There & Back Again: Brooks to Key Largo to Kachemak Bay

[Pleistohorse]

Hey everyone, I have cause to head to Florida to pick up a vehicle and drive back to Alaska.

The Good: A dozen zoos or more, a few National Parks, several Natural History Museums, Wildlife Abounding, and hour upon hour of road meditation.

The Bad: Crossing the northern Rockies, the Alaska Range, and the Chugach Mountains in the (boreal) winter, blowing my savings, managed to break my two best cameras and haven’t replaced either….and hour upon hour of road mediation.

I’ll be traveling down to Anchorage tomorrow and waiting for my flight to Pensacola via Dallas. The first zoo on the route home will be the Gulf Breeze Zoo and the last will be the Yukon Wildlife Preserve…maybe technically the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center or perhaps the Alaska SeaLife Center…depending on how much time I have between getting back to Wasilla and absolutely needing to get back to work. If by then I’ve adapted to the Hobo life…who knows? Give the house to the bank…pack up the dogs and live on a pension that affords a daily run to Taco Bell and three cans of dog food. I guess we will see.

I’ve gotten some great advice and recommendations from a couple members and I hope you all enjoy my updates and reviews and musings from the road…

…and I will try to learn how to put pictures in my posts. I’m going to practice with a photo of five Willow Ptarmigan I took about an hour ago.

So wish me luck and away we go!

hmmmmm…failed already…maybe I need to upload it first?

 

[Pleistohorse]

Willow Ptarmigan - Alaska

• Pleistohorse
• 24 Oct 2022

The very first photo from my great adventure.

There has to be a better way…

 

[pachyderm pro]

Sounds like one hell of a roadtrip. Safe travels!

To attach photos, just hit the upload file button at the bottom right side of the text box. Select a file to upload then hit the full image option and it should be added no problem.

 

[TinoPup]

I'm looking forward to this!

You can upload files to a thread, just use the "upload a file" button next to "post reply"

 

[Pleistohorse]

Thank You @pachyderm pro and @TinoPup .

 

[snowleopard]

This will be a great read...bring it on!

 

[Pleistohorse]

Day 1: An ode to American Domestic Air Travel.

“It sucks.”

Departure: Anchorage, Alaska. 0600 local. 18F. Light/Weather - Cold and Dark. 10 hours behind schedule. Nearest Ocean: Pacific Ocean: .5 miles due west.

Species Observed in the wild for this leg:
Willow Ptarmigan - 6
Common Raven - 3
Black-billed Magpie - 1

Visited the Anchorage Airport’s numerous natural history displays. Most commonly displayed animal: Brown Bear with three specimens.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Mural. Pensacola International Airport.

Day 2: Crossing a continent.

The airplane - the miraculous marvel of modern transportation! Fly with us into the Jet Age! The World is just a day awa……..

save it.

Departure: Seattle, Washington. 1100 hrs. 50F. Light/weather - Overcast. No rain presently. Closest ocean - Puget Sound of the Pacific Ocean, .7 miles due west.

Departure: Dallas, Texas. 2030 hrs. 84F. Light/Weather - Post sunset and dark. Clear skies. Closest ocean - Galveston Bay, Gulf of Mexico of the Atlantic Ocean. 270 miles southeast.

Arrival: Pensacola, Florida. 2230 hrs. 72F. Light/Weather - Dark and partly cloudy, with intermittent soft soaking showers. Distant lightning storm. Closest ocean - Galveston Bay, Gulf of Mexico of the Atlantic Ocean.
Puget Sound west of Seattle.


Definitely have left winter behind…for now.

Species spotted in the wild this leg:

Rock Dove ~ 15
European Starling ~ 25
American Crow - 1
House Cat (possibly feral) - 2.

The three former spotted in Washington. The cats in Florida. Nothing in Texas.

Tomorrow: Gulf Shores National Sea Shore and Pensacola Bay, .5 miles due south

 

[Pleistohorse]

Lizard (unknown)
Frog (unknown)
Lizard (unknown)


Day 3: Maybe 4?

Lodged at my mother’s in Gulf Breeze. Taking a longish drive along this afternoon.

Temperature 82F. Light/Weather: clear and sunny. Warm with light breezes. Closest ocean: Santa Rosa Sound, the Gulf of Mexico off the Atlantic Ocean. 1 mile due south.

Species spotted in the wild last 24 hours:
Blue Jay - 2
Northern Mockingbird - 2
Eastern Bluebird - 2
Palm Warbler - 1
Several other Robin sized birds unidentified.
House Cat - 1 (I’m reasonably sure I now know how the legend of the Florida Jaguarundi developed).
Eastern Grey Squirrel - 2
Lizard (sp?)
Lizard (sp?)
Frog (sp?)

Viscously attacked by Fire Ants infesting a flower pot. My 17 years in Alaska had dulled the hard won experience of my years in Texas. Rethinking everything I assumed about the adaptability of native species in regards to invasive ones.

Possible excursion to Bass Pro Shops - Destin this afternoon to catalogue natural history specimens.

Gulf Breeze Zoo visit likely tomorrow.

 

[Swampy]

Lizard 1 I think is a juvenile brown anole (Anolis sagrei), lizard 2 is definitely an adult of that species.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Lizard 1 I think is a juvenile brown anole (Anolis sagrei), lizard 2 is definitely an adult of that species.

Thank you so much. Any luck on the frog?

It was as climbing along the vertical face of a vinyl fence. The only water near this area would be rain or morning dew.

 

[Cassynatorium]

I'm pretty sure your mystery frog is a Little grass frog (Pseudacris ocularis)
Given how unicoloured, smooth and small it looks. Whatever the case it's most certainly a species of tree frog.

Little grass frog - Wikipedia

 

[Pleistohorse]

Ok…been offline a few days. Getting my mother packed up and visiting with my brother and his family.

My nieces and I visited the Gulf Breeze Zoo and the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park. Full species lists were hard to obtain with the those girls. We spent two of our three hours at the zoo in the Budgerigar Aviary. They had a blast and admittedly so did I.

I visited Bass Pro Shops - Destin and the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center on my own. I also visited the Gulf Breeze Zoo again yesterday and got a full species list of both signed and observed animals…with plenty of pictures as well.

I’ve also spotted a few other mammals, a reptile, and several bird species.

I’ve been delayed a few days due to an unexpected medical emergency (are there any other kind), but I have been treated and am making a good recovery.

Today I’m heading out to visit the Tallahassee Museum and perhaps the Homossassa State Wildlife Park. Maybe Payne’s Prairie. We will see.

So….

Departure: 0609. Navarre, Florida. Light/Weather: Dark, Clear, 60F. Nearest Ocean: Santa Rosa Sound of the Gulf of Mexico - 1.3 Miles. Elevation: 10 Feet.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Safe travels, you picked the right time of the year to be in FL. Not much rain and it is a little cooler, but still quite warm.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Autumn Display in Destin Florida.


“Whaling Wall” in Destin Florida. Remember how popular these were in the 1990’s. Do the front flippers on these whales look rather small?


Old Florida Farm reconstruction at the Tallahassee Museum.


Whitetail Deer Display above Bass Pro Tallahassee’s live fish exhibit.



Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park sign.

Whew…400 miles later and I am in Ocala, Florida. I’ll depart early in the morning for the Homossassa Springs State Wildlife Park and then Busch Gardens Tampa. Following that I’ll head into St Petersburg to visit the Bay Pines National Cemetery (where my grandfather, U.S. Army 1942 - 1945 is buried. Pretty amazing born in Ireland, buried in a veterans cemetery in Florida.

Today I visited the following establishments: The Tallahassee Museum (A-), Bass Pro Shops Tallahassee (not ranked), and the Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park.

I kept records of species observed or signed. And recorded every wildlife sighting were the animal could be positively identified. I noted which particular species where spotted at Payne’s Prairie.

Note that I (perhaps controversially) count roadkill and fishing catch as positive sighting confirming the animal is present. I also count domestic animals in pastures (the domesticated Aurochs was the most commonly observed species today).

I visit the sporting goods stores to catalogue their wildlife specimens, game fish models, and live fish in their educational tanks. Interesting that Bass Pro Destin has a saltwater tank. Bass Pro Tallahassee has freshwater fish found in north Florida. In Tallahassee none of their game fish models were identified…if I post them in the US Other gallery please feel free to identify them.

I can identify a few fish…and really not very many at all.

I will post species lists for Gulf Breeze Zoo (B+) and Tallahassee Museum. Partial species more in line with a general review for the two small aquariums I have visited. I imagine there is probably only one aquarium on my agenda outside of those found concurrent with zoos or the sporting goods stores that display live fish.

Here are the species I observed at Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park. The park was beautiful. I was only there an hour in the late afternoon and managed to spot quite a few:

Cattle: 12 (these may have been animals on an adjoining property rather than the Florida Cracker Cattle kept at the preserve. However they were pretty far away and in the same field of vision as many of the other animals observed.

Cracker Horses: 6 (not particularly “wild”, but apparently free roaming within the preserve. I imagine they are subject to periodic removal to control population, but I do not know, in general what level of veterinary care, husbandry, or supplemental feeding they receive.

White-tailed Deer: 7

Grey Squirrel: 2

Anhinga: 1
Great Egret: 2
Fish Crow: 2
Great Horned Owl: (call only).
Other small birds heard and seen which remain unidentified.

I’ll post the other species lists in separate threads specific to the facilities and update the general wildlife spotting report here tomorrow.

I’m halving a blast guys…this is literally the trip of a lifetime for me.

 

[TinoPup]

Glad you're having a great time

 

[Pleistohorse]

Departure: Ocala, Florida. 0652 hours.
Light/Weather: post-dawn, clear, 66F. Closest Ocean: 30 miles due east, Gulf of Mexico off the Atlantic Ocean. Elevation 104 feet.

Today we will visit Homossassa Springs State Wildlife Park and Busch Gardens Tampa. Maybe Bass Pro Shop Tampa.

I post a few species lists tonight.

Let us get on with the day.

 

[PSO]

The horses, cattle and Bison at Paynes are managed by FWC and UF. Didn't realize they still had the cattle but have seen the horses (sometimes closer than I would like) and Bison numerous times on my visits.
I apologize for not catching this thread earlier because one of the big highlights to me are the snail kites at Paynes and can be easily seen if you go to the right places.
Homosassa is one of my favorite places to visit. The Wild manatees should be coming into the springs now, always appreciate seeing Lu (has to be one of the oldest hippos in the world) and it's a short drive from Crystal River, which only second to Cedar Key, is where I see wild dolphins consistently. Though not animal related, the Freezer Tiki bar (less than 3 miles from the fish bowl entrance to Homosassa Wildlife Park) had some of the best seafood I've had in the state

 

[Pleistohorse]

@PSO Thank You for the information! I’m leaving the Springs now. I just wanted to pause and say: Holy Cow that place is awesome. I was losing track of the wild birds. It was beautiful.

On to Tampa.

 

[TinoPup]

@PSO Thank You for the information! I’m leaving the Springs now. I just wanted to pause and say: Holy Cow that place is awesome. I was losing track of the wild birds. It was beautiful.

On to Tampa.

Do they have axis deer now?