Wednesday January 4th 2023

This morning was cloudy and dull. It looked like it would rain at any minute, but the approaching storm front was sill over the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida panhandle. As the day progressed a few brief moments of rain passed through the area. The temperature still managed to climb into the low eighties. A tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning were issued for the county late in the day. Around 4PM the western sky turned very dark as the storm front approached. The actual period of wind and heavy rain was very short, but lite rain and showers continued into the evening.

During the early afternoon I ventured out to the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park again. There were more cars than usual in the parking lot, but I saw very few people out in the park. Today was a Great Egret viewing day. There were at least four on the sides of the ponds as I walked the trails. These birds were not accustom to people. I couldn’t get very close without them taking to the air to gain distance from an identified threat.

There was quite a bit of wind today. The smaller water birds were staying in the grass and reeds for shelter. Often you could hear them, but not see them. The wind also kept the green surface slime clear in some areas of the ponds. For some reason the birds and turtles don’t seem to like the clear areas.

The rain prevented me from taking my evening walk around the park. Based on the view from my site, it looks like the occupancy today stayed at about the same level as yesterday. There didn’t seem to be many departing RVs or arrivals today.