The Wandering Disciple

An elevated boardwalk winds through a strand of cypress as you embark on a walk in woods at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The 2-1/4 mile boardwalk traverses several ecosystems including the largest bald cypress forest in North America. Keep your eyes open along the way to try and spot the hundreds of native wildlife that call the sanctuary home.  The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a 13,450 acre sanctuary that preserves critical habitats near the western edge of the Everglades. It is a gateway site on the Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and is home to some vulnerable species of animals like the Florida Panther and Wood Storks as well as rare plants like the Ghost Orchid.  Taken: October 17, 2010 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Naples, FL)

A wooden boardwalk winds through the Corkscrew Swamp taking visitors on a walk in the wilds of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  The boardwalk provides a glimpse into life in the 13,000 square foot sanctuary which contains one of the largest strands of Bald Cypress remaining. On your stroll down the almost two mile boardwalk you will be able to see the plants and animals that call the sanctuary home.  The vast sanctuary is home to the endangered Florida Panther, black bears, American Alligators and a wide variety of birds.  (Photo: November 7, 2015)

A military macaw grooms its feathers at the Naples Zoo. This green parrot from South America gets its named from its feathers which resembles a dress military uniform. In the wild, the military macaw lives in flocks and can live up to 50-60 years in the wild. They can be found in the canopy of tropical forests as the canopy provides protection from predators. (Photo: January 19, 2020)

An aldabra tortoise looks over as to say hello at the Naples Zoo. These giant turtles can live over 150 years. Once giant turtles lived across the globe but now they are confined to two island chains, the Aldabra Atolls and the Galapagos Islands. This turtle is still in his infancy after being born in 2015. (Photo: January 19, 2020)

While most of the nation deals with winter snow and freezing temperatures, the Sunshine State keeps producing beautiful beach days like this on last weekend from Naples where is was low 80's in mid-January. Unlike most of the country that has to endure several months of winter, winter in Florida only comes in spurts of a few days like the current cold snap which brought us a low of the mid 30's for just two days. (Photo: January 19, 2020)

A giant anteater uses its long snout to hunt for insects in a bush at the Naples Zoo. The giant anteater is one of four species of anteaters and suffer from poor eyesight and hearing. To protect themselves, anteaters will conceal themselves with their long tails. But it if the need to defend itself arises, the anteater uses its powerful claws to fend off predators. Giant anteaters can be found in the tropical forests and grasslands of Cental and South America. (Photo: January 19, 2020)

Naples, Florida: For the first time, I found myself along the flight line at Naples Municipal Airport. While this trip was not planned and not an official spotting trip, I managed to nab a few pics while at the Naples Zoo. The zoo is situated along the final approach path to Runway 14 which was in service on this day. Because of the canopy of the zoo, I could not get a pic of everything we saw but I got a few. I did not realize how busy APF is. After the zoo, I tried to find a place to spot but easily got frustrated because I did not know the layout or area. I plan on trying to make it back down there armed with better knowledge and make an official spotting trip out of it. Here is a look at what I was able to photograph today: N500DG – Eclipse 500  N613CS – Dassault Falcon 2000  N8322S – Piper Seminole  Click on the photo above to view the Naples Municipal Airport photo gallery .

The greens of the autumn forest get a pop of color thanks to a pair of colorful birds grabbing a bite to eat at the Audubon bird feeder at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. This feeder is a popular place to see the colorful Painted Bunting. Here the Painted Bunting shares the fever with a bright red Northern Cardinal. (Photo: November 29, 2019)

A canopy of cypress trees tower of the swamps of South Florida. The wet and nutrient rich soils of the swampy ecosystems is a prime growing mixture for the bald cypress tree, a staple of the swamplands. (Photo: August 30, 2014)

A double crested cormorant keeps its feet dry by standing on a mangrove along the marsh trail at Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Trail. The cormorant is a common sight along the waterways in Florida. It dives and swims while searching for food and then needs to dry its wings out before it can take flight again. The cormorant is one of over 180 different species of birds that can be found in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Preserve in South Florida. (Photo: December 9, 2012)

The sun sets over the swamp of Fakahatchee Strand State Park. Located on the edge of the Florida Everglades, the park provides a protected habitat for several threatened and endangered species like the Florida Panther, black bear, fox squirrel and Everglades mink. The park is also home to the rare ghost orchid. (Photo: December 8, 2012)

A noble eagle looks over the boat basin at Collier Seminole Park. The symbol of our nation, the bald eagle was once on the brink of extinction, the bald eagle species has made a recovery being upgraded from endangered to threatened and eventually off the protected species list altogether in 2007. The bald eagle can be found throughout North America near bodies of water with abundant sources of food for the raptor. (Photo: December 8, 2012)

A red-shouldered hawk snacks on a snake found along the boardwalk at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The red-shouldered hawk is one of 224 species of hawks in the Accipitridae family. Found throughout Florida, the hawk also can be found throughout the eastern United States as well as in California as well. To help it pursue prey, the red-shouldered hawk features a rudder-like tail that helps turn quickly in flight to help it capture fast moving prey. (Photo: October 17, 2010)

A double-crested cormorant takes a break from the water to soak up some Floridian sunshine at Ten Thousands Islands National Wildlife Refuge in South Florida. The double-crested cormorant is a common sight along the waterways of the sunshine state. This guy is constantly confused with the similar looking anhinga which can be found in the same habitat. Although both birds are the same size and color, the bill is the best way to tell the difference. The bill of a cormorant is hooked while an anhinga has a long straight bill. (Photo: December 9, 2012)

Lying at the end of this boardwalk lives a world of wilderness, vast acres of swamp on the edge of the Florida Everglades.  The 7,000+ acre Collier-Seminole State Park sits just south of Naples and on the edge of the civilization, combining with Big Cypress, Ten Thousand Islands and the Everglades to form one of the largest swamps in the country.  (Photo: December 9, 2012)

A big frog looks up from the waters of the Corkscrew Swamp Santucary.  The sanctuary operated by the Audubon Society is home to over 13,000 acres of pristine wilderness and abundant wildlife.  (Photo: October 17, 2010)

While much of the nation is seeing bright colorful fall leaves, a look at thermometer in Southwest Florida makes you think its July not November. But if you look closely you can see signs that Fall has arrived even if the temperatures don't reflect it. (Photo: November 7, 2015)

Naples, Florida: Over the past couple weeks, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has posted some phenomenal wildlife photos on their Facebook page. Watching these photos made me want to go back and revisit the swamp so we decided to take the trek out to their boardwalk in eastern Collier County. The park was hosting a Photo Safari over the weekend so what better time to go and enjoy a walk in the wilderness while taking photos of what we encounter. Our last trip back in 2010 provided a bunch of great photos so I was hoping that today would be no different. During our exploration of the wilderness, we came across quite a few species including: Anhinga  Black Racer  Black Vulture  Cottonmouth Snake  Green Tree Frog  Gulf Fritillary butterfly Little Blue Heron  Northern Cardinal  Squirrel  Racoon  Red Shouldered Hawk  White Tail Deer  White Peacock butterfly  Wood Stork  We also had a chance to see the rar...

The slow and tranquil waters of the Big Cypress Swamp flow peacefully through the Big Cypress National Preserve in south Florida.  Established in 1974, the 720,000 acre park is one of the first National Preserves established by the US Park Service.  (Photo:

The marsh landscape dominates the horizon at Ten Thousands Islands National Wildlife Refuge in South Florida. (Photo: December 9, 2012)