Critters in the glades

There are many kinds of birds in the Everglades, and in many spots they're abundant. Imagine how the glades must have looked years ago...last Thursday I took a boat tour and the skipper said that there are only 7 birds now for every 100 that were there in 1960. Many of the birds here can also be found in California wetlands such as the Elkhorn Slough near Monterey and in the delta. There is a pic of a great egret here, a large, graceful bird. In the late 19th century, they were nearly exterminated because their feathers became fashionable for ladies' hats. Fortunately now, everyone worldwide simply wears a baseball cap, and the egret has made a recovery.