Friday September 29th 2023

This was another day of unknown weather. The day began cloudy and a little foggy. It looked like it would rain at anytime. During the early afternoon the sun tried to make an appearance, but it was less successful than on previous days. Late in the afternoon a thunderstorm attempted to form overhead. The sky got dark and made a lot of noise, but any rain was probably to the east of here. Overall it was a confusing day with high temperatures in the upper eighties.

I traveled around the park by car and on foot looking for wildlife once again. There was more human activity in the park today which probably contributed to the lower visible animal activity. I didn’t see any deer or turkeys today. The bird activity seemed to be well away from the trails and roads. There were a few alligators visible swimming in the Upper Myakka Lake, but once again none were on land.

There must be fewer alligators in the area at this time than I am used to seeing in the December to April time frame when I usually visit. In those months, there have been days that I’ve seen thirty or more gators all along the river and lake. During this visit on the best day I saw five alligators all swimming. I wonder where they go and how far they travel. What makes this a place to gather in the winter, but not in the summer?

As the weekend approaches the park is getting more active. During the week it has been very quiet. Today I saw people fishing in the river and lots of campers arriving to occupy the empty sites in the campground. I don’t think the campgrounds will be full, but they will be a lot closer than they have been during the week.