Avi & Heidi’s Crazy Adventure, Day 1 (aka Project Flamingo)

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with a very beat-up tail.

We spent the day at Everglades National Park. We went to Flamingo (the southern end-point of the park road, about 40 miles from civilization. We did not see any flamingos. Apparently they are far enough offshore that you need a boat. (These are presumably the same birds that got blown off course during Hurricane Idalia in Sept. ‘23.)

We had a good time nature watching and ate at our favorite lunch stop in Homestead, FL - Robert Is Here (yes, it is an odd name). It is a fruit store that sells all kinds of fruit and they will cut up your purchase so you can have a picnic in their backyard. So incredibly yummy!

Ospreys - Mom, Dad and one of three chicks that was in the nest. The nest Wes not very high up (Avi will correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m going to say 12 ft?) and right next to the parking lot.

Male Painted Bunting

Yellow-crowned Night-heron - this was taken mid-day at when it was about 75° so you can see the heat distortion in the photo - it’s the worst time of day to take photos 😥

Snowy Egret taken through some pretty thick mangrove bushes.