Tag: Adventure

Babcock Ranch Eco Tours

Landscape, Nature, Photography Meanderings, Wildlife

I belong to a Meetup.com group for photographers call the SWFL Shutterbugs. I have been a member of this group for quite a number of years and have made some wonderful friends. This past weekend 26 of us gathered and went on an eco tour of Babcock Ranch. It’s not just a historic part of Florida’s history, but it’s still a working ranch with the descendants of the original Spanish Cattle and real working cracker cowboys.

The best thing is the wildlife we saw. Lots of wild hogs and baby pigs (bacon bits!), Wild turkey, Sandhill Cranes and lots of Alligators; lots to photograph!

We were fortunate enough to have our own private tour with a wonderful tour guide. The tour uses old school busses as their swamp buggies. It’s open, and bumpy and just a lot of fun; we filled the bus with our group. I love the wildlife, but my heart danced with joy when the cowboy’s horses came over and graced us with their presence. Our tour was over 90 minutes and was simply wonderful.

After the tour we all had lunch together catered by the ranch. As much as our group loves to take pictures, we love to gather together fellowship with each other and eat just as much.

If you ever make it to South West Florida please visit the Babcock Ranch Eco Tour, it’s worth every penny. Please enjoy the photos and feel free to leave me your thoughts.

  • Quarter Horse
  • Baby Gators
  • Gator eating a fish
  • Our wonderful tour guide
  • Black Crowned Night Heron
  • Big Boy
  • Bacon & Bacon Bit!
  • Descendant of the Spanish Cow

A New Adenture

Nature, Photography Meanderings, Wildlife

I’ve taken the next couple of days off to expand my Memorial Day weekend and to give myself some much needed mental health time, and decided this morning I would try a new place I read about.  I got in my car and headed to Bird Rookery Swamp.  Anyone who knows me, knows I enjoy adventures and I really enjoy finding new places to photograph.  I’ve been so busy I’ve not had time recently to get out and photograph the natural world.

Entering a new place for the first time, I’m always amazed at what I may see and I was thrilled to be the only person on the path.   I thoroughly enjoyed the coolness of the trees and the wonderful breeze on this hot, almost summer day.  The first thing I came upon is a Red Shouldered Hawk, he’s watching me almost as intently as I am watching him.

Bird Rookery - CREW-19 (Large)

 

The next unusual thing I came across is a Shelf Fungus on the top of railing on the boardwalk. It was quite beautiful and delicate looking.

Bird Rookery - CREW-3 (Large)

Walking further on the path, I came upon something called a Witch’s Broom, it’s about halfway up a Cypress Tree, and is an odd growth of parasites and insects which cause damage on the tree and causes the tree to have a strange growth and it looks like a large nest.

Bird Rookery - CREW-9 (Large)

The sounds were incredible, a Piliated Woodpecker pounding on a tree which echoed throughout the swamp.  Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawks were a constant source of sound along with various other songbirds.

As I continued to walk I watched a White-Tailed Deer run across the path in front of me and I went searching to see where it had gone, turns out it was a gorgeous six-point buck with a full rack of undisturbed velvet still in place.  He too looked right at me.

Bird Rookery - CREW-14 (Large)

A couple of young raccoons were looking for their morning breakfast and feasted upon numerous lizards they were chasing, sometimes up into the trees.  They were curious of me, but we gave each other a respectful distance.

Bird Rookery - CREW-11 (Large)

This place was truly amazing and I will be going back again soon.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.