3/03/2009 ~ Western Everglades Ecotour Adventure Photo Gallery by Yvonne Merriam at pbase.com

3/03/2009 ~ Western Everglades Ecotour Adventure

This was the day of our terrific Everglades Day Safari Ecotour. We were picked up at our Estero hotel by our naturalist tour guide with a small busload of 7 other adventurers where we visited all 4 ecosystems found within the Everglades on a daylong trip. We began with a walk through Fakahatchee Cypress Swamp, continuing with a pontoon boat ride through the Ten Thousand Islands where we saw wild bottlenose dolphin and manatee. A tasty lunch right there in Everglades City was followed by a wildlife drive through the sawgrass prairie and open savanna along Rt. 29. The daylong tour was capped by the most exciting aspect of all: an airboat ride through the mangroves surrounding 1500-acre Lake Trafford where the wildlife spotting was amazing! I have to admit that this was easily the most thrilling wildlife spotting and photo op-filled ride of my life! Afterward, we enjoyed a lovely drive around the Fort Myers area and made our way back north to Manasota Key, but not without first shooting the most incendiary sunset ever from Port Charlotte!

Spotlight in the Shadows
Red-shouldered Hawk
Pileated Woodpecker
Bald Eagle Nest

Manatee Zone
Ten Thousand Islands
Dolphin on the Hunt
Follow the Leader

Dolphin Love
The Rookery
Belly Up to the Sandbar
The Caped Crusader

Lake Trafford
My Dream Gator
My Life Purple Gallinule
American Bittern

Great Gapin' Gators!
Red-shouldered Hawk
On Eagles Wings
Flushed!

Laying in Wait
I Count 14!
Rambur's Forktails in Wheel
H.P. Williams Roadside Park

Tricolor Heron
My Life Roseate Skimmer
Sunny
School of Fish

Black Vulture
Swimming into the Sunset
Port Charlotte Sunset

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Ron Asp 29-Jun-2009 01:11
Interesting gallery Yvonne, thanks for sharing...Hope to make it there someday...

click on thumbnails for full image

Spotlight in the Shadows	Red-shouldered Hawk	Pileated Woodpecker	Bald Eagle Nest
Manatee Zone	Ten Thousand Islands	Dolphin on the Hunt	Follow the Leader
Dolphin Love	The Rookery	Belly Up to the Sandbar	The Caped Crusader
Lake Trafford	My Dream Gator	My Life Purple Gallinule	American Bittern
Great Gapin' Gators!	Red-shouldered Hawk	On Eagles Wings	Flushed!
Laying in Wait	I Count 14!	Rambur's Forktails in Wheel	H.P. Williams Roadside Park
Tricolor Heron	My Life Roseate Skimmer	Sunny	School of Fish
Black Vulture	Swimming into the Sunset	Port Charlotte Sunset

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Ron Asp		29-Jun-2009 01:11
Interesting gallery Yvonne, thanks for sharing...Hope to make it there someday...