Birds, Birds and More Birds

  More examples of the variety of birds we saw in our tour through the Everglades today. 

A Bird in the Grass

  This is what the real Everglades looks like. Not a lot of Spanish moss hanging off huge trees, just lots of grass, water and the occasional tree. With lots of different birds, fish, reptiles and plants. 

Pretty as a Picture

-I have no idea what kind of a bird this is, but it sure makes a pretty picture.

Big Babies

  Here I zoomed in as close as I could get to show the chicks in their nest. 

One Big Happy Family

  OK, here is a picture of another nest of the same kind of birds, but you can see the chicks and the adult bird. It is pretty well along in the nesting season and the chicks are pretty big. 

Nesting Bird

  You have to look closely in the middle of this picture, but it shows a bird nesting in a tree. The guide said there were three or four chicks in the nest. 

A Wonderful Bird is the ...

  We were informed that spotting a pelican in the Everglades is a rare sight. Well, here is a pelican perched in a tree in the Everglades. 

A Blue Heron?

  Here we have another bird living in the Everglades. I think the guide said it was a Blue Heron, but after about the 10th variety of bird, I lost track. 

The Bigger View

  This is just a view of part of the Everglades National Park. I am sure there are lots of animals in this picture, but they are well hidden. I know for sure there were fish in the water. 

A Bromeliad Grows in Florida

  This is a bromeliad growing in the crotch of a tree. It is right over the alligator. I had to step very carefully around the animal to get this picture. 

I'm Ready for my Close-up, Mr. DeMille

 This is a close-up of the alligator Mark was photographing. I did not get this close, I used my telephoto lens. 

How Do You Get a 'Gator to Smile?

Here is a friend of mine bravely taking a picture of the alligator under the vulture. Mark was ready to jump and run if the gator tried anything. The alligator did hiss and snort at him. 

An Everglades Vulture

I think this is some kind of a vulture. It was perched up in a tree over an alligator. I think he was waiting for the alligator to kill something. 

An Everglades Bird

We saw lots and lots of birds. The tour guide was absolutely ecstatic at the number and variety of birds we saw today. I don't know one from another, but here is one kinda short on tail feathers. 

Yet Another Alligator

This is a mature alligator sunning himself at the visitor center. As you can clearly see, it is black. It is also unpredictable, and not something you want to mess around with. It looks like a metal casting, but believe me, it is real. 

Shark Valley Alligator

Today I went to the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Everglades National Park. I signed up for the tram tour of the park. I got my Senior ticket and boarded the tram, camera in hand. It was an absolutely fantastic day: blue sky, light breeze, temperature in the high 70's. We were not out on our tour long when we began to see American Alligators. The first thing the guide told us was that alligators are black, not green.