Heavy rains fall during intense storms in late May through October. Summer's high water levels enable animals to range throughout the park, so you will not then see the concentrations of wildlife so typical of winter months. Violent winds and torrential rains of hurricanes may sweep northward during June to November. The Everglades winter is mild, with inclement weather rare and insects less bothersome. With winter's dry season wildlife must congregate in and around the waterholes, many visible from the nature trails.
Birds change their feeding habits as food grows scarce.
Birds often seen at ponds along the road early in the season move northward with the developing winter. The Everglades is best known for its abundance and variety of bird life. At Flamingo you can watch roseate spoonbills, large pink birds often mistaken for flamingos. The flamingos no longer regularly visit south Florida, if indeed they ever did. Reddish egrets and endangered great white herons live and breed in Florida Bay.