AIRBOAT!!! We went to Lake Kissimmee in Florida with the purpose reason of taking an airboat ride. I had never been on one and I chose an airboat ride over the exorbitant price of going to Disney World. The airboat ride was not cheap, but it was cheaper and I have wanted to ride one for awhile. I was also hoping for the added bonus getting to see a Snail Kite, Short-tailed Hawk, or alligators, all of which can be found in the area. What I did not expect were all of the Limpkins foraging in the marshy area along the driveway on the way in! I have not seen many Limpkins, but my previous sightings were hard earned, catching glimpses of one at a time while peering through dark shadows and thick trees. This experience was completely different. I counted 20 Limpkins in an open area right next to the airboat company's parking lot! We chose Kissimmee Swamp Tours and our airboat captain was great! The kites were no longer on their nests, but our captain knew where the nests were and therefore the general areas where the kites were likely to be found. I was hoping to see 1, but we were fortunate enough to see 8! We saw males, females, and juveniles! We got great looks and he was able to maneuver the airboat fairly close to where they were perched on signs and trees. Since we were on the airboat, I had to take the pictures with my phone and I did not have good zoom capabilities. We also saw lots of herons, egrets, gallinules, Anhingas, and a handful of baby alligators! Since it was late in the year, we only found one large alligator, but she was near her nest, which was really cool to see, too. We didn't get to see a Short-tailed Hawk, but you have to leave one for next time, right? :)
1 Comment
9/3/2019 04:44:08 am
Thanks for sharing such an awesome post. I am finding this type of information since long time, because I am new native in Lake.
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