Everglades National Park is a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve on the southern tip of the U.S. state of Florida. Often compared to a grassy, slow-moving river, the Everglades is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine flat-woods that are home to hundreds of animal species. Among the Everglades' abundant wildlife are the endangered leatherback turtle, Florida panther and West Indian manatee.
The ecosystem of the Everglades presently, is not found anywhere else on earth. Its ecosystem begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state.
The Everglades experience a wide range of weather patterns, from frequent flooding in the wet season to drought in the dry season. Sadly, throughout the 20th century, the Everglades suffered significant loss of habitat and environmental degradation.
Anhingas & Double-crested Cormorants
Anhingas - sometimes called snakebirds, darters, American darters, or water turkeys, are a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird".
Drying its Wings
Anhinga Chicks
Mangrove Tree
Double-crested Cormorants - are a member of the cormorant family of water birds. Its habitat is near rivers and lakes as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico.
White Ibis & Roseate (Pink) Spoonbills
White Ibis - are wading birds and always have been the most abundant wading bird in the Everglades.
Everglades Cattails (invasive species)
Roseate Spoonbills - have signature pink feathers that are diet-derived from the high levels of carotene found in crustaceans—their main food source. The roseate spoonbill is the only species of spoonbill with pink plumage and the only species found in the Americas.
Alligators and West Indian Manatees
American Alligators - sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States.
Everglades Water Lilly
West Indian Manatees - are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows.
Herons
Herons - are mostly wetlands birds, made for foraging in the shallows with their long leg legs and extended necks. Herons and egrets all belong to the same family (Ardiedae), which has 64 members worldwide.
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Green Heron
Little Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron
Tri-color Heron
Tri-color Heron
Egrets
Egrets - are herons that have white or buff plumage, develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons and have the same build.
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
Cyprus Trees
Great Egret
Great Egret
Wood Storks, Ospreys and Others
Wood Storks - are hefty wading birds with football-shaped bodies perched atop long legs. They have a long neck and a long, thick bill that is curved at the tip. They fly with their neck and legs outstretched but tend to perch with the neck drawn in, giving them a humpbacked appearance.
Sawgrass Marsh
Ospreys - are a large raptor, reaching as much as 2 feet in length with a 6-foot wingspan. Raptors hunt for food primarily on the wing by using their keen senses, especially vision, and kill prey with their talons. Sometimes called fish hawks thanks to their feeding habits.
Everglades National Park - has more than 360 different species of birds. They tend to be characterized as land birds, wading birds, and birds of prey.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Purple Gallinule
Everglades National Park is a true jewel of the American National Park System and is another example of the diversity of parks we have in the United States. This is a park worth visiting.
L. Carl Volpe - carl.volpe@gmail.com
More images from the Everglades and my other trips may be found at the links below.