Bird Watching, iOutdoors Blog, Nature Adventures
Finding BIRDS!
The best time of year to bird watch largely depends on where you are and what you expect to see. Technically, any day would be a good day because there’s bound to be a bird flying somewhere at any given time. In fact, you can go bird watching on your front or backyard anytime you want.
Still, if you are serious about bird watching, spring is among the best seasons to go. This is the time when they are displaying a wide variety of full color breeding plumage. You’ll also hear them singing and calling to each other in this courting season.
Summer is also a good option because the birds are nesting and would probably follow the same pattern day after day – find food to bring to their young. So, it would be easy to spot them, searching for food. However, by the end of summer, there are less birds venturing out as most species undergo molting.
You should be on the lookout for spring and fall migrations. At these times, you’ll be seeing hundreds or even thousands of the same species traveling together. It is best to go bird watching during early mornings when the birds are more active, calling each other and flying around. There are certain places that migratory birds frequent year after year; thus, you might want to go bird watching there.
Seeing rare birds is one of the dreams of a bird watcher. For this, you might want to listen to the weather report are certain conditions lead to drift migration of species that don’t usually fly to a certain place.
Air to Ground, Hunting Fl, iOutdoors Blog, Nature Adventures, Water Sports
No Burn Here!
The sun’s rays, although essential for life on Earth, is also the source of ultraviolet light that can cause sunburns, premature aging, and skin diseases such as cancer. Sun block, as its name implies, blocks the sun’s rays from reaching the skin. However, the sun block products available at the market are not created equal – some of them are more effective than the others. Still, it is important to use the best sun blocks to ensure utmost protection.
Adding to the confusion, most products claim that they are the best – does that mean you can just choose any one of them? Well, not really. Experts recommend reading the label first before buying a sun block. Most sun blocks contain zinc which is considered to be among the best ingredients for blocking the sun. Still, this is not enough. You must also check if the product contains titanium oxide.
PABA or para-aminobenzoic acid is a common ingredient in sunscreens and sun blocks; however, this can be an irritant to some users. Thus, if you are planning to use the product on your face, it is best to choose one that is PABA-free.
A waterproof sunscreen is always better than one which is not because the product will stay on even if you sweat or have fun in the water.
The sun blocks offering high sun protection factors or SPFs are often much better than those with lesser SPFs. Thus, a product with SPF 50 is much better than one with SPF 15. Of course, those with ultrahigh SPFs such as 100+ are the best. The higher the SPF, the longer time the user can stay under the sun without getting burned.
iOutdoor expert can guide you in right directions.
Air to Ground, Hunting Fl, iOutdoors Blog, Nature Adventures, Water Sports
Repel Bugs with POWER
Insects, especially mosquitoes, can give you unsightly red blotches and bite marks. They can also bring in diseases, some of them deadly. Thus, it is important to protect yourself from insect bites. It is a good thing that there are already plenty of insect repellents available in the market.
Of course, like any product, insect repellents are not created equal. Thus, some work much better than others. So, how do you choose the best insect repellent? Use the following guidelines to help you find the most effective product.
DEET or N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide
Check the label of the insect repellent for DEET. This ingredient is among the very first to be used against insects and continues to be among the most effective chemicals against insects. Don’t worry, scary as its name may sound, it is deemed by countless research studies to be safe for use by humans. Its protection also lasts for more than 6 hours. Some formulations can allow 12 hours of protection.
Picaridin
This has also been approved as insect repellent. It is derived from pepper and has been proven to be effective, though, not as effective as DEET.
Oil of lemon, eucalyptus, geranium, soybean, citronella, and other natural sources
This is a great alternative, especially for people who want to use natural products. It has a sweet smell, is not sticky, and can be effective for up to 7 hours. Some formulations and ingredients are safe to be used by pregnant women and children of all ages.
When choosing what product to buy, consider how long do you need the protection and if you can tolerate products that contain any of these ingredients. Some products do work better on some people. but if u do not know, lets ioutdoor know, we can guide you.
Air Boat Ride, iOutdoors Blog, Nature Adventures
Riding on Water!
Airboats are flat-bottomed water vessels popular in the Florida Everglades as a means of transport through the swamps and marshes. These boats have an aircraft-type propeller and use either aircraft or automotive engine. Powerful boats, they can have a glass bottom – preferred for eco-tourism – or an aluminum body.
