Flamingo Gardens

Over the weekend, mom and I went on a mother-daughter trip to Flamingo Gardens with one of her coworkers (and her daughter). Unfortunately, I got super sick as we were leaving and I'm trying to blog this while hopped up on cough syrup. Please politely correct any typos, grammatical fails, or sentences that make absolutely NO sense in the comments.


Mom and I arrived early so while we were waiting for her coworker, I wandered around the front area, visiting the beautiful birds and reading about how the site is a county historical landmark.






We hadn't even gotten into the gardens proper before I saw the first peacock and I was in love.

We ended up wandering towards the birds of prey and the Wildlife Encounters show.


I love, love, love owls too.



From there, we proceeded into the aviary. It was so awesome to see some of these birds up close, especially the roseate spoonbill.



Then we wandered back into another section of birds of prey.


I was so focused on capturing this hawk's expression that I didn't even notice the flare until I got home.


The little girl we were with was as obsessed with spider webs and peacocks as I am. It was amazing to be shooting side by side with her (me with my DSLR, her with her cell phone). I would find the perfect angle and light and then have her stand right where I was.





This is one of the most amazing accidental photos I ever captured. I had the composition all set and then the couple (who I had counted on having continue walking) stopped.






Mom's coworker was super excited about the flamingo pond, so we spent a lot of time there.




One of the things I love the most about Flamingo Gardens is their commitment to preservation. I got to see otters, alligators, bobcats, and would have seen a panther if it wasn't in the back of its enclosure (out of eyesight).


I also got to see some of my favorite water birds, including night herons and wood storks.









At one point, there was a peacock following me, trying to figure out my camera.




I even got to see a sandhill crane.



As we were leaving, we saw a family of raccoons. I was feeling like death but I managed to get one good shot before I got too sick to hold my camera.

April, alligators, and airboats

Yesterday (technically the day before, but I haven't slept yet), April and I decided to be tourists in our own neighborhood. We went to Everglades Holiday Park. The last time I was there was right after surgery, so I didn't take too many photos. This time, my camera and I spent a little too much time together.

The second we got there, April and I were greeted by peacocks. It's mating season so all the males were putting on quite the show and chasing the females around.






Once I finished photographing/being attacked by the peacocks, we bought our tickets and waited at the dock for our airboat to depart. Before our boat had even arrived, we saw gators.


Then, there was a cute little gator who got super close to the boat. I say 'little' because he was about 4 feet long and still playful like a juvenile. He let our boat captain scratch him behind the ears.



The view was lovely and we got to see a bunch of gators.



This guy was my favorite. He followed the boats to their turtle traps and stole the turtles for his lunch.
My immediately reaction was to want to free him from the ropes. But being full doesn't mean he wouldn't still bite if he felt threatened.


When we returned to shore, we watched the gator show. I'm always impressed by how knowledgeable and passionate the staff is. The guy we had this time is an environmental studies major specializing in crododilians. Boy after my own heart.



Things got kind of touristy when people actually paid to pose on a gator. I'd never seen anyone do it before. Bonus points because the guys were all full of (false) bravado but it was a teenage girl and a grandmother who actually did it.

Then, I got April to pose with the gator bites sign and her box o' bites to be super touristy.

Can you believe this is virtually in my backyard?