After breakfast, we drove back to the southern Everglades to continue walking the trails. Our first stop was Mrazek Pond. There were lots of egrets nesting in a tree near the shore, but of course when we pulled up in the pull-through, they all flew away! I did manage to catch one across the way. We did see brown and white pelicans and lots of wood storks both in the trees and feeding in the water. It was not until I looked at the pictures on my laptop that I noticed a roseate spoonbill in the background - our first spotting this trip! What a nice surprise! We then stopped at West Lake - another pull off with a lovely little .4 mile walk on a boardwalk. There we spotted a black vulture sitting in a dead tree. We then moved on to Paurotis Pond - a beauiful view, but no birds. Note the very healthy stand of cattails on the far shore. We drove up to Mahogany Hammock with another .4 mile boardwalk. This is where I took a picture of periphyton. This is a soft spongy mat of algae that blankets the the water of the Everglades. In the rainy season it floats on the surface and is eaten by small fish and tadpoles. In the dry season snails, crayfish, and insect larvae burrow into the moist interior to survive. On our way to our next stop, I took a picture of the high point of the park (note sign). Our last stop of the was Pa-hay-okee Overlook with a .2 boardwalk trail. When we arrived to the parking lot, there was a turkey vulture sitting on the ground with his wings outspread soaking up the sun. I just took a few pictures here: Queen Anne's lace, a dragonfly perched at the end of a piece of grass, and pickerelweed (the purple flower). We stopped at Publix on our way back to the hotel to replenish our lunch items. We will have leftovers tonight.
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