Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Articles about our personal encounters with Florida wildlife.
In spring, alligators become more active as the days warm up. It’s also mating season, so alligators are on the move. Expect to see them anywhere and everywhere along Florida’s trails.
Although John is a native Floridian, our research trip to South Florida became an opportunity for him to see many natural “firsts” in Florida that most people have on their life lists.
There is a special magic surrounding a summer hike through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, where ghost orchids dance high above in the soft green canopy created by the ancient cypress protected here
Watching a sea turtle come ashore to lay its eggs is an incredible experience. Here are some of the places where you can join sea turtle walks in Florida.
An unexpected eye-to-eye encounter with a bald eagle from the top of the Cape San Blas Lighthouse in 2011, before it closed due to hurricane damage.
“A fed bear is a dead bear,” says Florida Fish & Wildlife. It’s time to make homeowners responsible for keeping trash and food out of reach when they live in bear territory.
Last Monday, we decided to visit an area behind a familiar trailhead. Sandy had noticed the unlocked gate before, so we decided to check it out. The gate led us to a slightly worn path and then an old sugar sand road. Walking along I noticed small bear prints in the white sand. They were …
Returning to the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation for the first time in a decade, I remember my visits of the past and celebrate the present with John with a panther sighting.
Visiting this Seminole County preserve for the first time, a string of excellent wildlife sightings culminates in seeing three bears at the trailhead.
One of the more fearless creatures you’ll encounter in Florida’s wilds is the wild hog. Here is advice from Florida Fish & Wildlife on how to cope with hogs.
Tips from Florida Fish & Wildlife on how best to manage encounters with Florida black bears, which are becoming more common in certain parts of Florida.
As I discovered later, bear sightings are common at Kelly Park. But this bear certainly surprised me at the end of my research hike for Five Star Trails Orlando.
