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Alafia Hiker
United States
Приєднався 19 бер 2019
An avid hiker based near the Alafia River in west central Florida, seeking wildlife and natural surroundings.
This is to be a 7 year project. I'd like a video posted for every day of the year so I can look back on my adventures.
This is to be a 7 year project. I'd like a video posted for every day of the year so I can look back on my adventures.
Hiking the Palm Bluff Conservation Area
It had been a while since I filmed a Chuck Will's Widow. I mean, I'm pretty sure that's what they were. They look so similar to other birds.
I scared up three of them. One of course pretended to have a broken wing to lead me away from the others. So crazy to watch them do that.
Crossing Deep Creek was no problem. The dry season is just now coming to an end, and we didn't get a wet season last year, so this has to be as dry as this property can get.
Some of the area has cattle grazing, but I only saw one cow along the powerlines section.
I saw lots of deer though. One big herd in particular. Had a good mix of bucks, doe, and spotted fawns.
On the way out I found some gopher tortoises. One came close so I got some good close ups of it eating.
There was also a point when I heard a bunch coyotes. That was pretty exciting.
Other than that I just spent my day enjoying the small birds, insects, lizards, and flowers like usual. Good times.
Oh yeah, I found carnivorous plants again too!
I scared up three of them. One of course pretended to have a broken wing to lead me away from the others. So crazy to watch them do that.
Crossing Deep Creek was no problem. The dry season is just now coming to an end, and we didn't get a wet season last year, so this has to be as dry as this property can get.
Some of the area has cattle grazing, but I only saw one cow along the powerlines section.
I saw lots of deer though. One big herd in particular. Had a good mix of bucks, doe, and spotted fawns.
On the way out I found some gopher tortoises. One came close so I got some good close ups of it eating.
There was also a point when I heard a bunch coyotes. That was pretty exciting.
Other than that I just spent my day enjoying the small birds, insects, lizards, and flowers like usual. Good times.
Oh yeah, I found carnivorous plants again too!
Переглядів: 148
Відео
Sunnyhill Restoration Area: West Tract
Переглядів 133День тому
Ever have a bear walk in front of you while your face is in the camera filming a turkey? I slightly sensed something move, and expected maybe a deer. Oddly enough as the bear was walking away, scaring the turkey off, a deer did snort off to my side, so there was a lot going on. My focus was on the bear at this point. It didn't look directly at me. More like it looked across the path in front of...
Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve Driving Tour
Переглядів 15514 днів тому
Self guided driving tour through the Botany Bay WMA. One thing that made this a little more fun was printing out the tour sheet and giving it to my wife so she could be the tour guide. The points of interest are numbered and there is information listed on the sheet for each stop. I was of course more interested in the wildlife I could find, so I didn't retain any of those interesting facts. LOL...
Green Swamp Preserve, NC
Переглядів 10321 день тому
A short walk in the rain to see carnivorous plants. Since I'm from central Florida, I normally associate the Green Swamp as a local hike, but not this Green Swamp. This one is located in North Carolina and is home to some unique plants. There are a few species of carnivorous plants here such as pitcher plants and sundews. There are also some species of orchids, but the real draw were the Venus ...
Wildlife of the NC Inner Banks
Переглядів 672Місяць тому
If you like black bears, this is the place for you. The inner banks of North Carolina is loaded with wildlife. In this video we drive around in the van to find as many animals as we can. We filmed bear, muskrat, vulture, geese, king snake, grackle, fox squirrel, turtles, deer, rabbit, cardinal, grosbeak, cormorant, indigo bunting, quail, otter, barred owl, heron, egret, turkey, and wood duck.
Rocktop at Crowders Mountain State Park
Переглядів 85Місяць тому
Visiting a North Carolina State Park in this episode. We made a loop starting at the Sparrow Springs Access then using the Rocktop Trail, the Crowders Trail, and the Backside Trail. I expected this to be a busy hike. It was a Saturday in May and the park is pretty close to Charlotte. We mostly saw people at the top and bottom of the trail. Along the way we able to mostly keep to ourselves. Anot...
Vogel State Park & Helton Creek Falls
Переглядів 169Місяць тому
Wildlife and waterfalls! Mountains and lakes! So much to see at this Georgia State Park. We decided to hike the Bear Hair Gap Trail. It climbs up to the Vogel Overlook, high above Lake Trahlyta. As we made our way through the forest we found streams with small cascades going down the mountains. There were millipedes, snails, birds, salamanders, insects, slugs, chipmunks, and snakes. At this poi...