How they work
The airboats have powerful propellers that produce a column of air towards the rear part of the boats to move them forward. Meanwhile, steering is done through vertical rudders that work using forced air. Because of these mechanisms, the airboats can only travel forward and steered to the left or right but can never move in reverse. These boats do not have brakes, too. Thus, the operation of these vehicles requires skill and knowledge.
Moreover, the propeller and the engine of the boats must be kept free from debris and objects (i.e., clothing, wildlife, branches, etc.) because when anything aside from water keeps in contact with the whirling propellers, the spray of material will damage the engine and boat, and can cause damage to passengers. To prevent such accidents, most of the time, the engines and the propeller are protected by a metal cage.
Usage
Today, airboats are being used for different purposes. At the Florida Everglades and Louisiana Bayou, these vessels are used for ecotourism. These are also used for hunting, fishing, and bowfishing. Also, these vehicles are great options as rescue vessels during floods and various rescue operations. In fact, in the recent decade, airboats have saved the lives of millions of people all over the world and numerous articles about these boats have been written in journals, magazines, and books. These vehicles are also used as patrol boats by the military.
Air Boat Ride, iOutdoors Blog, Nature Adventures
Air Boats: Everglades
The Everglades is one of the world’s most interesting and complex ecosystems which cover more than 730 square miles of wilderness and swamp. This area is unique in that unlike the rest of the eastern United States, it is still very much untamed and is home to quite an array of wildlife and nature. So what is the best way to wound through the Winding Mangrove creeks and Bays into the Everglades? The answer is – airboat tours.
Inclusive Packages of Airboat Tours
There are many airboat tour services provided for touring the Everglades and they all have their own, unique packages for enticing visitors. The most common package, however, is a 30-minute guided tour with narrative through the Everglades, and its fauna and flora. Throughout the tour, there will be stops wherein added trips such as trekking, platform viewing, and alligator viewing are also included. Airboat tour rides can vary from 30 minutes, one hour, to one and a half tours depending on the airboat charter. An air boat tour can even include an ending tour to a safari park located in the Everglades where nature and live alligator shows are conducted for the public.
Why Air boating?
Air boating is the fastest and safest way to reach the Everglades. Airboats are also called fan boats and can be described as very shallow-drafted flat bottom boats which are specifically designed for swamp travel. An air boat is powered by a single large fan attached to an engine mounted above the body of the boat. The air boat can travel through waters even only a few inches deep and is even capable of skidding for brief distances across sand or bare ground. Traveling in an air boat can be as fast as 35 miles per hour which gives visitors an exhilarating way of touring the Everglades.
What Can Be Seen in the Everglades?
While on an air boat tour, which can either be held during the day or at night, a guide will be on board at all times so that visitors won’t be looking around and not knowing what they see. These guides are professionals and are very much familiar with the Everglades. Guides will be pointing out the exotic array of wildlife that can be spotted on an air boat tour through the Everglades including exotic birds and alligators in their natural and undisturbed habitats.
Air Boat Ride, Air to Ground, Bird Watching, Eco Tours, Hiking, iOutdoors Blog, Kayaking Canoeing
Everglades Fun : Top 10 things to do
There are a few places in the world that can compare to the scenery and the diverse ecosystem found in that Florida’s famed Everglades National Park. Tourists who are planning to visit this natural wonder should not miss out on doing some of these 10 things.
- Hike the Long Pine Trail (14 miles) – Travelers should try to hike this trail, which is six miles south of the main entrance to the Everglades.
- Canoe the Nine-Mile Pond – Trail – This four-hour canoe ride takes tourists into a magnificent small freshwater lake.
- Hike the Coastal Prairie – Trail (14 miles) – Hikers should also try hiking in this outback trail that begins at the back of the Flamingo campground.
- Tram Tour of Shark Valley – This is a seven-mile paved trail that was once built by oil drillers. It now serves as a pathway to the center of the Everglades.
- Visit the “Pa-Ha-Okee Overlook” – Travelers should also visit this short boardwalk trail on the way to the Flamingo campground.
- Canoe the Ten Thousand Islands – Vacationers should spend a full day in canoeing at the western portion of the park.
- Hike the Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo Trails – These popular trails are situated few minutes from the main entrance.
- Visit the Eco Pond Trail at Flamingo – This famous mile hike is located around a pond that is within the Flamingo campgrounds.
- Take a Boat Tour at Flamingo – This tour can bring such wonders of the park to the lives of the tourists.
- Attend a Ranger Evening Program – Vacationers should attend this evening event in order to know more about this nature-filled sanctuary.
