A Full-time Life

VISITING THE SWAMPS AND SLOUGHS

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We've had company …. and we took them to the swamps and the sloughs.  Whoever said we weren't great hosts?   Our brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Spokane (the Eastern half of Washington State) where they left frigid temperatures and deep snow.    So we've had a great time showing off our Florida sunshine. 

In addition to getting warm again (at least for a while), they really wanted to see alligators — and we knew just where to go.   And of course we saw lots of beautiful Florida birds too.     

 

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 Egret keeping an eye on a fellow denizen of Big Cypress Swamp  

 

 

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Anhinga

 

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 Birds of Prey

 Osprey, CaraCara, and Red Shouldered Hawk (I'm sure about the first two — I think on the hawk)

   

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Green Heron — trying to hide as he preens

 

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Still in hiding!

 

 

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Little Blue Heron

 

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And some more shots of what our company wanted  to see!

(And of course  I know nobody would believe we were actually in SW Florida until I posted my annual alligator pictures.)

 

Not a lot of words this week because we're still busy seeing the beauty and fun of our area through new eyes.     It is so good to see family!  Thanks for coming Rik and Lyn!       

And thank you also to the link hosts who give us an opportunity to share with virtual friends  even when we don't have company in real life:  

SHARING  this week with:  MOSAIC MONDAY; OUR WORLD Tuesday; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B'BIRDING.

 

 

We appreciate all visitors and commenters! Thank you.

61 responses to “VISITING THE SWAMPS AND SLOUGHS”

  1. handmade by amalia

    I can’t believe you got close enough to the alligator to take a photo.
    Amalia
    xo

  2. Michelle

    Love seeing the birds, but those gators, though….Yikes! lol Thanks for linking up today!

  3. diane

    Great shots of your wildlife. Enjoy your company.

  4. Jennifer Jilks

    That reminds me of a time we took my MIL for a forest walk. It was horrid! All she had were sandals!

  5. Craft Candidate - Kahden talon väkeä

    Thanks for sharing photos from Florida. I stayed there a month in my youth and really loved it. 🙂

  6. Cathy Keller

    Oh, Sallie, what wonderful photos. I especially like the one of the green heren trying to hide in the foliage! Thank you and have a grand day!

  7. mick

    Great photos and the birds are all beautiful – I would love to see them but NOT the ‘gator’ – I hope you were a good distance away when you took those photos – or maybe those ones over your way are not as dangerous as our “salties”!

  8. David Gascoigne

    What good hosts you are! I have seen hundreds of alligators, but I remember the first one I ever saw and it was pretty exciting.

  9. Jesh StG

    Hi Sallie, don’t see my precious comment for All Seasons (but I may overlook it) about loving the Anhinga – such a stunning bird! Now I have that 2nd blog I need to log in and out the separate emails it’s connected to, and it sounds dumb, but it takes me a while to get the hang of it (because emails can’t think like humans do!).
    Your comment about drinking lots of water in Colorado makes me smile – in California it’s the same. The first 2 years in South California, coming from Holland, I felt drenched all-the-time! Fortunately in the mountains where I live it is 8-15 degrees cooler than in the valley of Sacramento! Water is a great thing, eh?

  10. GreenComotion

    Hi Sallie-
    I see the nice, beautiful birds and then the scary (for me) alligators. I am trying to be inclusive, but …:)
    Have a Happy Day!
    Peace 🙂

  11. Gaelyn

    Having company is a great excuse to get out into the sunshine. Not like you need an excuse. So glad though because I love to see all the birds through your talented lens.

  12. bill burke

    It’s nice when family visits. You get to show and share your world with them. Sounds like you all had a fantastic time. Love all your wildlife photos, they are absolutely beautiful.
    Enjoy the week, Sallie.

  13. Sharon Wagner

    I’ll be seeing all of these old friends again soon. We’re off to Florida in a few days. And hoping for good weather! Hope you’re enjoying your winter.

  14. A ShutterBug Explores

    A great head shot of the ‘gator’ ~ well done!
    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

  15. A ShutterBug Explores

    Lovely nature shots of the ‘swamplands’ ~ great to see own area through new eyes ~ Enjoy!
    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

  16. William Kendall

    What beautiful birds!

  17. nancy chan

    I enjoy the birds very much! I am sure your visitors are happy that they get to see the alligators!

  18. Phil

    With those temperatures, birds and animals I’m pretty sure i would not leave Florida all year round. Like the egret watching the alligator- very wise move. Enjoy the sun!
    By the way, Brown Hares do not use warrens as do rabbits. The Hare female nests in a depression on the surface of the ground rather than in a burrow, and the young are active as soon as they are born.

  19. Annie

    What a good idea to come from Washington State to Florida. A nice change ! Every year I like to see your alligator pictures they seem so peaceful… Amitiés.

  20. Life Images by Jill

    oh these alligators look a bit like our salt water crocodiles in our north – very dangerous company. We see our area with fresh eyes when we show it off to visitors. Happy travels and thank you for stopping by my blog this week.

  21. Eileen Wise

    Hello Sallie, wonderful variety of birds. I love the Osprey, Caracara and the egrets and herons. The gators are cool too. I am sure your visitors enjoyed the outing and the warm Florida sunshine. I also had a hard time leaving a comment. Have a happy day and week ahead!

  22. Ken Schneider

    Sallie, nice images! For some reason I was unable to comment on your post. Trying again with Chrome browser instead of Firefox. This past week I had planned to accompany three younger birders to tour the loop road in Big Cypress, something I never had done. We met up mid-morning in Shark Valley and by mid-afternoon when they were ready for Big Cypress the heat had really gotten to me. They went on to explore into darkness and then looked for snakes. Oh, to be 70 (or 80) again! Will try for the Loop again with Mary Lou and start out early.

