A Week at Myakka River–Part 2

January 16–24, 2021                                          Most Recent Posts:
Myakka River State Park                        A Week at Myakka River – Part 1
Sarasota, Florida                                Beginning 2021 With Murphy Hanging Around

For those of you who haven’t seen Part 1 of this post, there is a link above.  This one will make more sense if you have read that one first.  For some reason, blogger didn’t want to allow me to post all these pictures together.  HA!  So I fooled them and posted half in Part 1 and half in Part 2.  I’ll try not to include so many pictures next time.  Don’t want to make blogger uncooperative.

Returning to my hydraulic woes mentioned in Part 1.

The fix suggested by HWH didn’t solve the problem so they suggested I order something else, which I did but I’ll have to take it with me when I move and have yet another tech put it on.  I’m up to 3 techs and the next one will be number  4.  Still no slides or jacks.

Every evening I hike a trail along the river,  It starts near the former small wooden visitor center.  It’s through the Maritime Forest along the river bank and is probably my favorite here at Myakka.

There’s just something about these Live Oak trees draped in Spanish Moss that is wonderful.

White Ibis and their reflections in the water.  They are so numerous that folks call them the Florida chicken.  But isn’t that a great bill?  I like the colors at dusk.

There are views of the river all along the trail.

There are gators across the river on the bank opposite the trail and the Live Oaks.

Either this guy had one recent spectacular meal or he’s not getting nearly enough exercise.  Look at the size of him.  Love the reflection in the water.

As the sun dips, the grasses turn golden on the opposite shore.

Ibis and Snow egret appearing to cross swords.

I’ve reached the end of the trail and am headed back when I stop to take this selfie and it’s probably what kept me from missing what happens next.

I’m moseying along as I do on this trail when I sense movement and up ahead I see him.  Do you see him?  I stop dead on the trail. 

He’s apparently come across the river and is walking up and into the woods crossing the trail right in front of me.  I sneak up this close and wait to see what he’s going to do.

Mostly I see gators in the water or laying on the bank.  I don’t often see them up on their feet with their legs extended.

I was so entranced by his walking that I didn’t think of taking a video of it until almost too late.  He walked quite a bit while I watched but I only got the last step before he plopped down with his tail over the trail – of course.

You can see that video here.     Let me know if it works.

I decided it wasn’t prudent to walk behind him near the water so I swung a wide arc out in front of him through the brush which is thick in the forest.  I tried to keep my eye on him – but this was the  last I could see before it got too thick.

When I thought I’d gone beyond him, I cut back in but as you can see, I wasn’t far enough away I didn’t think.  So back into the bush.

Finally I got back on the trail and was sorry that I couldn’t have stayed to watch and see what he did but it was getting dark and it didn’t seem wise.

After that adventure, this view made me laugh out loud.  Looks like alligator jaws to me.

On the other side of the river I saw something big and black.  My camera lens showed it to be one of the wild boar that tear up the park and for which the park has cages and I believe licensed hunters.

I wonder if a piglet could have been the dinner that so greatly expanded the alligator I’d seen earlier.

Another spot I like to visit in Myakka is the bird walk where I went the following day.  It’s a long pier that runs out into Lake Myakka and usually has great bird viewing.

But this week the lake was very low and there were not many birds and those that were here were very far away.  A spotting scope would have been good.

With my camera I managed to pick up a few black necked stilts and several herons and egrets.

A group of Royal Terns flew in at one point.

There wasn’t much activity so I walked along the lake around to the Myakka River Outpost where they have a restaurant, small ice cream stand, gift shop, kayak and canoe rentals and a boat tour.  It’s a little over 2 miles between the pier and the outpost.

At some points, my walk was further from the water than at others.

I passed a wild boar trap/cage but it was closed.

For a good part of my walk I had company also walking down the shore.  There were 9 or 10 wild turkeys but I never saw the Tom.  They paraded along the edge of the trees on one side and I on the other.

I am so happy that the previous airboat tours of Lake Myakka have been replaced by pontoon boats.  Well done Florida State Parks.  Although I wonder what sort of Covid restrictions the boat has.  Florida is not very strict.

I arrive at the inlet where kayaks and canoes are rented.  In the distance is the Outpost which is literally up on posts.  The Pontoon dock is right next to it.

I don’t stop at the Outpost but walk on by through the trees headed for the old Weir where there are usually gators and birds, one in particular that I want to see.

There were a number of different birds hanging out here in numbers – stilts, herons, egrets and too many black vultures.  But I’d seen them all previously.  I’d come to find the Roseate Spoonbills.

Their pinks weren’t quite as rosy as I’ve seen before but aren’t those bills GREAT!

I know, too many pictures, but just a couple  more.  I doubt I will see them again this year.

Roseate spoonbills what a treat!  And if that wasn’t enough, I had one scoop of what Edy’s is calling Camo Hero.  Normally I avoid anything that sounds, looks or spells camo but I couldn’t resist what they described as “toasted marshmallow and graham cracker ice cream with trenches of peanut butter icing and chunks of chocolate cookies” 

I did wonder what made it green if there were no pistachios in it.  But it was delicious and fortified me for my long walk back.

On my way I came upon the same or another group  of wild turkeys and now I know “why the turkey crossed the road”.

Aren’t their bronze and shining colors gorgeous?

On my final morning in Myakka, as I was packing up, I was being observed by this tiny toad.

I have small hands.  This toad was TINY!

Do all toads look grumpy or was he just tired of my attention?

Well, I did it, I got the entire blog posted even if in two parts but now I’m WAY behind.

I’m headed about 90 miles south to Koreshan State Historic Site for two weeks.  If you’ve never heard of it, look it up.  What a history.

From there I went to Kissimmee Prairie for two weeks where the internet signal caused much of the posting problem.  I’m now at Silver Springs, my last Florida State Park for this winter.

I’m working on the Koreshan Post now and will try to get it up in a few days.  Don’t want to inundate you too much so that you tire of commenting.  <grin>