Christmas Eve was a beautiful day at Shark Valley.
There were so many different kinds of birds all over.
And, as always, lots of lazy alligators just lying around.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
This is a great blue heron fishing
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuuGzJYk0nbfEEL43Qs4BEXzjDIQUMrOyRdOO9s68e9Q8vquMI5moyB70ur_YTb118Dv_EIl0gBQfVRaDms34sSNwPuu0bQ_9xLI5dl0kG_IOSh2QQqaQE96zSn8I3S5ge6TW5IoQGA/s200/1.JPG)
He grabbed himself up a nice fish
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EUjbc64-IXdQU6TFT9NLnhfUN1VYdtho2IWJwrT7iDHNgKEU9wpBX8ixInpfuXJ8Mp9ULykBn6voZ5feLts2PHxIcm6YkbFhFZbqz2Y_T3Uq1dBMnl7xcyDsqIFC1QXACSRSu-s4Fg/s200/2.JPG)
It didn't take him long to chomp it down
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDftr_RJk4mRNwGTuqd5Taj8Mtpo52qZ6PAxviTl0hqGm9xAd9SV8meMUbqd81G4XddzW3sgDBfZ04ov00LJZqRD9SU3pspziQzVg1MdbK-aLwRLTx_rUXzlZ75JRT7hkQg-sZxj6HYQ/s200/4.JPG)
After his great meal, he did a happy dance
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeXjO00cauM-oVsLoTwy2VXWkiuk3d7mdZvKY3vg8E4JmqA0dbO24ogoaJODoqgLEqqrinaRrQWnGvQVCPcZJ8uY6p30MkLyyhv_0KB3lLP6CMk8t24Ngz_Rd1azVdaZ_HcX3X2AvPw/s200/6.JPG)
And then flew away
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdwb2Ye69ksxwMAnAXrZmTpSPW-fvdC56kld8qEogNYrXi3doYTjqP7w3MT_4xS4kRGL_4-vCRMX7v6EdZkMxxlMRZUAEXqKuYBR7kLbnLXA-iJEI4w4QjWa6YYA6enyeFxumUU2Kwg/s200/5.JPG)
An anhinga drying out his wings
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJdL6TytXETeda5XBdjm4cGA7RGmI87Wo9rsAZAnzpiVT2s6hx7WzVLLcgq4f7s41ML6ipmHsmrMQuiFBNnTDvEx3v_Dp6N_ggJhXJfzK1knB7O6sybJ9NZyyGHBNellYt66xOSfA_g/s200/Shark+Valley+667.JPG)
Another great blue heron
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMyPFuhuG-yK7BkgWe9ch7hqyBniEr6YsQ1CZaYS_Zk7yWtnYXZviRTqqFwTOkgcSOMbgppRZqIRv2CJlYmvHC90A-X3jXPpMCHZDp9Eor1XZXd_x3eIloO7PDHEtWBIFpFU5cBzoAQ/s200/Shark+Valley+661.JPG)
A little blue heron
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgfJtlbNEvx8zGHXq000hKdWNbAkGNuxcDFJ6cygEfjuqKIyIar2KSwDwSki2MaRtNNgAfB4a9GEtk5iyogSaPxpBYJ7UpG-4_9t4YAWB8UW7UQLzjYEX-NvedOoJITM8gEd6AkIifg/s200/Shark+Valley+595.JPG)
This one flew right in front of me
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9zzqlPJs1s-_ulyAYQ1JXIOyWSOGUsR0I6CT2cQ8bGHFYZ37N5eEjwIA6SjUCXeIjRtZAIscmN6YORmuARzZ_x1eZC8MaEN0MH881FzOvqVvBf9jail2ahvCxfShdpwI8Npwoy8nRg/s200/Shark+Valley+506.JPG)
An anhinga in a tree
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMstxnEghMq3nHobPjQ2taom-gLapcTjA1qE77XeXgJTJn-L2pXoDWhUA5mI5I3L-RoXDWSSGhpCZ1WF2wXmrIqvRVsspEG6JLpMMaohXopuTr5OidlrHYLH8ohHanl8iQEj3hSB-CYg/s200/Shark+Valley+449.JPG)
Not sure what this is!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXsozpAsxWEajze5e0GC2mlnZqtkQfTC1GCGGEp7b18uqynoVazYvun4OQPFsB_zlor_GTGbwp2UqA9yUucfULl9KneH27gCpcmrEGje5F0N6GXMaDntsqlI1vnPJC_FfS8WBltG-_A/s200/Shark+Valley+369.JPG)
A great egrit
A little white heron
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOUcTvNMaPYs1pAe1Re0dWdUZvJ-CH3srlQvukC-k6d0l40b-v2sp7drBHoBFlNHoWbQMc8IigDocGObeDWUUSaQVJQYovVkXLqPUPxmOZU74wg5CV2XLttfjrzmmTQ60rdQzRmcZ6A/s200/Shark+Valley+081.JPG)
An anhinga with a great egrit
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73gz6aXzmhzdbW9uP_EWMyh764SpmTyBUnL-duzfdEKqTXdZ3EfCKYtudiPjbDqa_I3LvZDHQ14uLC0u-eI61eSEYvz7-E9vWIIlkWCI3HL1EPTW4xIXsDkO6mMDXwzE1tJfaXtAqqw/s200/Shark+Valley+074.JPG)
This was an anhinga who caught a catfish
