Mary said she thought I was levitating along the side of the Tamiami Trail where we stopped...

...but I was just standing on a border to try to get a better look at Snail Kites--or to get better phone reception.

Snail Kite along the Tamiami Trail--the highway that cuts E-W across the Everglades

Adult female Snail Kites have white on their faces.

Snail Kite

Pale south Floriday version of a Red-shouldered Hawk

Snail Kite perched an willow along side the Tamiami Trail--this bird has a band on each leg.

Banded Snail Kite

Halloween Pennant dragonfly, family Libellulidae

We walked the tram trail at the Shark Valley Visitor Center and this Limpkin was one of the first birds we saw.

Limpkin at Shark Valley Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, FL

Male American Redstart

Male American Redstart

Male American Redstart

Male American Redstart

The Limpkin found a snail; unlike the Snail Kite, with its sharp, curved bill; the Limpkin, with its blunt-tipped bill, must smash the shell to get to the snail.

Park of our group on the Shark Valley trail: Mary, Jan, Hannah, Wes, Jane (in back), Dave and Phoenix

On the boardwalk at Shark Valley: Phoenix, Mary, Jane, Hannah, Dave, Jan and Wes

Another pose: Phoenix, Mary, Jane, Hannah, Dave, Jan, Wes

And one with Steve including himself

Trees of the Everglades

A white flower

Sedge

The white flower with another camera

Yellow wildflowers

Pink hibiscus-type flower

A blue-black berry

Great Blue Heron

White wildflower

Adult female Anhinga with wings spread to dry

Two Snowy Egrets flying over

Mary doesn't have a note about it and I don't have it in my eBird list, but this looks like a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher to me.

Lizard on the boardwalk

Wildflower

Dragonfly

Southwestern Fine Line Skink

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

At the end of the trail, we found a bunch of baby alligators about 12-14" long clambering over each other.

Baby alligators

Baby alligator

Baby alligators

Baby alligator getting into the water

They're so cute at that age...

...but nearby mama suggested we not touch.

We drove farther west and left the highway for the Big Cypress National Preserve Loop Road. We passed Lucky Cole's and came to an area known as Sweetwater Slough.

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve

One of several alligators lounging at Sweetwater Slough.

Epiphytes

Epiphytes

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Green Heron

We heard this Red-shouldered Hawk calling before someone spotted it sitting over the slough.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron and juvenile Little Blue Heron

Closer look at the juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron

At the edge of Big Cypress National Preserve, Wes took us to Joanie's Blue Crab Cafe for lunch. They had Key lime pie that was even better than what we'd had earlier.

Mary's was enamored by a grasshopper on the porch of the cafe.

Florida grasshopper

After lunch, we stopped at the smallest post office in the country, Ochopee, FL.

Mary happened to have a letter she'd been intending to mail and took advantage of the opportunity.

Mary and the Ochopee postman

US Post Office, Ochopee, FL 34141

Ochopee Post Office marker

From the post office, we started back east and stopped at the Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve. There was a short boardwalk and this Double-crested Cormorant was perched along it.

Double-crested Cormorant at Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve

These crows were playing tug-of-war with a twig under a park bench and one of them was rolling around on the ground.

American Crows

American Crows

This burrowing wasp was going into, then covering up, a hole in the sand.

The burrowing wasp had probably left an egg on its paralyzed prey before covering the hole with sand.

Burrowing wasp kicking sand over its burrow.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker seemed interested in the seed heads on this lantana-like plant.

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker at Oasis Visitor Center, Big Cypress National Preserve, FL

Boat-tailed Grackle

After we left Oasis Visitor Center, we stopped for a few minutes at the photographic art studio of Everglades artist Clyde Butcher; this road sign was in the yard.

From the art studio, we drove to Black Point Marina in search of the Mangrove Cuckoo. While we were there, it started to sprinkle and Dave improvised a rain hat from a plastic bag to protect his new hearing aids.

Mary and Dave and their choices for shelter from the rain

The rain quickly moved through and Phoenix, Jan, Wes and Hannah started looking for birds.

Suddenly a double rainbow appeared with one end coming out of Mary's head.

Hannah watched and listened while Phoenix played the Mangrove Cuckoo call.

Most of our group at Black Point Marina: Phoenix, Hannah, Wes, Jane, Mary and Jan

We didn't find the cuckoo, but we did find this immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

And this Mourning Dove puffed up against the cool and rain.

Heading back to Florida City, we stopped along the road to view Common Nighthawks flying overhead.

We stopped on our way to the Royal Palm Visitor Center--somewhere near abandoned missile silos--to see an Eastern Meadowlark, a bird Hannah didn't see in Pennsylvania.

The new moon did not provide us much illumination.

We also found this curious Barred Owl that came to check us out.

Barred Owl near Royal Palm Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, FL

Last look at the Barred Owl