I blame my Aunt Anne for not warning my cousin Sam. She reads this blog and should certainly know what a visit to my place might be like for a 16 year old kid. Soy milk in the fridge, air-conditioner set to 83, heat-saving haircuts for the cats. So when Sam arrived on Saturday night I was worried that he'd be ready to leave by Sunday morning, but he's taken it all in stride and today we embarked on our first Everglades adventure. Danger and all. (CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE)
The huge 12 foot alligators seem to be hiding, but this doe-eyed 4 foot gator was the first to pose for Sam. (Photo by Sam)
Every Monday morning at 6:30 am I drive across the Everglades for work in Fort Lauderdale. After work we headed to Greynolds Park in North Miami to search for American Crocodiles. World-renowned herpetologist Tom Crutchfield suggested this was the place to search for the endangered (and native) crocs. There are only 2000 or so in Florida and he's seen them here before, but he warned the heat keeps them off the banks and in the water. But we might see a few non-native Iguanas. (Photo by Sam)
A smaller 3 foot Green Tree Iguana (Photo by Sam)
I went out on a limb (mangrove) to get this shot. If they felt threatened - they would plummet up to 20 feet into the water to escape. It's fun harassing Iguanas! (NOTE - As far as I know, only the people of Boca Grande encourage harassing the destructive, non-native iguanas. We weren't harassing these. By our standards)
A young Green Tree Iguana (Photo by Sam)
I need to find out what this non-native lizard is (Photo by Sam)
Annoyed, this Cuban Anole flashed his red dewlap to show who was boss.
Escape from the land of the creepy dudes. We apparently strolled down the wrong trail. Not sure why that 300 lb guy with a Fu Manchu was wearing nothing but Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots way back here in the woods. Bridge looks unsafe? No problem. We are out of here.
Everglades raccoons abound here! Feeding on the delicious McDonald's leftovers. We watched 4 of them wrestle over a BBQ dipping sauce. They're lovin' it.
(Photo by Sam)
"Hey - where did the bald guy go?" (Photo by Sam)
"There he is - can't I eat my McDonald's in peace?" (Photo by Sam)
"sniff sniff - I smell Honey Mustard" (Photo by Sam)
White-lipped Tree Frogs
The trail led us along the edges of a brackish mangrove forest where the errant step led us face to face with female Orb Weavers and their diminutive male counterparts.
A nice muddy trip down the roads along the canals in the Everglades and my truck is looking good. Go ahead and poop on it bird! It can't get dirtier.
The huge 12 foot alligators seem to be hiding, but this doe-eyed 4 foot gator was the first to pose for Sam. (Photo by Sam)Every Monday morning at 6:30 am I drive across the Everglades for work in Fort Lauderdale. After work we headed to Greynolds Park in North Miami to search for American Crocodiles. World-renowned herpetologist Tom Crutchfield suggested this was the place to search for the endangered (and native) crocs. There are only 2000 or so in Florida and he's seen them here before, but he warned the heat keeps them off the banks and in the water. But we might see a few non-native Iguanas. (Photo by Sam)A smaller 3 foot Green Tree Iguana (Photo by Sam)I went out on a limb (mangrove) to get this shot. If they felt threatened - they would plummet up to 20 feet into the water to escape. It's fun harassing Iguanas! (NOTE - As far as I know, only the people of Boca Grande encourage harassing the destructive, non-native iguanas. We weren't harassing these. By our standards)A young Green Tree Iguana (Photo by Sam)I need to find out what this non-native lizard is (Photo by Sam)Annoyed, this Cuban Anole flashed his red dewlap to show who was boss.Escape from the land of the creepy dudes. We apparently strolled down the wrong trail. Not sure why that 300 lb guy with a Fu Manchu was wearing nothing but Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots way back here in the woods. Bridge looks unsafe? No problem. We are out of here.Everglades raccoons abound here! Feeding on the delicious McDonald's leftovers. We watched 4 of them wrestle over a BBQ dipping sauce. They're lovin' it.
(Photo by Sam)"Hey - where did the bald guy go?" (Photo by Sam)"There he is - can't I eat my McDonald's in peace?" (Photo by Sam)"sniff sniff - I smell Honey Mustard" (Photo by Sam) White-lipped Tree Frogs
The trail led us along the edges of a brackish mangrove forest where the errant step led us face to face with female Orb Weavers and their diminutive male counterparts.A nice muddy trip down the roads along the canals in the Everglades and my truck is looking good. Go ahead and poop on it bird! It can't get dirtier.
A nice parting shot.
Really COOL pictures!!!
ReplyDeletemarianne
Awesome pictures! love the hide and seek photos with the racoons.
ReplyDeleteCongrats by the way on saving the eagles, bears and wolves, I heard they were also taken off the endangered list!
Wolves was someone else. Bears and Eagles was all me.
ReplyDelete