crocodiles Tag

Airboat Tours in the different Florida Seasons

We do our airboat tours year around.  Each time of the year hold something different for our airboat tours and wildlife.   Because we deal with Mother Nature and do not disturb the wildlife, we can't tell you how many alligators, Bald Eagles, snakes, turtles and more you will see.  We take Pride in preserving the beauty of the Everglades and the wildlife. We will start off with Springtime, which starts around March and goes to May.  Cool nights, warm days and not as much humidity.  If you coming out at this time of year, just remember, it is a lot cooler on the water going 15-25 mph than it is on the land, so dress warmer than you normally would.   This time of year is when the wildlife in our area start their mating / breeding season.   The animals become very active in our area.  Male alligators start searching for a mate, bellowing, and sometimes ever fight over females.   We keep our distance for everyone's safety, theirs and ours. Summertime is where we head next and it gets hot, I mean very hot!  Highs in the upper 90's, heat index well over 100.  June is when it all begins, not only summer, but also Hurricane season.  Yes, that is a real season...

Roseate Spoonbills

A Roseate Spoonbill is a beautiful bird that can sometimes be mistaken for a Flamingo.   They have bright pink shoulders, while the rest of their body is lighter in color.   Their heads are a greenish yellow color, but have very red eyes.  They stand between 30-40 inches tall and their wingspan is about 50 inches wide. The incredible part about this bird is their large spoon shaped bill.  They sweep in shallow parts of the lake looking for small fish, shrimp and crab.   The pink color of the bird comes from these foods that they eat. In most birds, there is a difference in color when it comes to male and female, but the Spoonbill looks the same, no noticeable color difference.    They nest with other species of birds in mangroves and other trees, mostly by the coast.  The man with go and get the things needed and the female builds the nest.  The Spoonbill will lay up to 3 eggs and both male and female will incubate the eggs for upto 24 days.  The babies stay in the nest and are fed by both mom and dad for up to 45 days. The Roseate is mostly found in Florida Bay, Tampa Bay and Brevard County, but for about a month, around June, we do get to see these amazing birds in our area (Osceola County) and out on our tours....

Alligators and Crocodiles Around The World

We deal with alligators here in Florida and the rest of the United States, but there are alligators and crocodiles around the world all different sizes.   Here we are going to dig deep into the largest from around the globe.                                                                                                                          Our first stop is in Louisiana where they caught a 19 ft 2 in, 2000 pound alligator, but that alligator is hard to prove as fact since this was back in 1890.  So as it sits right now, the largest alligator caught in the United States is the Stokes Alligator (named after the family that captured it) on record at 15 ft 9 in!!   The alligator is out on display at Mann Wildlife Learning Museum in Alabama.                                                  In Florida, per Florida Wildlife Commission, the largest alligator caught is 14 ft 3 1/2 in long at 654 lbs.  But, in 2016 in Palmetto, Fl there was a 15 ft alligator on one of the local golf courses. Now for the top 5 largest crocodiles in the world...

What to expect on an Airboat tour..FAQ

I've been asked a lot of questions about our tours and I think we can help many people with this question and answer blog.  If I forget to cover any questions you have, feel free to comment and I will get right back to you. One of the most common questions is, "do we need bug spray?"  Short answer, no.  We haven't had any issues with bugs and because we are off the water before dark, no mosquitoes.  So, you are welcome to spray on the bug spray, but its really not needed. Sunscreen, YES!  Most of our airboats are not covered right now, it's so pretty out and we would like our guests to see everything that is in the water and in the air.  Since it seems like Central Florida sits 3000 miles closer to the sun than the rest of the world, sunscreen is your best friend here!  Us Floridians, when we shower in the mornings, it's not water coming out, its sunscreen! Can you eat on the boats?  Well, as long as you want to share everything your "trying" to eat with the people sitting behind you and the captain, it's not a good idea.  Our boats can get up to 35 mph on the water. Can we take an umbrella on the boat so we can be covered?  Unfortunately, the only thing taking an umbrella will do is turn inside out.  Imagine driving in a car, roll down the window and hold the open umbrella out.  Yep, that's exactly how it is on an airboat. Rain gear?  We offer rain gear in our office ant check in, or you can bring your own.  We do go out in the light rain, but no lightning.  When it rains, we get to see some wildlife become very active.  The fresh water hitting...

Rods, reels, line and baits

When your heading out the door in the morning, you want to make sure you are prepared for what you are going fishing for. For instance,  your not going to take a big 8 foot rod with 100 pound test line to go out bream or speck fishing, that's overkill and you would never feel the fish bite the bait.   So, we're going to talk about some of the basic tackle you will need to head out for a fun day of fishing. Rods, there are so many different types of rods.  We are talking about casting, spinning, fly, trolling, telescopic...

Cotton Mouth……aka….. The Water Moccasin

The Water moccasin is a very venomous snake, in other words, they are poisonous.   Sadly, harmless snakes are often killed out of fear for the safety of family and pets.  But, all snakes bite, so even if they are not venomous it can still hurt.    So, how can you tell if its a Moccasin?  Lets look at some of their features. Water Moccasins have bodies that are very thick and heavy for the length and short thick tails.  Their heads are blocky with a thinner neck.  Adults are very dark, almost black.   A young water moccasin appears brightly colored with red-brown bands that extend across its back and down its sides without crossing the belly, set against a brown body color.   If you look at the snake's head when it's flat on the ground or from above it, you can't see its eyes.  Large, plate like scales cover the top of the head, and pits (holes)  right between the nostril and the eye helps scene heat from other animals for food. Water moccasins are present as three species.  Living across Florida, the Florida Moccasin has a native range that includes the upper Florida Keys and parts of extreme southeastern Georgia.  The eastern moccasin ranges from the Carolinas and Georgia to southeastern Virginia.  The western moccasin has the largest range in that it lives in eastern Texas, Oklahoma, eastern Cherokee County in Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, southern Missouri, western Tennessee and even the extreme southern regions of Indiana and Illinois, as well as Mississippi, western Kentucky and Alabama. So, no matter where you are at, always be aware of what is around you.  ...