  23. Bob Bushell

    My favourite is Green Heron, well done Sallie. And the Alligator, wow, cuddly.

  24. Amy

    I love seeing all the different types of birds, maybe I should go bird photographing here too.

  25. Linja in Virginia

    Alligators? No, no… I want to stay far away from them!

  26. Lady Fi

    What a great tour! Bet they had a fabulous time.

  27. Photo Cache

    Will you host us too? Just kidding, or NOT!
    Worth a Thousand Words

  28. Debbie

    oh goodness, you are great hosts…sharing all the birds and great wildlife from your area!!!

  29. Angie

    I am glad you know where to go to find the gators. When we go looking for bears, we usually aren’t that lucky (just kidding!!!)
    Enjoy your visitors, and thanks for taking the time to fill us in even with guests!!!

  30. Felicia

    Enjoy the sunny south

  31. Lois

    It’s always fun to show off the alligators to people who aren’t used to seeing them! You got some wonderful photos of them and also of the birds.

  32. Jeanna

    Oh I believe you without the gator shots—is that like someone coming here and asking to see timber rattlers and brown bears? I don’t know, I’d ask you to take me to the place least likely to have them. Shudder, eeee.
    Love the birds, whatever kind of hawks those are they are pretty darn cute, if you can use that word for birds of prey. That Anhinga has a Don King vibe, I think it’s the hair.
    The osprey has a noble eagle look to it and that egret must be nervous to say the least, can’t the gator just chomp it at will?

  33. Penelope Puddlisms

    An opportunity to show your haven in Florida must give you fresh eyes. With so many wonders to see, from birds to alligators, I bet your friends had fun and, as a bonus, enjoyed the warmth of the sun. I admit whenever I hear the word “swamp” nowadays I think of “drain the swamp”. But now I see that there are lots of creatures that would be lost without their habitat swamp.

  34. fun60

    The alligators are a must see as long as they can be kept at arm’s length. Lots to see in your world.

  35. Lavender Dreamer

    We love taking company to see things like this in the wild! It’s amazing…and still is for us too. Love that Green Heron…we don’t spot one very often! Oh, we saw the smallest alligator we had ever seen over the weekend…about 10 inches long! So cute! Enjoy your week!

  36. Su-sieee! Mac

    That’s a mighty handsome alligator. He has a debonair flare about him, like he ought to wear an ascot and drink a dirty martini. 🙂 I love your photo of him and the egret. You’re inspiring stories in my head, Sallie. Thank you. 🙂

  37. ellen b

    Cracking up on your description of your hosting! How nice for those two to escape Spokane. I got a sunrise photo from our kids in Colville and it was 0 degrees this morning. Great birds and gators! Hope you have a great week!

  38. Carol

    Love your post and all the Florida birds (& gator). I have trouble getting good shots of most of these as they won’t stand still for me! Thanks for sharing!

  39. Sarah

    Sallie, Florida has some interesting wildlife. Great captures with your lens.
    Happy Mosaic Monday!

  40. Lorrie

    If I visit Florida, I’d want to see some of these same sights! The anhinga is an unfamiliar bird to me, and so striking. Glad you’re enjoying playing tourist (or guide) along with your visitors. The warmth would be lovely. We’re in the deep freeze this week.

  41. Snap

    The anhinga is gorgeous! I bet your visitors were happy to see all the critters and be warm! Happy Monday!

  42. Sondra

    Perfect FL wildlife…I enjoy seeing alligators…more so when they’re on the opposite bank from me. I k now your visitors got the grand tour and enjoyed every minute! I’m ready for spring…this was a hard winter just a couple hundred miles north of florida!

  43. Maggie

    If ever a photograph described a scene perfectly it would be your first image, that is a swamp, indeed!
    It is always refreshing to enjoy one’s own surroundings through the eyes of visitors and we are looking forward very much to showing our nephew and his girlfriend our little corner of Normandy when they arrive for a four day visit tomorrow.
    Happy MM!

  44. craftygreenpoet

    Lovely photos. Amazing to see the egret and the alligator so close together like that!

  45. gillena

    Lovely. Have a great time
    much love…

  46. Jennifer Jilks

    Such amazing photos! We’re still under some snow.

  47. Lowell

    Great post, Sallie. You have captured well what south Florida is all about. That anhinga shot is one I’ve tried to get for years but never succeeded. Have you ever been to Shark Valley. I think if’s on Highway 41 between Naples and Miami, but closer to Miami. We used to go there frequently to ride bikes. It’s a national park and has lots of gators. There’s a 15 mile loop out into the Everglades. On one trip we counted 150 gators, many of them in the middle of the road. Glad you had such great fun with your relatives.

  48. Daniela

    Dearest Sallie,
    I’m amazed more and more at your so wonderful shots, thank you for sharing your stunning world with us!
    Wishing you a most lovely new week
    XOXO Dany

  49. Pat

    I don’t think I’d ever tire of seeing alligators in the wild! Glad you had a good visit with family.
    We were in Central Florida a week ago to go to Disneyworld with our daughter and granddaughter! The weather was beautiful but sadly I caught the flu, and was sick beginning with the day I flew home. I probably gave it to all around me on the plane–uh oh–sad about that!

  50. Jesh StG

    Am smiling, because every time guests come to us, we get to know our corner of the neighborhood better! Didn’t realize FL has so many birds in the swamps. The Anhinga is my favorite – stunning appearance! Thank you for sharing with All Seasons, even though you have guests:):) Have fun entertaining this week!

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