Daddy Dave
Well-known member
Great Kissimmee Marsh - 17 November 2005
Through the post dawn mist, the image lifts from a hurricane ravaged water oak. The large head, hooked beak and wide wingspread gives the eagle away. An effortless wingbeat keeps the huge bird just overhead and slightly in front of our airboat as we slide effortlessly along the weeded shoreline of Lake Kissimmee. He seems to be on escort duty. As if on cue, another, then another still, joins the over flight. Three eagles not much more than an arms reach away riding the thermals over their winter domain, show the human below what they cherish about this wonderful place.
The American bald eagle migration has arrived in full force on the Great Kissimmee Marsh early this year. Populations of adolescent and mature eagles appear better than ever. From the southern end of this vibrant marsh system at Florida Highway 60 to its northern boundary at Kissimmee / St. Cloud, a renewed natural phenomena is repeating itself. Only those on an airboat are witness to this remarkable recovery of America's bird.
Polk County offers the gateway for those who seek an up close and personal audience with America's majestic feathered icon on one of Florida's great marsh wilderness systems. It was only a decade or so ago when a single eagle sighting provided campfire conversational fodder in most of Florida.
We saw no sign of breeding ritual aerobatics yet, but they can't be very far away. When eagles get the itch to perpetuate themselves, part of their mating ritual involves an incredible array of synchronized flight maneuvers. This is the place to become an eye witness.
On a wildlife viewing charter on a modern, muffler quieted airboat yesterday we saw 14 deer, a large flock of mature Osceola turkeys and two coyotes of which one was a very large male. One of the witnesses was an executive for PBS / NPR and all she could say was "This is an incredibly beautiful experience, wish we had the video crew with us today."
We were fortunate enough to slide up on a big sow gator in a quiet corner of undisturbed natural wonder and actually watched her tiny hatchlings come off the nest. The cracked eggs were clearly visible. It was an amazing & awesome sight. Big Mama was highly protective, so after a few pictures, we eased away.
We stopped counting at 30 eagles & saw several Caracaras, plus a wide variety of other raptors. There are thousands of wading birds taking advantage of the high water levels presently in the marsh, strong numbers of snipe already and several hundred ducks scattered all over the marsh system.
While one of our guests was hunting for an Osceola Tom for Thanksgiving dinner or an acorn fattened Florida boar for the barbecue, they both agreed it was an unforgettable day without a shot being fired.
A recent passage of tropical weather dumped about 9 inches of water on this marsh a few weeks ago and those waters are still holding in the myriad of wet weather ponds and sloughs that pockmark the Great Kissimmee Marsh. Looks like maybe an answer to our Florida bird population is to keep some water in the wetlands.
Dave Markett
Through the post dawn mist, the image lifts from a hurricane ravaged water oak. The large head, hooked beak and wide wingspread gives the eagle away. An effortless wingbeat keeps the huge bird just overhead and slightly in front of our airboat as we slide effortlessly along the weeded shoreline of Lake Kissimmee. He seems to be on escort duty. As if on cue, another, then another still, joins the over flight. Three eagles not much more than an arms reach away riding the thermals over their winter domain, show the human below what they cherish about this wonderful place.
The American bald eagle migration has arrived in full force on the Great Kissimmee Marsh early this year. Populations of adolescent and mature eagles appear better than ever. From the southern end of this vibrant marsh system at Florida Highway 60 to its northern boundary at Kissimmee / St. Cloud, a renewed natural phenomena is repeating itself. Only those on an airboat are witness to this remarkable recovery of America's bird.
Polk County offers the gateway for those who seek an up close and personal audience with America's majestic feathered icon on one of Florida's great marsh wilderness systems. It was only a decade or so ago when a single eagle sighting provided campfire conversational fodder in most of Florida.
We saw no sign of breeding ritual aerobatics yet, but they can't be very far away. When eagles get the itch to perpetuate themselves, part of their mating ritual involves an incredible array of synchronized flight maneuvers. This is the place to become an eye witness.
On a wildlife viewing charter on a modern, muffler quieted airboat yesterday we saw 14 deer, a large flock of mature Osceola turkeys and two coyotes of which one was a very large male. One of the witnesses was an executive for PBS / NPR and all she could say was "This is an incredibly beautiful experience, wish we had the video crew with us today."
We were fortunate enough to slide up on a big sow gator in a quiet corner of undisturbed natural wonder and actually watched her tiny hatchlings come off the nest. The cracked eggs were clearly visible. It was an amazing & awesome sight. Big Mama was highly protective, so after a few pictures, we eased away.
We stopped counting at 30 eagles & saw several Caracaras, plus a wide variety of other raptors. There are thousands of wading birds taking advantage of the high water levels presently in the marsh, strong numbers of snipe already and several hundred ducks scattered all over the marsh system.
While one of our guests was hunting for an Osceola Tom for Thanksgiving dinner or an acorn fattened Florida boar for the barbecue, they both agreed it was an unforgettable day without a shot being fired.
A recent passage of tropical weather dumped about 9 inches of water on this marsh a few weeks ago and those waters are still holding in the myriad of wet weather ponds and sloughs that pockmark the Great Kissimmee Marsh. Looks like maybe an answer to our Florida bird population is to keep some water in the wetlands.
Dave Markett
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