Trip to Zoo Atlanta
Переглядів 122Місяць тому
Didn't get to see the Pandas last year but we made it to Atlanta this year! You may have heard they're leaving soon. They're going back to China so we wanted to check them out in case it was our last chance. Unfortunately we picked a rainy day to visit the zoo. Might have helped keep the crowds at bay though. Upon arrival we were told a lot of the animals wouldn't be out. We did see several sig...
T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Переглядів 537Місяць тому
The last stop on my way out of the Florida Panhandle this time, was a scenic excursion along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. There were dunes, miles of beaches, and plenty of wildlife. Might be strange, but my favorite encounter was the cotton rats. It was initially a challenge to get one on camera, but I succeeded. I also had nice deer sightings. Some were up close, along the road. Others we...
Hiking the Box-R Wildlife Management Area
Переглядів 1742 місяці тому
This was supposed to be my final stop on a previous trip to the Florida panhandle but I was rained out by a big storm that rolled in early. So I'm glad the weather cooperated on this panhandle road trip. Surprisingly I found more wildlife later in the day than I did in the morning. Maybe doing the loop I chose counterclockwise caused that. Hard to say. If I was to do it again, I might go clockw...
Hiking Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
Переглядів 1322 місяці тому
Considering it was supposed to rain all day, I'll take a windy overcast day instead, and be fine with it. The sun even made an appearance at the end of my visit. The plant life is a main attraction for this Florida State Park. Besides the many carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants and sundews, I found plenty of other flowers worth videoing. Wildlife was at a minimum, I presume due to the we...
Walking Falling Waters State Park
Переглядів 1572 місяці тому
Why didn't someone tell me they had bat boxes full of bats?! Such a nice surprise. I had already found a few deer and several different birds species, but the bats were definitely a highlight. I camped at this Florida State Park for a couple reasons. It was a good staging spot to get further into the panhandle, and it's in a county I still needed to film in. It's a fairly peaceful place though ...
Wildlife of the Celery Fields
Переглядів 2962 місяці тому
A bit of a Birding destination in Sarasota, FL, where we go into full on Birdwatching mode. Admittedly I was looking for as many nonfeathered friends as I could find too. Besides all the birds, there were tons of bunnies, a snake, some turtles, and a couple gators. The Sarasota Audubon Society has bird feeders to attract birds in closer, as well as nesting boxes. Across the street from the big ...
Hiking Wekiwa Springs State Park
Переглядів 1903 місяці тому
Across the water from Rock Springs Run State Reserve, I found myself in a similar situation. The long hike I planned didn't yield near as much wildlife as I found near the trailheads. Once I finished the loop I designed, I headed off toward the lake on the side of the property I hadn't explored yet. Very glad I did. So my loop basically started at Sand Lake and went to the boundary with Kelly P...
Hiking Deep Creek Preserve with Antsy
Переглядів 1853 місяці тому
Maybe not so much a destination hike, but a nice day out, and my schedule aligned with another UA-camr, so it was a good chance to catch up. I also wanted to see if the boat ramp at Deep Creek Park would be a good place to put the paddleboard in on a future trip. I'm thinking of doing a loop using Deep Creek and the Peace River. Still undecided. The birds of prey were big highlights of the day....
Hiking Rock Springs Run State Reserve
Переглядів 1593 місяці тому
Hiking Rock Springs Run State Reserve
Hiking the Sunnyhill Restoration Area North Tract
Переглядів 2894 місяці тому
Hiking the Sunnyhill Restoration Area North Tract
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina
Переглядів 3124 місяці тому
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina
Brawley Mtn Tower via Benton MacKaye Trail
Переглядів 1244 місяці тому
Brawley Mtn Tower via Benton MacKaye Trail
Nighttime at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Переглядів 9195 місяців тому
Nighttime at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Hiking River Rise Preserve State Park
Переглядів 1845 місяців тому
Hiking River Rise Preserve State Park
Hiking the Bell Ridge Longleaf Wildlife & Environmental Area
Переглядів 1586 місяців тому
Hiking the Bell Ridge Longleaf Wildlife & Environmental Area
Hillsborough County Wildlife Part 2 | 8th Annual Hiking Spree
Переглядів 3476 місяців тому
Hillsborough County Wildlife Part 2 | 8th Annual Hiking Spree
Hillsborough County Wildlife | 8th Annual Hiking Spree
Переглядів 2936 місяців тому
Hillsborough County Wildlife | 8th Annual Hiking Spree
You were so lucky to see some nighthawk chicks !!!! Awesome
I hadn't seen something like that in a while.
