Corkscrew Swamp, Florida

Audubon Sanctuary

Audubon Wildlife Trail

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, located about 30 minutes east of Naples, features a 2.5 mile long boardwalk through pine flatwoods, wet prairie, around a marsh, and finally into the largest old growth Bald Cypress forest in North America. The unusually high water levels for the time of year resulted in the bird population being spread out over a much larger area than usual so opportunities for observing the varied birdlife were reduced. However, the highlight of our walk was seeing a female alligator with babies (each about 6 inches long) under her protection. Food seemed to be plentiful as witnesses by the photos below and we  loved the variety of scenery with the light shining through the forest.