Along Rookery Road

Rookery Road winds along the eastern half of Lake Martin.  Mostly consisting of rock gravel, it's a dusty and bumpy  ride.  At least it's wide enough to park without blocking others from passing. My husband and I made several trips along this road in our pursuit to seek out birds and other wildlife in the area.  

Portions of the swamp near the southern end of the road are literally covered in duckweed which gives it a bright green, slimy appearance.  The duckweed dissipates and water hyacinth dominates the swamp near the northern end of Rookery Road.  

On my right side (heading north) I viewed some tropical appearing plants (I don't recall the botanical name of these green fan-shaped plants), beautiful yellow wildflowers growing alongside the road, several turtles warming up on logs, a unique camp house, an old wood-framed house (I like old houses), cows in a pasture of yellow wildflowers (signs of spring), squirrels and a variety of birds.

Among the birds we viewed- Red-winged Blackbird, Pied-billed Grebe, Barred Owl, Killdeer, Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.  

Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful, safe weekend!
Linked with Eileen for Saturday's Critters

Louisiana Swamp Tour, Part 3

These are the final photos of our swamp tour which we thoroughly enjoyed.  

I must do this again...

One of my favorite swamp photos

Great Blue Herons are commonly seen around the lake

Our tour guide informed us that this tree was estimated to be about 500 years old.

Louisiana designated bald cypress as the official state tree in 1963.

Bald cypress trees grow slowly.  Over a span of 200 years, they reach heights of about 150 feet.

The trees can survive from 600 to over 1,000 years.

Tupelo gum trees are also common in these wetlands.

The tour guide told us that the term “Don't let the bed-bugs bite,”
literally resulted from using Spanish Moss to stuff mattresses!

Alligator breeding area- off limits during a certain length of time each year

This gator is about 6 to 7 feet long.

They grow from 2" to 12" per year, depending upon their habitat.
Growth rates slow down as the reptile becomes older.

This female didn't want our presence in her sunning area.  

She's attractive- for a gator, that is.

I don't recall the name of these bright green plants- they're pretty but uncommon around the lake.

Some people choose to navigate the lake in a canoe.

Fishing is a popular sport in this area.  Good luck, Mister!

Wildflowers are common around the banks of the lake.

I thought these were lovely.

Thank you for touring along with me.  If you happened to miss the previous two parts of the tour, you can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  I will soon post more photos of the Double-crested Cormorants that are common around the lake.  

If you're interested in a swamp tour in Louisiana and you're in the Baton Rouge/Lafayette area, I highly recommend Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours for their comfortable tour boats and knowledgeable guides. 

Have a wonderful Sunday!

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!