For Byron's birthday we went camping at Flamingo in the Everglades
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For Byron's birthday we went camping at Flamingo in the Everglades I woke up Saturday morning to see this Black Vulture 5 feet from my tent It was a beautiful but chilly (50 degrees) day and despite the cold, we all got sunburned We attended a ranger-led walk around Eco Pond and identified about 25 bird species including black-crowned night herons, yellow-rumped warblers, black-necked stilt, and killdeer The storm surge from hurricane <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Wilma">Wilma</a> turned Eco Pond from a fresh water pond to a salt water pond. Alligators and soft-shelled turtles that used to reside here are nowhere to be found Shea bought Byron the camping tent and sleeping bags for his birthday We made egg, sausage, and bacon bagels for brunch Osprey nest near the Flamingo marina I always wanted to see one of these threatened <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Crocodile">American Crocodiles</a> in the wild - we saw four of them! Only about 1000 crocodiles remain in the US, all in south Florida While waiting to go on a ranger-led hike on Rowdy Bend Trail, we spotted another croc swimming in the canal Along the Rowdy Bend Trail, we learned about the effect hurricanes have on the Everglades. Pioneer plants, such as these moon vines, quickly take over disturbed areas The moon flower strangely was open and blooming on this bright sunny day Glasswort has dominated the non-shaded areas ever since hurricane Donna in 1960 Butterfly orchids on the underside of this Buttonwood tree Mike and Meredith came Saturday evening with some chicken for dinner Shea and Meredith We packed up the next morning and enjoyed a Mexican breakfast in Florida City