Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 5/16/2013

Conditions at Corkscrew Swamp were extremely dry.  Although it is typical for it to be dry this time of year, it was even drier than ususal.  Most of the water from the swamp was gone with the exception of a couple of "gator holes" near the lettuce lakes.

The temperature was comfortable for mid-May. 

We were treated to a barred owl who was napping right next to the boardwalk as we passed.  Also saw a red-shouldered hawk and a piliated woodpecker.  There were a couple of larger gators and some gator hatchlings in one of the mud holes.  We saw some deer in the distance along the treeline between the pine upland and the tall grass prarie.  Other than that, the wildlife was mostly hidden.