Eric & I are ready to see
the Everglades up close
in Captain Steve's
Airboat.
Steve is a local and has seen the Everglades change dramatically throughout the five decades. Today is a windy day. Steve tells us that he doesn't expect to see many birds.
A Great White Heron
The Everglades are in a very delicate state. Human activity has greatly disurbed the area's natural flow of water throughout the region.
Steve tells us that the
water level is very low.
He sees conditions for a
drought developing.
Alligators are dormant throughout most of the winter. That's why Eric and I were able to get so close to them in Shark Valley. Steve tells us that some visitors think that dormant alligators need to be poked or prodded. They do so at their peril. People get hurt when they harass alligators.
This alligator basks in the
sun, near its den.
The alligator's snout
has sensors.
Its sense of smell is
acute.
in flight
Alligators are cold blooded
creatures whose bodies
are regulated by their
surrounding environment.
The Everglades stretch out before us.
in flight
This young alligator
glides through
the water.
I am happy to be on a boat, at
distance, as this alligator
approaches.
We flush smaller birds
out the grass.
This alligator is older,
& bigger.
A Common Gallinule
It isn't concerned about
the alligator swimming
nearby.
We go through an area
with Lily Pads
I didn't get a good shot of
the striped baby alligator.
Alligator eggs and newborns have a very high mortality rate. Eggs can drown. Mom can sit on the eggs and kill them. Snakes, birds and other alligators eat the hatchlings.
The Everglades are in a very delicate state. Human activity has greatly disurbed the area's natural flow of water throughout the region.
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