The wildlife in Florida is fantastic, and it's everywhere, not just in the major wildlife reserves.  From the house, you will see herons, osprey, wood storks and egrets (and perhaps the odd frog, snake, turtle & maybe even a small alligator occasionally in the lake!).  And just 5 minutes away is Lakes Park, a lovely wild place with good walking and biking trails. 

Here's a selection of the wildlife seen recently by us and our guests (you know who you are - thanks to you for your photos!):

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is only about 15 minutes from the house, and is a great wild place to see alligators & birdlife.  It's one of our favourite places, and has a new visitor centre.  In April we saw otters & wild pigs in addition to all the usual suspects - alligators, turtles etc.

There are places further afield that are well worth a visit too.  Choose from the Everglades, Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve on Sanibel, Corkscrew Swamp Preserve down by Naples, or maybe Lake Trafford near Imokalee.  The Everglades and Lake Trafford have airboats, as well as more alligators than you can imagine.  Ding Darling has a tramcar (not expensive, and well worth it for first time visitors) or you can drive or bike.  Corkscrew is a boardwalk.  And Shark Valley in the Everglades has a tram tour which we very much enjoy.  Alternatively you can bike the Shark Valley loop, but be aware that there are lots of alligators!

Dolphins sometimes play in the surf on the beaches.  It can happen anywhere, but Sanibel's Lighthouse beach is particularly good - spend an hour there at the tip of the island, and you're almost guaranteed to see them.  If you're on any beach or pier & you see people all looking out to sea, it's usually because they've spotted dolphins.  And if you go on a boat trip, dolphins will often play in the wake.

If you're there in the winter, the amazing manatees come into the warm waters of the Caloosahatchee River (near the FPL power plant).  Manatee Park is a good viewing place, just across the road from the power station - they love the warm water from the outflow pipes.  In the warmer months, they can be found throughout Gulf waters, and you may be lucky enough to see them from a boat trip.  Here's what happened to some lucky guests one November a while ago: