On 3-29-11, three naturalists- Christina, Jacob, and myself, took the Nelson family on an all day tour of the Okefenokee Swamp. The week leading up to our trip was very warm but a cold air system came through the night before and made it a bit chilly. That was actually a great thing because it made the swamp and areas around it foggy all day which means great animal spotting!
Lucky for us we had some great pairs of eyes with us. Clare, JP, Ruby, Annie, both Moms and Grandma warmed up their wildlife viewing skills on the drive into the park by finding a record FOUR fox squirrels! Fox squirrels are the largest species of tree squirrel in North America and can grow to be about two feet long.
Then we stretched our legs at the welcome center we jumped on a boat and headed into one of the largest blackwater swamps in the world. As we traveled down the canal we started looking at the banks for alligators. The day was cold enough that the water temperature was warmer than the air so the gators were floating near the banks. We soon adapted our eyes to look for their distinctive heads breaking the surface of the water. There were alligators everywhere!
After the boat took us out of the lagoon we entered the prairie area of the swamp. The average depth of this part of the swamp is only two feet deep, and what looks like solid ground is actually floating islands of peat. Our boat guide put the boat on one and we got to walk around on a squishy island. From there we could see some white ibis and a great egret. Then we all got to taste a local water plant called a Golden Club. It tasted a bit odd but I think most of us agreed it was better than brussel sprouts.
After lunch we stopped by some ponds close to the roads and spotted more gators, even a mamma with her babies. After that it was a small hike on the boardwalk to the observation tower. The kids weren't done finding gators! They spotted a couple more babies on the way to the tower and an adult when we got there. From the top of the tower we even spotted two raccoons searching the grasses for a meal.
From the boardwalk we visited the Chesser Island Homestead and ran out our remaining energy. We saw how the Chesser family once lived and made the swamp their home. The day was a fun one and we saw a whole bunch of wildlife and made some new friends. I think everyone had a great time and we can't wait to see the Nelsons again!
Here are some totals of the animals we saw.
Fox squirrels 4, Turtles 1, Red shouldered hawk 1, White Ibis 6, Great Egret 1, Racoon 1, Red bellied woodpecker 1, Alligators 32!!!!
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