visiting each of our National Parks, but not all of our National Parks have such a thing, and definitely not in Florida, with the combination of land and so much water. We got around pretty good, though, and sure enjoyed it all! It feels like we barely scratched the surface, here, though. But with 1.5 million acres, it would take quite some time to see it all. We did travel by vehicle, Air Boat, and two regular boats, so far in the two National Parks, so far: Biscayne and Everglades.

Thanksgiving Day 

We enjoyed a quiet, low-keyed day, and returned to that Cuban restaurant we liked, for a non traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The Churrasco Strak and Lobster were delicious!

From the RV Park in Homestead, to the Miami docking location of Everglades Air Boat Tour ⬇️

From the Air Boat tour site to the Shark Valley Visitors Center of Everglades National Park 

From the Shark Valley Visitors Center, back to The Whale 

From the RV Park in Homestead, to the Flamingo/Guy Bradley Visitor Center