Everglades National Park

Same gator, different photo angle. They look slow and lazy, but they can move like lightning over short distances. Many a bird has discovered that the hard way! At one point on our hike we heard a bird meet the bitter end just a few feet away from us, but out of sight in the dense swamp. There was a big splash and a loud squawk, followed by a rapidly fading series of squawks as the bird succumbed to the gator.