HOLEY LAND WMA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seventeen miles south of Lake Okeechobee and forty miles north of Everglades National Park, the 35,350-acre Holey Land Wildlife Management Area is part of the most northern extent of remaining Everglades sawgrass marsh. Former marsh to the north has been drained for agriculture while Stormwater Treatment Area 3/4 and the newly constructed Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir lie to the east. Here you can hunt white-tailed deer, common snipe, and marsh rabbit. Blue-winged teal, mottled ducks, and other waterfowl are found in the sloughs in the northeastern portion of the area. Although the marsh is most easily traversed by airboats and tracked vehicles, the extensive network of levees and canals constructed for flood control and water supply afford ample opportunities for birdBirds (class Aves) are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) BeeBees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven to nine recognized families,[1] though many are undescribed and the actual number is probably higher. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. Bees are adapted for feeding on nectar and pollen, the former primarily as an energy source and the latter primarily for protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used as food for larvae. Bees have a long proboscis (a complex "tongue") that enables them to obtain the nectar from flowers. They have antennae almost universally made up of 13 segments in males and 12 in females, as is typical for the superfamily. Bees all have two pairs of wings, the hind pair being the smaller of the two; in a very few species, one sex or caste has relatively short wings that make flight difficult or impossible, but none are wingless. Hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150–200 million years (Ma) ago, and the earliest known bird is the Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, around 150–145 Mya (million years ago). Most paleontologists regard birds as the only clade of dinosaurs to have survived the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event approximately 65.5 Mya. Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings—the now extinct flightless Moa of New Zealand was the only exception. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can flyTrue flies are insects of the order Diptera (di = two, and ptera = wings). They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax. The presence of a single pair of wings distinguishes true flies from other insects with "fly" in their name, such as mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, stoneflies, whiteflies, fireflies, alderflies, dobsonflies, snakeflies, sawflies, caddisflies, butterflies or scorpionflies. Some true flies have become secondarily wingless, especially in the superfamily Hippoboscoidea, or among those that are inquilines in social insect colonies. Diptera is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species of mosquitoes, gnats, midges and others, although under half of these (about 120,000 species) have been described. It is one of the major insect orders both in terms of ecological and human (medical and economic) importance. The Diptera, in particular the mosquitoes (Culicidae), are of great importance as disease transmitters, acting as vectors for malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever, encephalitis and other infectious diseases., with some exceptions, including ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations. watching, fishing, hiking, and biking.

Location

 

Southwestern Palm Beach County, north of Water Conservation Area 3 and on the east side of the Miami Canal.

From Clewiston – Take US 27 south to Palm Beach/Broward County line. From county line, take L-5 levee west approximately 9 mi to first access point, which is on the north side of the levee.

From Ft. Lauderdale – Take I-595 west to I-75 north. Take I-75 north to US 27. Take US 27 north to Palm Beach/Broward County line. From county line, take L-5 levee west approximately 9 mi to first access point, which is on the north side of the levee.

Wildlife

 

Levees are good places to view wildlife. You may encounter white-tailed deer, raccoons, common opossums, armadillos, river otter, bobcats, rabbits, and rats. Swallow-tailed kites, red-shouldered hawks, and many migratory birds are seen during the winter months. Wood storks, ibises, great blue herons, snowy egrets, and cattle egrets are common. The endangered Florida panther may be an occasional visitor to the area.