APR142009

APR142009, originally uploaded by colemama.

This was my reward for stopping on Alligator Alley in the Everglades - a great blue heron! We spooked each other and I was lucky to get this shot and the one in flight - a real test of my luck indeed!

The unusual and expansive vistas of this ecosystem go on for infinity it seems (see more in the Everglades set). It is rather desolate as the sawgrass is quite dense and only inhabited by alligators and birds. There are two Indian tribes that maintain reservations in the Everglades, but their means of survival has definitely moved more commercial (gambling/gaming, ecotourism, and resort industry). I enjoy the drive though as it is a time for drinking in the wide open space and reflecting about most anything - and occasionally seeing the alligators (not this trip though!). Alligator Alley, Everglades, FL