Wildlife and Waterbirds at Sawgrass Lake Park in Florida - Photo Tour

My son and I decided on the spur of the moment to take a hike and a stroll down the boardwalks in Sawgrass Lake Park. A free nature park perfect for seeing wildlife and engaging in birdwatching - Great Blue Herons and Snowy White Egrets - and observing all types of critters in the wild, from alligators to spiders and turtles.

For more information about this park see my Travel Florida series. You will find a couple of clickable links at the end of this article.

Enjoy the photo tour with us!

It was a gorgeous day.

 The friendly squirrels are always hoping for a hand-out.

 Dragonflies and Damselflies were out en masse.

My son, the hunter and fisherman, had no trouble spotting this Great Blue Heron perfectly blending in with the landscape at the edge of one of the ponds.

 Of course I stalked him with my camera .............

 My - what a big mouth you have:)

Here he is totally disgusted with my stalking him. 

Strutting away ......

My son and I stopped off and on along the way to see what was rustling in the bushes and in general just enjoyed our beautiful outing together.

 White Egret

He too flew off, before I could get any more up close and personal.

Here he is perching across the canal with another waterbird in the background.

 This fellow sunned and preened in the middle of the canal. Heron?

It seemed all the bright colored dragonflies were in hiding, no neon green or bright red or aqua today. Maybe next time.

My son, ever observant spotted this interesting spider spinning her web.

Pretty isn't she?

Not the most crisp picture, the lighting was a challenge, but nevertheless,

I liked the reflection of the wings in the water.

Anhinga

There were no alligators in sight,

but here is a picture of an alligator taken during a recent visit to the park.

 Sawgrass Lake Park is alive with hundreds of butterflies and you can expect to get dive bombed by at least one butterfly during your visit to this park.

This pretty planting is part of the butterfly garden plantings all over the park.

My son spotted this turtle; I forgot what kind of aquatic turtle he said it is.

This park has turtle crossings and I've already encountered two other varieties of turtles.

If you like nature and wildlife parks and happen to be traveling in Florida, you may want to add this free nature park to your list of things to do in the Tampa Bay Area.

Here is a link with more pictures, information and photo tours

Birds and Turtles

or if you like Botanical Gardens - click below:

Florida Botanical Garden

Sunken Gardens

Thanks for looking - I hope you have enjoyed the photo tour with us!

All images © 2009 Rose H.