Visitors and staff observe flora and fauna from the boardwalk on a daily basis. Below are some of the highlights reported since July 2, 2025.
To find out what to expect in a particular season, check out our Seasonal Nature Viewing Opportunities page.
Birds:
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Swallow-tailed Kite
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Limpkin
Mourning Dove
Common Ground Dove
Barred Owl
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Parula
Northern Cardinal
Boat-tailed Grackle
Butterflies:
Ceranus Blue
Cassius Blue
Ruddy Daggerwing
Cloudless Sulphur
Zebra Longwing
Gulf Fritillary
White Peacock
Great Southern White
Clouded Skipper
Other Invertebrates:
Click Beetle
Dragonflies
Damselflies
Grasshoppers
Apple Snails
Fireflies
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Five-lined Skink
Carolina Green Anole
Cuban Brown Anole
American Alligator
Squirrel Treefrog
Pig Frog
Green Treefrog
Cuban Tree Treefrog
Mammals:
Raccoon
Gray Squirrel
Cottontail Rabbit
Blooming Plants:
Winged Loosestrife (Lythrum alatum)
Starrush Whitetop (Rhynchospora colorata)
Scarlet Rosemallow (Hibiscus coccineus)
Rosy Camphorweed (Pluchea baccaris)
Yellow Helmet Orchid (Polystachya concreta)
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)
Swamp Lily (Crinum americanum)
Lanceleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia)
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)
Beggartick (Bidens alba)
Tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii)
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fasiculata)
Northern Needleleaf (Tillandsia balbisiana)
Dingy Flowered Star Orchid (Epidendrum anceps or amphistomum)
Want more info?
Find more sightings, or report your own on our Facebook page, YouTube, or iNaturalist!
Get Audubon in Your Inbox
Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news.