Wind Against Current

By Vladimir Brezina

Mischievous? Thieving is more like it.

Everywhere in our travels through the Florida Everglades, we encountered creatures that wanted something from us.

There were the mosquitoes, of course. But there were larger creatures too. The campsite in Fort De Soto Park, at the start of the Everglades Challenge, was infested with raccoons that, as soon as the sun went down, prowled through the camp without fear in search of food.

But the worst were the crows, those famously mischievous birds. Almost everywhere, as soon as our back was turned, there was a crow trying to fly off—sometimes successfully—with that apple or bag of cookies.

Here are some of the crows that laid siege to us as we were repacking our boats in Flamingo—

And then there are the black vultures of Flamingo,  which—as signs in the parking lot warn—have acquired a distinct taste for the rubber lining around car windows…

A contribution to Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge, Mischievous.