I came mostly for birds, but I am a fan of all wildlife. After some of the heavy rain, I ran into this pair of Black Racers. Of course they were almost completely blocked by trees so I had to stand up on the handrail at an odd angle to get a shot.
Corkscrew Swamp is an Audobon Center and to be honest I wasn't expecting it to be comparable to what I had seen the last couple of days. But it was different habitat type, so I was expecting new species. Maybe I was extraordinarily lucky, but because of water levels, Corkscrew Swamp was really hopping. In two small pools there were several alligators and tons of wading birds cramped in trying to eat the last fish of the swamp. I've never seen so many birds cramped together like this before. Here you can see a perched Roseate Spoonbills.
There were some gorgeous Snowy Egrets at the swamp. Most of the individuals were in full breeding plumage and occasionally they would show it off. They were engaged in this bizarre fishing behavior where they would pick fish up off the surface of the water as they flew over it. Apparently they thought they were terns instead of herons... After looking over the flight shots, I didn't get what I wanted, but I have some thoughts for improvement. I can't complain about the still shots though.
One thing about photographs is they are silent. The swamp was packed with birds. Although the photos don't show it, it was incredibly loud as the birds made a ruckus - often to scare others off their fishing spot.
As I left the swamp, I ran into a Marsh Rabbit near the boardwalk. I was up lying on the railing leaning over to try and get a shot. These are not your garden-variety Cottontail - check out the much shorter ears. They also are a bit smaller (and possibly cuter?).
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