bigger than he could eat
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9v1Hbk4jqrtASWyCPjaO7jF03Iyu06NxDEztCYbzNc7FofcVX9cNjdXrl3uvAuG-BrQaHjz6JG2hRHiP5imYi-tZM0j9CFrVzeb00_lpxQFJpocs5ckHBsJytyDM-emqvKPzEWLCESQ/s200/1.JPG)
He dragged it out of the water, then
didn't know what to do with it
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZUivRyMB0lOn3VCewGjLZ1hiGXTJafXdSAEzQE1FktbNc2vwQgik6KYna2T10xqJAdwvOvaYNlCYdZR5teoyWjFXe_3svvAg5vHnDPzRk_54U2hfWFB-Fy-YE9QMgfdy-AvllshRtw/s200/2.JPG)
He finally took it over to the pathway and tried
body-slamming it to kill it
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd7aO9VBvx1ZXttEeN8mqOB9jJbcAfQH0ihR_DZG4b3AoMrV3eZCMGS3pL5mmdJNLnI7OiO3v_xoofCaXn3aWIawp1JV-NL4AV_4ywhEaEgBbKDukwZeWzcEIckUQDyOnnd5r0zJXrQ/s200/3.JPG)
The poor little fish; I was tempted to try and
save it, but there was a gator lurking in the
background!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyElXM27CCM1oDb0ZDlGcKTY9oqHpDIAL3f5WeN85f3kwXS-cBgNo9pE-79l-iR1rDzLY5HhGW_az9cDqEJuyyXw1niyn4ueDS5xeaM0DCy63tu5L3mKxZ1fA1QN3Kwp1Qm2CZrISfQ/s200/4.JPG)
At one point, he just dropped it and stared at it!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKpD3KUAhNeeqEDieOA5FT39GsJbPpR0_YqCQ3PUHlvsicBuA0TyBCW_rwzW80OO6-Lz2Xb3It6aJRZJXVhoVHsM2CyMT8Imhv9R1QSBolsQraz3lFTKyD2q1DFeLxyMl_XcAXX-e9A/s200/5.JPG)
Then he took it back near the water
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJW_RF-314h5tCWpkj67ra_OVulkWd2WQwe13ApgGJo2LY4kDmtwW1sPBQSkYpqCKNI9hv9nsfgiXTlzsaa8HvUbgh7PO0Q40OxjDc5KrcALHQJsy5uTy2Ql3SbP73nrNGfJcio0fiw/s200/8.JPG)
An alligator and a egrit were waiting
to share his meal with him!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJR8_Z5x_p8g8FfwM2iN0oBGRpP3HazpmgMzubvPXgqP0Pv4qPOwRRW242Nhe6UmU64RUwTxjoF2h9qe3TOFYMkzSZ2WdYf6CxzUveZEyZ3hMYEvj9rEuEDA9oR0NHBsQRAauqfESXA/s200/9.JPG)
Alligators are just big, lazy varmints who
lie around all day. Sometimes you have to
step over them to get by!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3DCTocFrTMbTfPz_27iv9FMfYWQKwNalFcjqudHRDKIpXjox_F_S172ZbxWAkBb1C2gpgX35DzQfxMHlPSWcDdtg15vBOr-yb2d6hVLyEgXzj8g0mpnLuFAYyt8iAvue7IVVag0ahg/s200/Shark+Valley+645.JPG)
The feet are a little creepy!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCQb7zPaBXapgQeGskxz06_uY7Qdo4VSBZpHXog9yBZY7LVnA67gv5nH7_SiIi7UzoMwPmR5ZEy93leuLU47L2uZNuGydq18_RS3jvlb8O9xS_qabio_fSNFbCQPpLNw8RlfUikVg9Q/s200/Shark+Valley+642.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebMv_3zy_7I4coEA73ORr45CdxPrQzQ4-CcU_S6fnl8PAsorghHqvnCxq9TD96MHeNt57A7MqAYgVNKSqBIH0WWDl1_CAqUIKzeSCbMX2v0k3lKJMqLbJyy_0P9BDz1SdUqT1bqRo7A/s200/Shark+Valley+623.JPG)
There was a little group of babies.
The were less than a foot long.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeuOHQs9E4_p1hyfN1LxE2cCM5J9RY2LLVKeXayUuAAYk13SXeha-pgku_BcLV7YFvD0elAlZVIKVU5OdNwQl_MuTbjefvvkY4uf39Lnm9NrDvHj8vPXspk3C6ojUJSPhnHu_Y2HNZw/s200/Shark+Valley+426.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4XLbRI1a0I4yGFgzyYVHD-D3q-_Ml4MdExqmFupGxpWgy_wEGKLsF4pSZAHQ5cVzfEyW7qVwdSQHsYisntJg6lu2ykIWyQlO8FGGU9QRK8bajZ_sdwYqV-1IPTZ4A5fFIAc_XtqeYg/s200/Shark+Valley+107.JPG)
On May 11, 1996, ValuJet Flight 592 crashed into
the Florida Everglades shortly after take-off. There
were no survivors. This is a memorial to those crash victims.
It is located on US 41 about 6 miles from
the crash site in the Everglades.