Florida Day One. 2026 Sunshine, Wood Storks, Egrets And Alligators. A Much Need Escape From The Cold

I love sunshine. And we had some sunshine in Northeastern Pennsylvania this past month. We also had cold and snow and ice.  I don’t love cold and snow and ice. In fact, it was record-breaking cold and a lot of snow. (this is a photo of  my house covered in snow)  So I am now in Florida , enjoying the sun in the Sunshine State.

I arrived on Saturday, 2 days ago, and it feels like I’ve been here for months. After my flight from Philadelphia, I arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport. I tried to rent a Jeep Grand Cherokee,  the vehicle  I drive at home. Instead I found this beautiful brand new Mercedes SUV waiting for me at the Hertz Gold rental area.

It took me all of five minutes to realize that this was not the vehicle to drive through South Florida traffic and then into the Everglades. I couldn’t figure out the controls .The girls at the checkout helped me to get what I am driving now,  a Jeep Compass, which I love.

I was familiar with the instrument panel and drove through the busy South Florida and Miami  traffic.  I  arrived at the Best Western Hotel in Florida city around 1 p.m. My room wouldn’t  be available until 3 p.m.  so I drove into the Everglades National Park, about a 20 minute ride from my hotel.  I returned to Royal Palm visitor center, with it’s two great hiking trails and a great place to see alligators and other  Florida wildlife up close.  It was sunny and 77°  with  alligators. I was happy. I began my hike on the Anhinga Trail in the historic park.

Royal Palm visitor center was once the first State Park in Florida established in 1916 to preserve what was known as Paradise Key. Paradise Key is a hammock located in the flat sea of grass that is the Everglades. It contained the largest stand of royal palms in Florida and many other hardwood trees such as oak and mahogany.

In 1947 it became a part of the Everglades National Park and the beautiful biodiversity it protected remains for people to enjoy. I love walking on the Anhinga  and Gumbo Limbo trails.  There is always wildlife to observe. It wasn’t just the warm temperatures that bring me to theEverglades. I also love the abundance of plant and animal life that thrive in what is one large wetland. Every year,depending on the weather, I discover something new, a bird, a flower a snake or a deer. It is a paradise for a nature lover.

The first critter I saw on this visit was not native to Florida, it was an  invasive African agama lizard.

I next saw this native great blue heron,

and this,  I believe, a Florida coater turtle on the pond near the Visitor Center,

It was Saturday afternoon in the park was crowded as continued on the Anhinga Trail. I saw my first alligator sleeping along the pond,

and then, saw this group of turtles landing together. There were three native Florida turtles in this group,   soft shell turtle, a red belly turtle, and a Florida cooter  turtle.

Tri-colored  herons,

and great egrets, were stocking prey along the trail.

I came to the boardwalk at that continues into the vast  sea grass that is the Everglades. .

Here, I saw small bird I am familiar with from my hikes back home, a blue gray gnat catcher fluttering in a shrub.

I followed the crowded boardwalk to an even more crowded observation area. The reason for the crowds was a large flock of great egrets and wood storks were feeding in the water lily covered ponds.

There were dozens of wood stocks wading in the ponds. Wood storks are a threatened species.

I always look forward to seeing these elusive  prehistoric looking birds when I hike deep into the Everglades on the Old Ingraham Highway Trail. I never seen so many in one area before.

I joined the crowd, enjoying this show, put on by these birds, feeding on fish in the waters. I have since learned the reason was many of the fish were dead or dying because of the low water level in the Everglades this year. The water is heating up, causing fish, and a lot of the vegetation in the Everglades to die.

The wood storks  fought over the fish in the shallow waters, while others flew overhead. It was another remarkable experience. I seem to have one every day while visiting the Everglades. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photos of the wood storks. Florida Day One. Royal Palm wood storks February 7 2026.

Therewere  also dpzens of great  egrets  feasting on the fish in the shallow waters .

