A CRUISE TO THE PEACE RIVER

As I travel the state of Florida, USA, enjoying the natural environment of birds, fish and wildlife has kept me very busy.
Just yesterday @thebigsweed and I went on a 3 hour cruise down the Peace river in Punta Gorda, Florida. I love being on the water , so as we started out from the marina into Charlotte Harbor, I just sat back to enjoy the ride. The ocean air and the gentle movement of the boat was the perfect pairing for a relaxing afternoon.

It didn't take long for the relaxation to end and the excitement to began. The captain came on the loud speaker to point out the dolphins that were in hot pursuit of the vessel.

We hadn't even gotten out of the harbor yet and there they were, flipping and diving in and out of the water. So cool.

It was so hard to take pictures, they are incredibly fast swimmers.

I just kept shooting my camera, with the hope that I could capture just a few pictures of those beautiful creatures.
I was lucky enough to get this one of a mother and baby, swimming along side each other.

People on the boat were ooing and aahing, clapping and laughing, it was really fun to be there. Watching these amazing swimmers so close up was such a fantastic experience.

Once we cleared the harbor and started our journey up the Peace river, our dolphin friends swam back, deeper into the salt water of Charlotte Harbor.

As our boat began it's journey up the Peace river, a naturalist from the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center began to point out the mangroves. These mangroves are home to so many different kinds of birds.
A mangrove is a dense mass of tropical maritime trees or shrubs that send out prop roots to form important coastal land that are foundations of unique ecosystems. You will suffer a hefty fine if you disrupt these water land masses.

Birds are all over the mangroves. The trees are so dense, they can easily hide themselves away or bask in the afternoon sun.

The weather was perfect for our afternoon cruise and as we returned to the harbor, the sun began to set, dazzling all aboard.

This is my entry in #amazingnature contest @adalger.

Hope you enjoyed the journey!