We headed out in the tram. I got the last row to myself, so I could slide from side to side. We saw a perfect alligator hole, one of the key features of the terrain. Alligators clear out the vegetation and muck from holes in the limestone and keep the hole free of vegetation. When it's dry, these holes are an oasis for fish, turtles, and snails.
Survivors repopulate the area when the rains come again.
Birds and mammals are attracted to the abundant life in the holes, and sometimes become food for the alligators. In wetter areas, waders congregate. Here a wood stork and a great blue heron pass each other nonchalantly. Wood storks were having a good year, because water levels were being controlled for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow. They need water at reasonably stable low levels, because they build their nests low above water, and they're flooded if water rises too high.