Yesterday, SuzieQ and I decided to take a walk through Corkscrew Wildlife Sanctuary. We are members of “Friends of Corkscrew,” and we can go through for free whenever we wish to. The cost of our membership was $50, and I believe that the regular entrance fee is $10 per adult so we only have to make three trips in a year to make the membership pay for itself. In addition, with our membership comes the privilege of taking any children, grandchildren, or grandparents through the Sanctuary for free along with us.
This is one of our favorite spots in SW Florida. Travel down I-75 until you reach the Immokalee Rd, County Rd. 846 exit. Go east on Immokalee Rd. for about 15 miles and turn left onto Sanctuary Road. Take Sanctuary Road to its end and you will arrive at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which is owned by the Audubon Society. It is a great place for a walk. The boardwalk is a circle that runs 2.5 miles through the Pine Hammocks and Cypress Swamp and passes ponds and marshy areas where there is plenty of wildlife.
Yesterday for instance, we started out by seeing a painted bunting that was near the beginning of the boardwalk. The sanctuary has a birdfeeder set out that is surrounded by a cage so only small birds can get into it. The cage protects the seed from scavengers such as squirrels, black bears, and larger birds.
As we continued down the walk we ran into a group of Red-Bellied Woodpeckers which were feeding off of red berries growing in the swamp. I believe that these were probably Brazillian Pepper berries as they were too tall and tree-like for Saw Palmetto, and the leaves weren’t shaped right for Holly Berries.
This particular guy was hanging upside down eating the berries. He feasted for as long as we stood and watched and was still eating when we left him.
We also saw a number of White Ibis wading through the swamp searching for lunch. Here is a picture of one of the Ibis that we saw. He was wading through the swamp and feeding on aquatic life in the water. 
It is amazing how accurate these birds are in catching their prey; they rarely miss.
Another sight which tourists can’t seem to get enough of is the alligators. Yesterday there were a number of pretty good sized alligators sunbathing in the swamp. They get onto a hammock that has a little sun and lay there basking in the warmth. Since they are reptiles, I would assume that they are like snakes in this regard. They are cold-blooded creatures and need the sun to warm themselves. On one hammock there were two ‘gators which were lying together bathing in the sun; one with his head lying on the other’s back. 
As I already indicated, this 2.5 mile boardwalk is one of my favorite hikes in all of SW Florida. If you want to observe Florida wildlife in its natural setting this is the place to go.
