The pictures in this gallery post were taken along the La Chua Trail on the north side of the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, an amazing wilderness on the southern edge of Gainesville, Florida. Click once on a thumbnail to open it in a separate window. Maximum dimension is 600 pixels.
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- We think this was a Green Heron.
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- Great Blue Heron.
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- We saw many different birds, large and small.
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- The La Chua Trail leads to a sinkhole that feeds the water into the Florida aquifer.
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- We counted 54 alligators on our walk along La Chua Trail.
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- Great Blue Heron.
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- Great Blue Heron.
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- A Great Egret.
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- Egret and Great Blue Heron
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- Little Blue Heron.
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- Even the squirrels posed for photos.
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- These little birds were about 4 inches long and accompanied us along the trail.
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- A half-dozen of the alligators were along the edge of the dike, 10 to 30 feet from the trail.
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- Amazing, almost prehistoric, creatures.
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- This alligator was about 20 feet from the trail, the minimum recommended distance on land.
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- Paynes Prairie is an enchanting place.
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- High clouds made for bright light without harsh contrast.
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- The largest alligators were 12 feet long.
