CORKSCREW SWAMP SANCTUARY

Out of all of the field trips that I have been on this semester the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was by far my favorite. It's a really beautiful, peaceful, viberant place full of wildlife. It was nice to actually walk along the boardwalk and see animals everywhere. It was especially fun because I got to bring my dad and my nine year old sister with me. They enjoyed the experience just as much as I did. My sister was so excited about going on the trails and even brought her binoculars with her. My dad, who was stressed out due to his work schedule, was completely relaxed by the time we left. This supports the theory that walking outdoors in nature reduces stress and anxiety.

We walked the trails at a slow pace so that we didn't miss anything. It wasn't long before we came across two very large alligators. It was great to see them out in the wild in their natural habitat. My little sister loved seeing them so we just saw there for half an hour watching them even though they didn't do much.

One thing that struck me was the clearity of the swamp water. There were some parts where you could see all the way to the bottom. It was nice to see all the different types of freshwater fish. We ran into a gentleman who fished a lot and he was telling us about all the types of freshwater fish that he thought were in the ponds. He said there was probably mostly catfish and bass.

We also enjoyed all the different types of plants and trees we came across. It was really beautiful to see all the birds and nests. I couldn't believe how many different types of birds there were. It appeared that a lot of people did bird watching there. I wished I had brought a better camera because it was difficult to photograph them in all the foilage.

The boardwalk streched on for miles over different terrain and at different elevations. The aquatic plants were amazing. When looking down into the water you could see all the types of fish hiding in the plants.

Somewhere in this picture is a baby alligator approximately three feet long. He's partially submerged in the swamp water hiding behid the foilage. I wouldn't have even seen him if it wasn't for my dad. My father has a "Steve Irwin" ability to spot animals so I'm glad he came along. So we all enjoyed the trip and we are going to go back soon. Overall, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was amazing and I'm glad I went.