 |
| Nervous Nellie's |
Today I was lucky enough to go on a dolphin tour. It was pretty exciting. Our faithful tour guide, Dwight, once again took us on an exciting tour, this time on a boat through part of the Gulf of Mexico, to see Dolphins. We started the day with shopping on Fort Myers beach and a delicious lunch at Nervous Nellie's. There are so many things to see on Ft. Myers beach and it was such a beautiful day to walk around. The performance artists were out and they were painted gold and silver, and the fisherman on the pier were feeding the pelicans. After walking and shopping it was time to go see dolphins!
 |
| Dwight |
Dwight's tours are always informational and he understands more about Florida's natural history than any person I've ever met. Dwight was our tour guide in the Everglades a year ago and he was just as wonderful as our Captain on our Dolphin Tour. He told us about the many laws in Florida that prohibit people from touching or swimming with dolphins. He also explained that they travel in really large pods and they are serious carnivores. In fact they bite people more than sharks do, so these happy laughing dolphin image isn't 100% accurate, but they are still delightful to watch them jump out of the water and play in the boat's wake.
 |
| Mangroves |
 |
| Dolphin next to the boat |
As we took the boat out Dwight showed us the Mangroves. He explained to us the importance of Mangroves and how they protect the land against hurricanes. Mangroves look like islands but they are not, all they are is a lot of little trees and root systems. Many animals are housed by these ecosystems, especially birds. There was a lot of birds on our tour. We saw Cormorants, gulls, pelicans, and Sandpipers. They were everywhere. Diving for fish and landing like bombs on the water near our boat. How they can see those little tiny fish from so high up in the air is truly amazing.
We not only saw Mangroves but he explained the importance of the estuary and the brackish water. Estuaries are a mixture of saltwater and fresh water and they are breeding grounds for many types of animals. Brackish water is what is called when saltwater and fresh water mix. Dolphins, sharks, and all sorts of baby sea animals are born in the estuaries each year. The salt concentration in the water is less and it's warmer because it's more shallow, this make ideal conditions for breeding.
 |
| Pelicans on the sand bar |
On our way back the tide had gone out and there were many exposed sand bars. This is what happens in the evening and many birds, like pelicans like to stand on them.
Dwight mentioned on many of his tours he has seen tortoises and sharks. There are a lot of things to see on the sea I suppose, I truly enjoyed my time watching those dolphins. I hope you can enjoy some pictures of them as well.
This is where we went:
 |
| They look menacing like sharks, but these are dolphins... |
 |
| They love to jump in the waves |
And the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CHbeAsgkaY&feature=youtu.be
 |
| They jump very high out of the water |
 |
| The nest of a Cormorant |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.