Monday April 4th 2022

The temperature is in the high eighties, the humidity is high and there is very little breeze. Those three things add up to a hot and sticky day. Even so, I got my exercise in wandering along the banks of the Myakka River.

The low river level makes it easier to access some of the areas along the river, but you have to be careful. The grassy river banks also make ideal places for the alligators to warm in the sun. Lower water levels also concentrate the gators around the deep water holes. There are many more alligators in view today than last December.

The bird population is just the opposite. There seem to be fewer wading birds around. I haven’t seen any Rosetta Spoonbills, Egrets or Ibis so far this visit. The absence of spoonbills doesn’t surprise me but the egrets and ibis are ubiquitous in most of Florida. There are several pairs of noisy Limpkins that you can’t ignore. By far the most prevalent type of birds are the herons. Great Blue Heron and Tricolor Herons are the most common larger bird species I’ve been observing.

The following collection of pictures is intended to provide an idea of the beautiful sights I’ve been seeing.