Swamps of the South
And by “the South” I mean Georgia and Florida. We’re in Texas as I write this, and we just blasted through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in a few days. I’m sure there’s a bunch of great stuff to see there, but after 3 weeks in Florida we’re over it and want to get back to the Southwest (after birding down the Texas coast, of course).
The big draw for me in Florida was wintering birds, and folks, the Sunshine State delivered. That’s going to be a whole other giant blog post, I have an overwhelming amount of bird photos. Landscape photography didn’t just take a backseat, it was in a whole other car. But, I did manage to get a number of landscapes that I really like, as well as some non-bird wildlife.
Trees
The big landscape draw (for me at least) was the crazy twisty trees all around Florida. I should probably go back some day and give them the focus and consideration they deserve. Maybe put my telephoto lens in a time-release lockbox.
Fun fact: Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor moss.
Gators
I’ve seen alligators in zoos many times, but seeing one in the wild is a different experience. The first one we saw, in a wildlife refuge in Georgia, unlocked a primal fear that I’m not sure I’ve felt before. You don’t generally encounter an apex predator just hanging out by the road! Or, I guess if you’re from Florida, you do.
Cypress and Mangrove and Palmetto
Crocs
We only saw a few crocodiles, down in the Everglades where they can be in saltwater. I don’t think the American ones get as big as the African crocs, but this first one was pretty darn big.
Other Critters
We saw manatees in a few places, but they tend to stay underwater and don’t photograph well.
Some Lizards I Saw
Cows!
Cows.
Snake Encounter
We were driving down a long gravel road towards a campground in Big Cypress National Preserve, when Molly said “I think I saw a squished snake, but it was still moving?” We backed up to take a look, and this guy was flattened out on the road, with it’s head held up. I took a few photos and then it curled up and presented its fangs a couple times. That was my cue to leave it alone, which is good because I think this is a Florida Cottonmouth, which are super venomous!
Red-tailed Hawks
Okay, one bird photo, because this was actually from Georgia. Specifically, in a Wendy’s parking lot in Savannah.
