A Week at Myakka River–Part 1

January 16- January 24, 2021                              Most Recent Posts:
Myakka River State Park          Beginning 2021 With Murphy Hanging Around
Sarasota, FL                                                   Alafia and Continuing Slide Troubles

I’m going to post this blog in two parts to see if that will work since it won’t post as one.  If it goes through, I’ll post the other tomorrow.  Because of all this hassle, I’m now nearly a month behind.

I moved on Saturday, for a week in mid January,  from Oscar Scherer, a favorite park of mine, to Myakka River State Park, another favorite.   Saturday is not my favorite moving day.  Too much traffic and no services if something goes wrong.  But luckily nothing in addition to the persistent hydraulic problems showed up.  At least they don’t bother me on the road.

My site at Myakka was a very long pull through with full hook ups and luckily level enough that I didn’t have to  level it up.  Good thing since I still can’t use the jacks.

The view out the front window wasn’t spectacular but OK.  Pooh and his friends are doing well on the dashboard.

The two parks are fairly close so the drive was short  After arriving, I was able to do a few chores like wash the front window and change the water filters.

There is plenty of wild life here, mostly concentrated around the Myakka River which is an easy walk in both directions from the campground..

Everybody was fishing for dinner.

The white egret has his feathery breeding plumage starting to show.

Who’s the fairest of them all??

He seems to be following the Little Blue Egret I guess hoping Little Blue might drop his catch.   I can never get over the little Blue’s green legs.  What a design.

It’s fun watching the  heron turn the fish this way and that way, drop it, pick it back up, all in an effort to get it down the hatch.

And he finally does.  Ugg that looks uncomfortable to swallow something that big whole.  Don’t blame him for  stretching his neck. I’m sure glad I have teeth and don’t have to swallow everything whole.

The Myakka is a very fine paddling river and I was happy to get out in the kayak. The bank is sometimes lined with lovely old live oak trees.

And frequently  lined with sunning alligators where there are no trees.  His tail is longer than his body.

Further on down the river, this pair were sharing the bank but not too close.  I paddle far enough away that should they be spooked and jump up into the river, they cannot hit my boat.

Gator Left

Gator Right

I love the rudder on my kayak because it enables me to hold myself in one place as the river tries to push me along and watch the wildlife.  I sat here for quite some time and watched the antics and courtship of a couple  of limpkins.  He was chasing her.  She kept flying back and forth across the river to try to shake him.

Eventually they took a stroll together and I moved on down the river.

A tri colored heron has his eye on something.

The waterfowl was in the river, beside the river and in the air over the river

The common Moorhen has a candy corn colored bill and green legs.  Is there some reason for this particular coloring??

How I would love to be able to do this.

I’m the fairest, I’m the fairest.

Wet heads and dry heads.

Cruising down the river on a gorgeous day in JANUARY!  This is why I love being in Florida in the winter.

Two in flight.

I hung around here and watched this snowy egret decide.  Should he walk in the water in front of the gator.

Or Walk around behind him?

Looks like he’s hot footin’ it in those golden slippers.

Sometimes it’s a little debris  in the water.

This time, it’s not.

Great Blue Heron appears to be standing on a nest.

Watching another fisherman, this time a wood stork, with a bigger fish and a bigger mouth.

I guess he’ll make it with that big fish but I was making him nervous so I didn’t stay to watch.

I took this picture of a wood stork earlier in the afternoon.  His bill looks great for spear fishing but doesn’t look so good for holding on to the fish and getting it in his mouth.  That thing is long.

Wednesday found me inside in front of the TV, an unusual place for me but I didn’t get to see much of the actual swearing in unfortunately because of course the RV Techs showed up at that exact time  for the next installment of trying to make my hydraulics work, installing a new cable from the battery to the hydraulic motor. That didn’t fix the issue either. 

But at least  FINALLY, a new president and the first woman as Vice President.  I nearly held my breath fearing for their safety in this dangerous political situation.  I feel like I have been living in a 3rd world country where a coup was attempted and luckily failed.

 

I certainly hope we are going to get back to more civility and stability and less narcissistic extremism.  It feels nice to just say President Biden. 

Come back for part 2 to see my close encounter with a gator.