I saw the thicket down the bank along the marsh start to move then a beak appeared.  I knew they could be here, this is their habitat, but I’d never seen one here.  What’s that down the trail about a half mile away; another hiker coming my way? I hope not, other people screw up what I can see. No, it’s huge. It’s filling the whole dirt road from side to side! Do I want to get closer?  From here it looks as big as a bull that was as big as a volkswagon that I used to see occasionally, back years ago after the park rangers assured me no land in Big Cypress National Preserve (www.nps.gov/bicy/) was leased for cattle grazing any longer. Oh, that bird has a huge wing span and it’s brown; it has to be a bittern. Wow, my walk this morning is showing me so much here at Bear Island.  I can already feel the sun building the warmth of another 80-degree day.  I walk a five-mile stretch of Perocchi Grade Trail that’s about 25 miles deep in the Everglades most mornings when I’m here for the month of February, and my eye caught the movement.  I pause, watch, and after the bill and then a head, it’s a Sora, mostly hidden by the brush.  I move, so I can see the exit end of the thicket, but it seems to have disappeared.  Its tan color blends with underbrush and, of course, it knows I’m watching.  Animals are much more aware of their surroundings than humans. Maybe that is its nest. I go on and move past a large gator hole that has herons, egrets, anhinga and a belted king fisher flies. It’s a great place to get in flight bird photos, but slipping up very unobtrusively is necessary. I didn’t accomplish that!  
    Now, near the end of my walk, I’m sitting near an ancient oak that’s a great backdrop for photos about a mile from my nest (a Capri slide camper on a Ford F-150 4WD pickup), and a flock of ibis takes off from the water behind me. Why, what’s going on that I don’t know about. They were happily searching for breakfast.  There’s marsh on both sides of the trail.  It’s built on fill dirt taken from the edges creating long pools of water interspersed with dry areas, where animals that don’t like to get wet can cross the trail. I get up and walk 50 feet in either direction and survey the marsh. To the north there’s a dry area that adjoins the trail. In this area I saw a bobcat a couple weeks ago and two years ago I saw six panthers one morning. That’s why I sit here for 30 minutes each morning, although I’ve never seen a big cat when I was sitting looking for one. They always catch me by surprise. What made the ibis fly, who knows, but I know wild animals see me much more often than I see them. I finish my coffee and get back to writing act III of what I saw this morning.  As I continued walking past the gator hole, listening to the birds and marveling at the diversity of the sounds, I think, gee, if I could ID them by their sounds!
    Then my eyes jolted me from my revery; there’s a huge beast and it’s coming my way.  I take several photos (I call them safes) in case I don’t get a chance for a good one. It’s time to locate my air horn and pepper spray. I set spray and horn on ready. I’ve never needed either one. My feet are already quickening the pace and taking me towards this animal.  I stay to the side of the road hoping to be out of its sight, having second thoughts about whether I should be getting closer and, I peer out once in a while to see how close I am. I’m still about a quarter mile away. I get a photo. I walk faster, want a better one, and lean out again for a look. It’s crossing the trail. I fire the camera again. This may be as good as it gets. I’m still two hundred yards away, but I can see it’s a 300-400 pound bear. Wow! Maybe I’m close enough. It leaves the trail ... I continue ... it doesn’t come back into my view. Did it see me? If so, it sure didn’t seem to care. I could see it for at least ten minutes. I get to where it was and examine the area. I find fresh panther feces near where it exited.  Was the panther watching me watch the bear? Was it why the bear left? Who’s the king of the American Jungle? Photo-wise, I wish I’d have gotten closer. Safety-wise, maybe it’s just as well.
    Will this be my best sighting of my Adventure 2011?  It sure had my adrenalin pumping, but did it fascinate me as much as the cowry shells I found on the bottom of Florida Bay?  Huuummm!?!?  For more go to my galleries @ http://picasaweb.google.com/o.c.fotoguy2009 (all may be purchased) and if you and yours want to do a family photo on the beach here in OC give me a call (410-289-733), send me an email (ocfotoguy@aol.com) or go to PhotosAsYouWantThem.biz.  EZ2CY photos on the beach are a SHORE THING!