We decided today to visit the Great Cypress Swamp at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Located near to Naples, FL, it was a short drive. For a small entrance fee (USD 17 / person), one can access a wonderfully prepared boardwalk through the various ecosystems of the Great Cypress Swamp. Congratulations to the organization that runs this sanctuary. It is gorgeous.

The boardwalk is elevated, so you can cross the swamp atop the floor / swamp. You can watch the animals without disturbing them. From various observation platforms you can sit and observe, listen and smell.

We already mentioned the fact that the Everglades are suffering from the most severe drought since decades. The swamp was dry. For this reason, it was not possible to observe fishes, crayfish, alligators, snakes, turtles, many insects and snakes and all the birds that prey in water.

Under these conditions, we managed to observe Red Bellied Woodpeckers, a Pileated Woodpecker, Red Shouldered Hawks, Great Crested Flycatchers, a Black-Crowned Night Heron, an exhausted Alligator. We heard other birds (like Owls) that seemed to be very near, given the dense canopy, we couldn’t spot them.

We enjoyed very much this visit, and we highly recommend visiting this sanctuary after the rainy season, when the swamp has recovered. The best period seems to be between October and April.