It was a truly remarkable way to begin another  Florida adventure. I love the diversity of life in the Everglades. There’s always something to see. I have been coming here for almost a decade now and have never been disappointed by the beauty I find here.

I left this observation area and walked on the boardwalk to another observation area in the middle of the ponds.

Along the way, I saw this purple gallinule  foraging for food, including,

a dead fish floating in the waters. I have only seen them eat vegetation on my previous trips, but it looks like they like fish too.

I also saw some double-crested  cormorants, and

 anhinga, or snake birds, perched on the trees. The trail is named after this birds that are always seen here.

What I  have not seen. looking across the pond was  mother anhinga feeding her offspring on nest in a tree.

It was another beautiful first time experience on my  visit in the Everglades. I watched his mom fed the hungry young birds who fought for the food.

I also saw more alligators  enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sunshine along the trails.  They are always seen here too,

It is amazing to be so close to these prehistoric reptiles.

Every year I visit this wonderful trail and every year it  makes me feel like a child again, exploring and ,hopefully, find  something new and beautiful.

I next  walked  over to the Gumbo Limbo trail which takes you into the hardwood forest of the hammock. The trail  is named after the native gumbo-limbo trees that are found in south Florida.  The are easy to identify by there reddish bark. They are my favorite Florida tree.

I walked  through the hardwood woodlands, under ancient mahogany and live oak trees.

I was surprised not to encounter one single mosquito . I am usually swarmed by mosquitoes on my hikes on this trail. I would find there were no mosquito because of the cool dry weather Florida had Winter.

Although the trail was dry there was  lush green Boston ferns,

and wild coffee plants growing along the trail.

The trail came to the abandoned  Old Ingraham.

This road was built around the same time that Royal Palm was established as a State Park, in 1916.

I followed the trail and was surprised  which is usually very wet but this year was completely dry. The trail makes a turn and follows a remediation project which removed invasive vegetation  and is restoring the original water flow of the Everglades.

Here I encountered a few crows perched on a tree.

And in the shallow waters along the trail saw a greater yellow legs wading and searching for fish or frog.

I also this mockingbird. I think it’s the same one I saw last year. As I mentioned on my travels, mockingbird were one of my dad‘s favorite birds and  they always remind me that he is always with me on my travels.  He instilled in me my love of nature.

A few palm warblers scurried near the ground.

I follow the Old Ingraham Highway for about a 1/2 mile  where I saw a few white ibises feeding on the in the reeds in the late afternoon sunshine

I had hike almost over 3 miles and it was getting late in the afternoon. I still didn’t check into my hotel  so I decided to hike back to the Visitor Center. I way going to leave the  Everglades but when I got to the parking lot I decide to take one more  walk on the Anhinga Trail to see what I could see. 

And I saw much of the same, this great blue heron.

another  alligator up close,

and the pretty eyes of this double crested cormorant.  I finished my 5 mile hike  and was tired and hungry.   Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike. Florida Day One. Royal Palm birds February 7 2026.

It was nice to be back in the Florida sunshine and to enjoy the beauty of the Anhinga Trail and the Everglades. I was looking forward to a week of exploring and searching for the flora and fauna that is found in  this unique wilderness. Here is a  link to a gallery on my web site with some more photos from my hike.   Florida Day One Royal Palm February 7 2026.

I was almost 5 p.m. when I returned to my hotel. I checked in unpacked and soon headed for dinner at the Farmer’s Restaurant. I love eating here every year when I visit the Everglades. I had my favorite Florida meal, fried catfish, fried cabbage and real mashed potatoes ,

and a slice of Key Lime pie for dessert. It was a nice way to end a long day. I was happy to be back in south Florida again. I  looked forward to my hiking in my beloved Everglades  in the morning and sharing some of the beauty of nature I find here on my blog.

“All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is, and God the soul.”  Alexander Pope 

“The miracle of the light pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and of water, shining and slow-moving below, the grass and water that is the meaning and the central fact of the Everglades of Florida. It is a river of grass.” – Marjorie Stoneman Douglas