Beautiful
Yes! Lots of nice trails out there.
Beautiful.
Oh, yes! Expected a stormy day and got a nice peaceful walk in the woods instead.
Does this go around in a circle if I keep walking or do I eventually need to go back the way I came. We got lost and couldn't go back because an alligator met us along the path.
As long as there aren't any closures, you can make all the trails into loop hikes, except Longleaf Lane. That one is only an out and back.
So interesting and I enjoyed reading your description! That was a big bear with his eyes on YOU! Glad everything went okay!
When I sensed something approaching, I was not expecting it to be a big black bear! Memorable day for sure.
Great capture of the black bear you remain remarkably calm! I had my bear encounter camping alone in the middle of the night in the Green Swamp you did the most important tactic for safety remaining calm that said after my bear encounter now I always carry bear spray!
Calm while my pulse doubled! lol. I need new bear spray. Mine's expired. It'll probably just ooze out if I ever need to pull the trigger. :/
@@AlafiaHiker use the expired spray to practice with but make sure it is not windy whenI I practiced with the expired can i got some windy blow back into me it was unpleasant for about 10 minutes
@@hikewithmike4673 Good idea.
That beautiful but big bear turning around and staring at you was scary. Lovely birds, flowers, deers, bees, butterflies,…Nice footages! 👏🏻😊👍🏻
Yeah, definitely made me nervous when it turned around. Great day in the woods though!
Very beautiful area ❣️
There were lots of nice beaches to choose from. Couldn't go wrong!
what a great beach!
That's what drew us there for sure!
Beautiful! That Cannonball jellyfish 🪼 was awesome looking!! 😮🥰
There were a couple of them on the beach. We hoped they were still okay when the tide came back in.
Beautiful video - love all the plants and flowers 🌺!
Unique plants and the sound of gentle rain. So nice.
thank you!!!
Such cool things to find on a walk!
They knew you were coming! 🎥 the otters! 🦦 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 & you lost me with that snake!
The otter was a nice find. I really liked the muskrats though!
Awesome video!! 😊 hope you wore your rain boots! Those were massive puddles!
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was wearing my jungle boots for this hike. Weather was actually supposed to have been worse.
wow! what an awesome place it is really wild that the Venus Flytrap native habitat is only about a 75 mile radius or so! So many carnivorous plants you came across. In my Florida hikes I have come across the following carnivorous plants: sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, and the Hooded Pitcher plant. Great video
Very nice. Carnivorous plants weren't really on my radar when I started filming. Once I found some in the panhandle my interest grew. Now I plan hikes just to see flytraps!!!
welcome to the dark side 😂
Wow!...lots of wildlife!
Yes! This area of NC is incredible. Even saw a Red Wolf while driving at night, on this visit.
Nice video.
Thanks. The abundance of wildlife made it easy to find subjects to film.
I was not a big fan of hiking there it was too much savannah hiking but it had a few interesting areas
I enjoyed the Western Loop when I went back for a second trip. The point where it reaches the river was a little disappointing though.
Awesome stuff, can't wait to go back this December. Hopefully I can see a panther.
Best of luck! I need to plan myself another visit.
That was a lot of bears!! The owls were beautiful ❤️
Yes! This is such a cool area.
There is so much wildlife. The Owls were amazing, and that one bear looked hurt, and was that a rattle snake?
There really is! Owls were nice and close. Definitely a bad foot or leg for that one bear. :( The snake was a Kingsnake.
Taking a trip to the Banks may turn out to be your best trip ever...... From Lake Mattamuskeet to Bodie and Pea Island your wildlife photography goes into overdrive!!😎👀👍
The area definitely warrants return visits! So much to see!
Awesome video. I love the IBX for wildlife but the flies are horrendous!
I was convinced the bugs were going to be bad but I've been lucky on my trips. I went in late Spring both times. Maybe that helped.
keep going Boss 🫡!!
