I posted on Friday about being out in a small boat with my nephew Geoff.  Today, thanks to Martin Lunther King, it's a public holiday in the USA.  Geoff and I had a 7 o'clock start and travelled out deep in to the true Everglades, Geoff was fishing for Largemouth Bass but I just went along, perched precariously on the back of the boat.  We travelled slowly down a water course, dark and mysterious, bordered on each side sparsly with a few shrubs and the odd tree. The wildlife was incredible, prolific and interesting. 6 species of Heron, and White Ibis to name just a few.  Right at the slipway I had my first exciting species of the day a Black Crowned Night Heron -  Nycticorax  Nycticorax.  Surprisingly this is the second most widespread heron the USA but although I see tham on every trip here, they are not as common s the Yellow Crowned Night Heron or indeed, the other more obvious heron species.

 After the Night Heron a Purple Galinule showed it's self and also an Eastern Pheobe.

Further down the canal system the wildlife came thick and fast.  A pair of Red Shouldered Hawk were nesting in a lone pine 30 yards from the water.  I really adore this species, beautiful as well as deadly.

 Green Herons were everywhere along with Tri-coloured Heron and Little Blue including this great little juvenile, they don't aquire their adult blue/purple colour until the second year.

 Alligators were the highlight though.  At first a smallish one around 5 feet just laying log-like down streaam from us, then others were seen sunning on the banks.

 One particular big specimen was oblivious to us, or though it seemed.  I put that down to the coolish temperatures because on the return an hour later, when he had warmed himself out of his lethargy,  he scurried back in to the water when we approached.   The trip finished with a close encounter with a  Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Florida's only kingfisher species.  They are twice the size of Europe's Common Kingfisher (Alcedo athis) and frankly nowhere near as attractive but their habits are pretty similar. This was the closest that I have ever been to a Belted Kingfisher but it was unfortunate that we approaced it in to the sun and therefore it was almost impossible to photograph, however minutes later the bird was senn again in a more advantageous position and I managed to get at least some kind of shot.