Friday March 3rd 2023

There were a few more clouds in the sky today, but the sun still won the battle for dominance. The temperature climbed into the mid eighties just like the past few days. The big difference today was the wind. A very strong wind out of the east blew until shortly before sunset. It was a hat catching day. I had to hold onto my hat a few times to keep it on my head and I participated in a catch that hat contest that another guy started against the wind. He recovered his hat after a fifty foot or more chase.

I slept in this morning. The battle for a state park reservation for next winter will resume tomorrow. There weren’t any good options available this morning. I had a leisurely paced breakfast this morning while watching many of my neighbors pack up to leave. The weekenders arrived in the afternoon to fill the empty sites.

In the early afternoon I ventured out along the Tamiami trail to the east. I was looking for another hiking opportunity that is identified on the map. Unfortunately it is currently closed. I ended up back at the Marsh Trail in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The birds didn’t disappoint me. Probably because of the wind they were in different locations, but there were plenty of them. Today I didn’t see any Rosetta Spoonbills, but there were a pair of Brown Pelicans to observe. The trail was very busy. I had to wait for a parking space in the relatively small lot.