Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

We've never been ones to ease into vacations, and our recent trip to Florida was no exception. Midnight flight from Denver, land at Southwest Florida International Airport before 6 a.m., grab the rental car and get to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary east of Naples around 8:00.

TripAdvisor had turned us on to this Audubon preserve, with travelers touting it as one of the top area attractions.  The half-mile boardwalk seemed like a good way to shake off the red-eye drowsiness, but Taryn and I couldn't stop there.  We did the longer two-mile trek, complete with more barren stretches than I'd expected.  January is January, even in Florida.

Soon enough we were back in the sort of lush environs I'd imagined.  The reflection of the blue sky in the still water gave the place the appearance of being a forest floating in the clouds.

Taryn spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk, who looked a bit like he'd had his head blown off while preening.

If the previous picture creeps you out like it does Danelle, here's one showing that his head was, in fact, still attached to his body.

Some blooming swamp lily stood out gorgeously amidst all the surrounding greenery.

A Pileated Woodpecker entertained us for a while hunting for insects.

A small mixed flock of Great Egrets and White Ibis lazily waded through the undergrowth.

The scummy surface of the water didn't seem to bother this Pied-billed Grebe, who appeared content to just float and soak up some morning sun.

We wandered around here for a couple of hours, also seeing herons, cardinals, squirrels and a couple of raccoons on our trek.  A nice appetizer for what was to come once we forged deeper into the Everglades!