Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge: an American Safari

Using the air stream along my moving car, the huge white pelican was gliding effortlessly and gracefully just a few feet next to my driver's seat. I was leaving Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) crossing the three-mile causeway back to the mainland. The bird just hung on to my side as if to say a long good bye: "Please come back, we sure enjoyed your visit." I said aloud, as if the bird could hear me, "Thank you, nice to have met you, hope to see you again." I even felt the urge to reach out and "shake hands."

It was a spur of the moment decision to fly to Ding Darling NWR for a weekend, the well-known bird sanctuary in Florida. My excuse was my new toy: a Canon 500mm/f4 IS lens. After a day's flight and a restful night's sleep, I was picked up early in the morning by my friend Jim, who lived nearby. We headed for the refuge, but Jim was worried; and as a host, he kind of apologized about the weather. But for me, it turned out to be a perfect weekend with each day better than the other. I was like a kid in a candy store. Everywhere I turned, the sights and sounds of the birds kept me delightfully captivated. I recalled that on a trip in East Africa. I was a prisoner in my safari van, unless I wanted to be a dinner for lions, but here at Ding Darling it was as though I was one of the birds. I was free in the middle of these beautiful birds: I even wished I could fly away with them. I couldn't help envying them to be free and to fly "'like a bird." Pelicans, ibises, egrets, herons, spoonbills, ospreys, and many others live at the refuge; and all are free to stay or to leave.

Arriving early in the morning to see nature in full action, I was overwhelmed and enchanted. These birds were going on with their daily living without concern about humans, who care for and protect them. The white pelicans were working the swamp in tight formations minding only their own business. They lined up in rows and acted in unison like well-trained soldiers: they "marched," turned, and deepened their bills and swallowed--all so synchronized. In the meantime, a lone blue heron just hung around a group of busy ibis, as if to supervise. A brown pelican, a full time Ding Darling resident, was always ready to snatch away prey from smaller birds. It was fascinating to see these birds plunging and diving without getting hurt.

The Roseate Spoonbills also like to be in groups, but unlike the "military" white pelicans, they are in random pattern while they either worked the marsh or displayed their fairy-like feathers on mangrove bushes in late afternoons. The most spectacular scene for me was when these pink spoonbills flew by at sunset. The Anhinga had nice looking feathers and was probably related to the cormorants with more modest plumage. They both were superb divers and fishers. To dry their feathers after diving, they display them proudly to the sun like peacocks. Of course, other than Anhinga, tricolor herons and many other wading birds along the Wildlife Drive, one could easily see the birds of prey. I was lucky to have observed an osprey taking off and displaying its awesome talons but missed one with prey flying over head. By the time Jim got my attention, there was just enough time to catch sight of this majestic hunter vanishing into the horizon. A Red Shouldered Hawk with piercing eyes was perching nonchalantly on a branch just by the roadside. We saw one Anhinga by a bridge standing still on the same rock every time we passed by. He promptly got a nickname: "crazy glue bird." On my last morning, I was treated with a scene of blue herons that were busy catching fish but more so defending their territory.

In Ding Darling, birds are totally comfortable and familiar with humans, who respect and protect them. The reward for us humans is that we are allowed to observe and enjoy them in close proximity. Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1945 and later renamed J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR in honor of the man who spearheaded wildlife conservation. His most important and enduring contribution was the 1934 initiation of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp or "Duck Stamp" program. The proceeds from the sale of these stamps have helped to purchase over 5 million acres of wetlands for preservation. Ding Darling NWR is composed of sand, shell, and silt. Dry ridges and wet sloughs are protected by mangrove trees, that so marvelously adjusted to this particular swampy location. The refuge provides a home for up to 300 species of birds, 45 types of reptiles, and at least 32 amphibians. Some are endangered, such as the "old flinthead" wood storks. This is a large wildlife refuge of more than 6000 acres of wetlands. One can canoe, kayak, drive, walk, and bike along the five-mile-long Wildlife Drive. This is a photographers' and birdwatchers' Nirvana. There were warnings not to feed or even approach alligators. Jim showed me how to spot these creepy creatures, but we couldn't see one because the sun of February wasn't yet warm enough for them to show up.