We only had two days in and around the Everglades but they were pretty good ones. Our main objective was to see some alligators. We had been promised some at a couple other places we visited down here but we had not had any luck. It seems most of them are hibernating this time of year when the weather is cool and the water is warm down deep.
The first day, we went right into Everglades National Park and made our way to the Royal Palm area. There they have some boardwalks which go out over the swamps and you can see many birds and alligators. However, before we even got there, we ran into a very large number of small birds, some sort of swallows, I believe, but they were moving very fast and in a huge swarm. I got out to take some pictures and discovered they seemed to be swirling around a water hole and taking turns diving down into it. I think they were just getting a drink of water.
As turned out, the alligators were out in force. Along the water they were up on the grass getting as much warmth as they could, although there was not much that we could feel. I guess it must have been better than being in the water. As we went along, we saw more and more, some in the water and some on the land. In one place there were 5 or 6 big (about 20 ft) ones stacked up on some logs. About that time the sun was beginning to peek through the overcast.
As many alligators as there were, there were many many more birds. Egrets, storks, ibises, cranes and lots of Black Vultures. In fact, they had had trouble with the vultures damaging cars in the parking lot to the point that they had hung a couple of dead ones up as a deterrent. I am surprised that the others did not just eat them. I mean, that’s their job, isn’t it?
The second day, we moved on the Shark Valley. Here they have a tram that runs through the park or you can walk or bicycle. We opted for our bikes but only went a couple of miles in one direction before turning back. It was really quite uninteresting. We did see one alligator and lots of birds, but they were mostly off the road and frankly, we were getting somewhat “birded-out”. We went back and down the other loop, where we saw more alligators including some youngsters, only about 1-2 feet long. Very cute. All in all, it was a very good time, although still a bit cooler than we would like in Florida.