Up and up and up! Was a big hill. lol
I can tell that was a challenging hike! Very cool - looks like fun!
Yeah, lots of fun. There were ways around most of the scrambles for those that weren't into that sort of thing... and I'm glad we took the steps down instead of up.
The cubs when they switched spots! So cute! ❤
They were a little wobbly but they pulled it off! :)
awesome video , were those birds and crabs bay side or ocean side ?
Mostly bay side. I think all I filmed on the ocean side were pelicans and ghost crabs.
@@AlafiaHiker nice am headed down there next month will be looking for that spot :)
Beautiful video! Loved the bear cubs and snails! Waterfalls, bubbling creeks, everything great 👍
Usually don't see as much when I'm with a group, but this was a really good day.
Nice video, loved the bear footage. Vogel State Park and the surrounding area is just the best. A great vacation destination!
Agreed. Such a great area. Park is under construction right now, but once that's done it will be perfection.
Jackpot! Cubs.
For sure! I really don't have many cubs on video.
Oh my. That waterfall was fabulous. And those 🐻 ❤
Was so nice being right up against a waterfall like that.
Awesome!
Yes! I should've visited this place sooner.
i guess pink paint on the turtle is a girl and blue paint a boy.
Yeah, we noticed that, but then it looked like some had both colors. Assuming the paint just rubbed off onto the other. Not sure I got that on film though.
excellent video thank you for sharing!
No problem! Was a cool place to spend a couple nights.
Great video! Nice zoo!
It was fun, even in the rain.
What is the video equipment that you use?
In this one I'm using the Panasonic FZ300 and an Insta360 One X(on a really long selfie stick)
What a difference in video quality from then til now. Very interesting. Thank you
For sure! Started with a tiny little camera with the goal of filming my entire hikes. Figured out fairly quickly it was the wildlife I really wanted to get on video.
Absolutely beautiful! I really liked the little rat too (surprisingly)! People say Florida is too crowded, but I think that's mainly in the big cities and where people try to cram together living at the beach. The Florida countryside and places like this are just amazing ❤
Took some patience to get the rat on film, but I really wanted it. I tell friends and family about how little traffic I see on these trips. I live in one of our most populated counties. It's so nice to visit the counties with less people.
salty sugar sand surface is nearly a desert, but a subterranean layer of fresh water sits atop the saltwater layer and feeds into a prolific mixed food chain
Hadn't thought much about where everything is getting its fresh water from. Nice!
I really enjoy your videos not only because the beautiful animal shots but I like that there is no talking during them
Thanks! I mostly let nature be the focus.
beautiful! and another addition to my itinerary next january.
Yes! Definitely worth the visit.
What a beautiful place to go birding! New subscriber here ✨
Yes, it is! Filmed some new birds there.
Beautiful video! I liked the railroad tracks and the little purple and yellow wildflowers. Thanks for all you do!
Where the tracks cross the river was really nice. I'll probably explore more around there, if I make it back some day.
Where I met my husband
Nice!
The Swallowtails!!!!! I think they are magic. Do you know what the sparrow was at 6:11, Fox Sparrow? Very good birds.
It took a while but I decided on Blue Grosbeak.
@@AlafiaHiker I think your right. His bill was way to big for a sparrow. Beautiful bird. Good find.
Beautiful video! We like to camp at Big Lagoon State Park right down the road from there - has some nice trails and boardwalks too!
If I had more time I would have totally checked that place out. Maybe one day I'll have the chance.
carnivorous plants! in bloom! i have them in pots in my backyard and love seeing them in their natural habitat! this is timely...i'm planning next january's trip, flying into pensacola this time. now i know what not to miss while i'm there!
Nice! This will be a good stop and I've heard good things about nearby Big Lagoon SP. Not sure if they will be blooming in January.
If a hurricane comes up the East Coast of Florida, I am going there!! Do you know what the bird was that was in the water, acting like a Cormorant but looking wrong for it?
I had to look it up afterward. I think it's a loon.
Gorgeous
Yes! Didn't see a lot of wildlife but the landscapes and plant life came through.
Awesome!….I come across many carnivorous plants on my swamp hikes. I got to check this place out!
I have yet to see a carnivorous plant on my hikes. If I ever do it’ll be a blessing fs
Found some cool ones in North Carolina recently too. Video is probably 6 weeks out though.