Walking the La Chua Trail always is a nature treat. The 1.5-mile walk to an observation platform takes you on a path through Paynes Prairie State Park.

My most recent visit to La Chua Trail provided a variety of wildlife.

Alligators slowly cruised through the waterways or were sunning on the banks — or sometimes were lying in the weeds just a few yards from the path.

Blue herons and egrets were fishing in shallow water areas.

This is the time of year for the Sandhill cranes. These cranes fly in from Minnesota to stay warm on the prairie. Hundreds of them were feeding in marshy areas near the observation platform. I could hear them calling about a half mile before I could see them. I have always loved photographing and paying tribute to the sandhill cranes as you can see in other blog posts.

In the same area with the cranes were wild horses and bison. I’ve seen the wild horses a couple of times before, but this was the first time I’d seen bison at Paynes Prairie. What a treat!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.