South Florida’s Urban Wildlife
I love Miami. The diversity here is what makes it such a wonderful place to live, with interesting people from all over the world, an endless array of activities, and of, course, the incredible weather we have. Well, at least the weather from Nov – May!
Miami benefits tremendously from its geography and for that same reason, is a wildlife haven. I can walk out my door in the Coral Gables neighborhood of Miami-Dade and see crocodiles, manatees, and a variety of birds befitting a zoological aviary.
Recently I decided to do a bit of a deeper dive into what was indigenous versus native and wrote about it for Coral Gables Magazine. The article would not have been possible without the incredible photography by my good friend and neighbor Don Elliott and his amazing captures of birds in action. Don also took the closeup of the croc that is my featured photo for this post. Just going through all his photos was a treat.
I hope you enjoy reading the article as much as I did writing it: Wildlife in the UrbanTropics.
Looks more like a manatee than a crocodile?
If you go to the website you will see the amazing Croc shot!
Super interesting to read and see the pictures also. I love anything about wildlife.
I really enjoyed reading the article! Well done! Wildlife is one of my dearest interests, so I am particularly grateful to have observed a Roseate Spoonbill in the wild. I’ve yet to observe an American Crocodile though! Hopefully someday!
Miami should be celebrated for what it is beyond the glam and glitz. Thank you for your voice and your promotion of that fact!
And thanks to Don for capturing our fabulous wild neighbors on “film.” His images tell the story so beautifully!
Great article, Karen! And, yes, your friend Don is a wonderful photographer. Happy New Year!
Coral Gables, what a fantastic place to live,such an abundance of wildlife on the doorstep,amazing photography and a brilliant informative read, thank you.
So glad you enjoyed the post and article!
Loved your post and the article Karen. I didn’t realize there were actually crocs in the US. They look much more frightening than our SC gators. Your friend is an amazing photographer, truly! The only manatee I’ve ever seen was outside of Naples. We were on a small boat and the water was a bit too murky to see it well but I was thrilled just the same! Loved that image especially
Thanks so much, Tina. I actually took the pic of the manatee – with my iPhone. A nice filter on a DSL lens would’ve helped minimize the glare. Oh well.
Our crocs do look fierce, but the experts say gators are more aggressive. We all keep clear in any case, and if your golf ball lands too close – you get a free drop!