Louisiana Swamp Tour, Part 2

Beautiful weather made our tour around Lake Martin even more enjoyable.  Temperatures were in the mid 70's with a consistent gentle breeze in the air.  It was a perfect day for being outdoors.  

Our tour guide, Mason, shared his knowledge of the lake and its plant and animal life.  He was very informative and kept conversation interesting with an occasional tale, local lore and rumors about the area.  Tourists were allowed plenty of time to take photographs and I took advantage of every opportunity possible.  

A determined turtle balanced himself atop a protruding log to soak in some sunlight.

A variety of plant life inhabits the swamp.

Duckweed causes the green, slimy appearance on the water's surface in some areas.

This young gator is about 2 feet long.

Many hatchlings fall prey to predators around them such as snakes, raccoons, otters and larger gators.

One of the "big boys", this adult male is about 14 feet long.

Being close to him made me a little nervous, but excited at the same time.

Another large gator swam nearby.

Some of the gators went under water as we passed through.  Others ignored us.

Huge duck blind?  I don't have a clue.

A couple enjoys fishing in Lake Martin.  Largemouth bass, crappie, bream and more are caught here.

I still don't have a clue...

My eyes scanned the tree tops and fallen logs for wildlife...

like these birds- Double-crested Cormorants.

Another Double-crested Cormorant and an unidentified small bird share a protruding branch.

I think I'd like to try a kayak ride.  It looks enjoyable.

An Osprey peered down from her nest.

She looked around a little while-

then made a flight loop and returned to her nest.

Tour boats can become stuck around logs and bogged in all the mushy vegetation. We had no problems.

Another gator slowly glides by.

This one is probably 8 to 9 feet long.

Alligators are cold-blooded and regulate their body temperature with their surroundings- sun or shade.

I hope you enjoyed Part 2 of our Louisiana Swamp Tour.  Since I have a few more photos to share, I'm going to post a Part 3.  I took over 300 photographs during our 2 hour swamp tour- that's nuts I know, but I like to have many to choose from.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!  

Look for Part 3 of our tour within a couple of days.  Click here to return to Part 1.  I'm going to share today's post with Eileen for Saturday's Critters.  Have a great afternoon!