Birds at the Alligator Farm

We went through all the alligator exhibits and there were still other things left to see. So, we settled on the alligator swamp nature trail and native bird rookery. As always click on each photo for a better view.

It seemed a perfect choice because about twenty native birds were nesting there, protected by of all things... alligators.

I particularly liked the Egrets
and was able to locate several
waiting for their eggs to hatch











This guy is just putting together his condo to try and attract a female.

These chicks probably had not been hatched for very long and appear to be learning the ropes of sunning yourself.

On the other hand these guys have gotten the sunning part down but still have not figured out it is time to leave the overcrowded nest. The noise was unbelievable as all kinds of chicks were screaming to be fed.

We found out the birds like to nest in the alligator swamp because the alligators keep away small predators like possums and raccoons that do not stop until they have eaten every egg in sight.














If you don't have a nest yet, it is still OK to just be beautiful and we had more than enough shots similar to this one. Alex and I agreed this was one of the best adventures yet.


And...








We still had time to head for the beach and set up our little beach table for a late lunch.

JLBO... Meet Al E. Gator

Some friends told us about the alligator farm in St. Augustine. They said it was fun and we never need an excuse to visit St. Augustine, so we packed our cameras and off we went. On the drive down my thoughts kept going back to JLBO and a comment he made on an earlier post. He seemed fascinated by them so I knew he would enjoy getting a visual run down on alligators. That said, Alex came up with the title and JLBO this post is dedicated to you. As always click on each photo to get a better view.

We arrived at the site and my first thought was that it seemed small and probably only had a few alligators.

But once inside you realize the place is huge, and seems like you have actually entered the tropics or at the very least, a Florida swamp.

Huge does not come close to describing this guy. He must have weighed a ton and was just lying there sunning himself and waiting for his next meal.

They have a creek that runs under a bridge to separate the various sections. On one side were the big guys like the one above.

We watched them swim around and were just amazed at the size of these guys. Once you saw one you thought was big, another that was even bigger would swim up

To prevent the big guys using the smaller ones as food, the smaller gators have their own little beach.
















There is every specie you could imagine















And even an under water observation tank where you can watch these big boys hold their breath for a lot longer than you could imagine possible.

And then came the ranger as she was getting ready to do the next show.

I realized there was a lot more to see other than alligators but we will save that for the next post. For now, lets just enjoy a bit of the show

A Visit to Old Florida

Awhile back we returned to Gainesville which before we met was Alex’s point of entry into Florida. Once we began to date, every other weekend involved a drive to the little town he lived in just outside of Gainesville. Since then I have always had a soft spot for the area and a park in Worthington Springs because it gave a glimpse of old Florida and the rural way of life.

As always, feel free to click the photos for a larger view.

It is near the section of the State featured by Marjorie Rawlings in her novels "The Yearling", and "Cross Creek". To go there is like stepping back in time and pictures like the one below make you almost expect to see Rawlings step out of the mist.

This one too brings up images of warm Summer days and laughter around the swimming hole that is the creek that runs through the area.

I became a little fixated on this bridge that was designed to allow you to walk through the swamp. It had become warped by rain and weather.

To get this shot I laid down on the bridge to get a view no more than a foot above the boards on the bridge. It gives the feeling of literally going down into the swamp and in my mind back to the time of Rawlings.

Back in time to a sense of simple beauty when life too was a lot more simple...

Adventures in The Okefenokee Swamp

Awhile back we decided to strike out close to home and visit Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. It is just enough across the Florida border to give you the impression of taking a long trip but is just down the road.

Just before we entered Georgia we stopped at one of the inspection stations and talked briefly with the wonderful officer Penny. He is the first line of defense against illegal fruit and other contraband being brought into the state of Florida. He was a wealth of knowledge in addition to being entertaining.





And there on the horizon... Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. You can't miss it as you are truly in the country and it is the biggest draw around.





The Eastern part of the Park offers a re-creation of a early swamp farm. It is characteristic of what is called "cracker" houses with high tin roofs and a long front porch.





The home kitchen is large and open. Notice the huge iron cooking stove. I'm sure many a meal was cooked in just this manner.




We decided to take the hiking trail off into the swamp. The sign pointing to the trail did not tell us what to expect but we were feeling adventurous.

Our reward was this tower, two miles into the depth of the swamp which would allow us to take a bird's eye view of the entire area.

The view from the top begins to give you an idea of just how large the area is.

The next day we ventured off into the western section of the park (The park is so large there is an Eastern and Western gate entrance). It is both wild and beautiful.

Wild, with tons of Al E. Gators (Alex' joke) everywhere you looked. We took a boat out to get this shot. I kept telling Alex to move the boat closer and he kept reminding me that the ranger said they can jump!

The road back home after an hour in a small boat alone. It was fun but we also were glad to see the dock because we had truly ventured into the wild.