Florida Day Seven: Key Largo And Everglades A Quiet Morning Hike In Dagny Johnson And A More Exciting Afternoon Hike In The Everglades.

Florida Day Seven: Key Largo And Everglades A Quiet Morning Hike In Dagny Johnson And A More Exciting Afternoon Hike In The Everglades.

Florida Day Seven Key Largo (22 of 24)
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I was up early again Wednesday morning on my recent visit to south Florida.  I was leaving Key Largo, and wanted to get in one last hike at the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. before I left, and hopefully, finally see some interesting wildlife. It was a quiet trip so far, most likely because of the cool weather.  So after a couple of cups of coffee, I watched the sunrise from the same location as the previous morning, in northern Key Largo.

I also watched another  moon set in the western sky

I  then drove about a mile or two  to the Dagny Johnson park.

 I followed the same route I did two days earlier, there are not a lot of trails in this small nature preserve.

I hiked  through the hardwood hammock, and past my favorite gumbo-limbo trees,

to the bay along the ocean. Like the previous hikes it was quiet on this  hike too.  I didn’t hear or see a bird.

However, at the bay I heard yellow rumpled warblers, white eyed vireos and was able to photograph this blue gray gnatcatcher,

and this great crested flycatcher feeding on an insect.

I have never seen warblers this close to the bay before. This is why I love to hike and explore you never know what to expect.

I also saw the usual turkey vultures flying overhead , and  the double crested cormorants near wooden posts at the entrance to the bay.

I continued on my hike to the mangrove forest along the shore.

It was another quiet hike, there was almost no birds activity on my hike.

I walked along the red mangrove forests, and

took the short loop back to the entrance.

There was nothing stirring in the trees , and only this broad winged hawk flew overhead.

I walked under the harwood trees in the hammock were I have seen many species of birds, lziards, insects and mammals before. I had seen froazen iguana, spiders, snails. racoons. opposums and a large of beautiful birds on previous hikes but not a critter was stirring Wednseday morning.

I was checking out of my hotel  by 11 a.m. so I had to finished my hike.  Again I was disappointed in not seeing more wildlife to share here on my blog and social media, but I still loved being in this beautiful harwood hammock. Here is a link to a gallery on the blog website with some more photos from my hike. Florida Day Seven. Key Largo. Dagny Johnson. January 15 2025.

I returned to my hotel, showered , packed and was on the road again. I drove the back way to Florida City, on the Cardiff Sound Raod. I love this back road. I stopped for lunch at  the famous Alabama Jacks,.

I love this eclectic restaurant and bar in the middle of the boondocks.

I sat along the canal on which the restaurant is located and had a great meal , a delicious mahi mahi sandwich,and a garden salad.

I was entertained by the fish swimming in the canal.

I drove to Florida City and checked back in to the Best Western Gateway to the Keys. My room was available so I called my office, did some laundry and edited photos until around 3:30 when I was off to explore again.

I had so my choices where to hike , but I wanted  try  a possible  new hike that I saw when reviewing Google maps from my hike on the abandoned Aerojet Road   a few days earlier. I saw that one of  canals on the Aerjet Road connected with the Aerojet Canal Number C111 near the Highway leading into the Everglades.

It was sunny, cool and windy when I parked at the entrance to the  trail head on the Aerojet Canal. I  started my hike and, after about a 1/2 mile realized I had walked along the  wrong canal,. I had followed the other side of the Aerojet and not the canal that would take me to the Aerojet Road. Sorry if this is a little confusing, it was to me too. I did see an alligator swimming in the waters of the Aerojet Canal which surprised me on this cool day.

I walked back, past the large tower, and made my way to the right canal. There was no trail or path and I had to walk through some brush and high grass in some areas.

It was worth it.As I walked along the canal  I saw this eastern meadowlark perched on a utility wire on the other side of the canal,

near it, perched on the same wire, was a loggerhead shrike.

I walked along the southern side of the canal,

and came upon a large flock of great egrets foraging in the grass along the canal.

There must have been 30 of them. Some  would keep flying a short distance ahead of me as I walked along the canal.

Others would take off and leave the area of the canal.

At the beginning of my hike  the canal took me through open fields. After about  3/4 of a mile there were some small trees and brush along the trail and here I started to see a lot of eastern phoebes.  These small birds are one of the first flycatchers to return to  Northeastern Pennsylvania in the Spring.

The canal became wider now and filled with reeds. Here I saw a green heron stalking it’s  prey,

and a flock of American coots swimming in the late afternoon sun.

In the trees on along the canal I started to see palm warblers in addition to the many eastern phoebes still fluttering from branch to branch .

I came to the area of the canal near the Aerojet Road where I have been a few times on previous hikes. I usual see alligators here and I hoped to see  one  on this hike but the only things  in the waters of the canal was the little blue heron

and this greater yellow-legs.

A few white ibises flew overhead.

I was now at the Aerojet Road. I  was surprised there were not any birds perched on the utility wires that ran along the abandoned road. It was a pleasant place to be in the late afternoon Florida sun despite the cool temperatures and wind.

It was getting late so I began my hike back, seeing a an anhinga  or snake bird,, fly overhead in the deep blue skies.

I also saw this short tailed hawk.

 

I began a slow walk back along the canal, seeing most of the birds I saw on my hike out, but also a few yellow rumped warblers.

As I finished my hike I saw this eastern mocking birds by my vehicle, another reminder of my dad and how he always with me on my travels. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos of the birds I saw on my three mile hike on the canal. Florida Day Seven. Everglades Aerojet birds  hike January 15 2025.

High clouds moved in on the western  horizon obscuring my view of the setting sun.  It was still another great hike in the Everglades.  Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my three mile hike on the canal. Florida Day Seven. Everglades Aerojet hike January 15 2025.

I drove back in the twilight and, of course , stopped at the Farmers Market for my last meal of fried catfish, mashed potatoes and fried cabbage until next year. I  have been eating catfich here for 12 years now. I love this restaurant and this part of Florida. And I love the Everglades. I returned to my hotel for my last night  in Florida City and was regretting my hike in the Everglades in the morning would be my last  one this year. But I know, as long as I am able, I will be returning to this magical place.

Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost. ~ Erol Ozan

Leave the road, take the trails. ~Pythagore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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