In second year, I had what was arguably my favourite university related experience. A field trip to Florida! This was my first time visiting the US, and I was incredibly excited for it. We landed at Fort Myers and stayed at Vester Research Station, an absolutely beautiful place right by the mangroves. While the main activity we were here for was to collect and examine some samples from two areas, the main thing I loved was visiting the parks and reserves. While getting food for the week, we saw our first animal – an osprey in the car park!
(all photos by Natasha Lee)
Our first trip to a protected wildlife area was to Barefoot Beach Preserve. This beautiful spot had a boardwalk trail that went across the island, all the way to the beach. This was a fun and easy way to walk around and spot wildlife! The main animals we saw were gopher tortoises and brown pelicans, as shown below. I really enjoyed taking photographs on this trip, which I’m sure is obvious from the sheer amount in this post! This trip was the first time I realised just how amazing being a wildlife photographer would be. If I could just do this for a living, it would be so much fun.
A selection of photos from Barefoot Beach Preserve: Mangrove Skipper Butterfly, Mason Bee, Brown Anole, Spiny-Backed Orb-Weaver Spider, Double-Banded Scoliid Wasp, Scarlet Skimmer Dragonfly, Gopher Tortoise, Monarch Butterfly, Brown Pelican
Our second location was my favourite: Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. This incredible place has a 2.5 mile boardwalk trail, and so much to see! I could’ve spent the entire trip here. The staff did a great job of showing us around, explaining the different areas to us and what animals we might see. Working somewhere like here in the future would be incredible. Being paid to walk around somewhere this beautiful all day sounds amazing, plus I would get the chance to educate people about wildlife.
A selection of photos from Audobon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: Brazilian Skipper Butterfly, Red Shouldered Hawk, Pig Frog, Cottonmouth Snake, Resurrection Fern, Fern Spores, Bromeliad (Air Plant), Raccoon, Mottled Umber Moth Larvae, Ruddy Daggerwing Butterfly, Black Swallowtail Butterfly, Blue Dasher Dragonfly, Great Egret, Snail Eggs, Florida Red-Bellied Cooter Turtle, American Alligator
The third reserve we visited was Ding Darling Reserve, which had a beautifully decorated entranceway. They had indoor exhibits with interactive activities to help visitors learn about the animals they could find here, as well as multiple different walking and driving trails. We saw so many different birds!
A selection of photos from Ding Darling Reserve: Florida Ivory Millipede, Snowy Egrets, Anhinga, Little Blue Heron, Roseate Spoonbills, Willet, Double-Crested Cormorant, Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, Little Blue Heron, Southern Carpenter Bee, Paper Wasp, Mangrove Buckeye Butterfly, White Ibis, Mangrove Tree Crab, Great Egret
Our final reserve destination was Lovers Key, a trail that went through the mangroves all the way to the beach. There were signs placed throughout the reserve trail, describing different species of plants and animals you might see. We ate lunch right by the water, and then went swimming at the beach! Afterwards we came back to the research station, where I got some more great bird photos.
A selection of photos from Lovers Key: Eastern Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, White Peacock Butterfly, Leucauge Argyra Spider, Double-Crested Cormorant, Brown Anole, Io Moth Caterpillar, Laughing Gulls, Ruddy Turnstone, Willet, Sanderling, Large Bivalve Shell, Double-Crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican
Visiting these reserves was an incredible experience. Even now I’m still determined to go back and visit them as soon as I can! I would absolutely adore working somewhere like this, with nature literally at my doorstep. I would also love being able to educate the public about the local wildlife, so everyone can enjoy the reserves as much as I do.
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