That's what people are telling me they heard is that I have the best Louisiana swamp tour, and that they went and researched reviews, and so apparently my daughter was right when she curiously asked me a few years ago; "Daddy, are you
the world's most famous swamp tour guide?"
A stock photo of me and Christina by Philip Gould
Little children say the funniest things!
At any time, if you come to do a tour with me, I will be the best swamp tour guide I can be, and after 25 years of doing tours for my friends and guests from all over the world, being the best is not as important as being happy and sharing the rich culture, wildlife and humor Cajun Country is famous for, and that's what really matters to me.
Now, if you are wondering if we are flooded over here, I need to advise you to the contrary, the flood is on the other side of a huge levee twenty miles east of me. And furthermore, we are suffering from low water due to a drought, so as far as I am concerned, I wish the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers would install some distribution outlets in the west protection levee and send some water our way, because we need it and it is wrong to try to control flooding by containment, when nature, if we were doing nothing, would deal with floods by allowing it to distribute over a 200 mile wide flood plain that is no longer allowed to flood. A "controlled" distribution would NOT ALLOW peoples farmland or houses to flood, because it would spread out the flood waters and prevent it from rising so high, and thus be a be a better flood control program, it would also be good for wildlife and the coastal wetlands environment. Helloooooo! A floodplain is supposed to flood periodically.
Below is a collection of photos by my friend Claude Nall. All photos are copyrighted and courteously shared for your viewing pleasure. These photos were all taken last week at
the swamp surrounding Lake Martin, over a period of 3 days and includes sunsets, a full moon rising and setting, and wildlife all in one of the most amazing and beautiful landscapes in Louisiana.
I will label the photos and especially the wildlife before I publish this post, so you don't have to wonder what they are.
Above is a sunset photo shot from the boat landing, where you can go and take photos like this from land without being in a boat. And below is the full moon rising in the Bald Cypress trees.
A Great Egret flew into this shot at just the right moment to add a big plus to this photo. Claude was not trying to capture the bird, just the sunset. This photo is a good example of how exciting and spontaneous Lake Martin can be for photography, bird watching, or nature study.
Great Egret(right) and Anhinga Cormorant(left)
Three Great Egrets in the early morning fog
Black Bellied Whistling Duck
A Great Egret eating shad
Below are three photos of the blossoms of American Lotus, which are firmly entrenched in the ecology of Lake Martin.
Above, a baby American Alligator, which is obviously a baby, evident by the large eyes. When you compare the proportion of the eyes to the head in comparison to the photos below, you can see an adult alligator below has smaller eyes in proportion to the size of the head.
If you like what you see, and you are planning a trip to
south central Louisiana to visit Lafayette and Breaux Bridge, and maybe do a swamp tour with me, I can be reached by calling my cell phone for reservations at 337 298 2630.
And here is the thought for the day: "If a man says something in the swamp and there is no woman around, is he still wrong?" ;-)
The last photo is a save the best for last, it is the full moon setting over Lake Martin at about 3:30AM with the orange glow of Lafayette in the background. Enjoy!
