Quintessential Florida

Alligator reposing on a small island at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  This is quintessential old Florida at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

 

  Look at those long, sharp claws. And menacing teeth! 

Fun to observe gators in the wild...but always from a safe, healthy distance.

Big Beast

This is why you shouldn't stroll through the brush in Florida.  I spotted this big beast sunbathing next to a water filled ditch in rural Sarasota.  As I drove by, I did a double take and had to turn around and verify what I thought I'd seen.  This guy is huge!  Can't imagine walking along and stumbling across it.  The claws alone are scary.  Makes me wonder what it's eating out there in the wild to maintain such an impressive girth...

Colorful Gator

After running errands yesterday afternoon, I decided to stop by Myakka River State Park and see how it's fairing with all the rain we've been receiving (roads are dry....trails are flooded, I'm told).  As you probably know, gators are a common sight here. But, a gator with a rainbow under blue skies?  Very unusual!  (If you look closely to the upper left, a second rainbow can faintly be seen trying to appear.)

The saying goes that there's a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  So, what does it mean when a rainbow cuts across a gator's head?  (He didn't seem to mind.)  Maybe...good luck for the photographer?! 

Anhinga Trail

The most popular trail at Everglades National Park is the Anhinga Trail.  It's an easy walk along a boardwalk around an open swamp area.  The vistas are quite nice.  

Of course, you never know what you're walking near…or over. It's wise to keep your eyes open…and camera at the ready.

This is an anhinga -- the trail's namesake.  These are the birds that many times are seen with their wings spread out, drying, after plunging into the water for a meal.  Since it was late spring when the SDP team visited, I suspect most of the migratory birds, like the pretty roseate spoonbills, had already left.  So, we're already sharpening our pencils and planning a return trip in January or February.

Adjacent to the Anhinga Trail is the Gumbo Limbo Trail.   This one goes through the woods around many gumbo limbo trees and others.  We made a point to hit this trail after a particularly helpful National Parks volunteer randomly told me a barred owl nest is located there.  He even marked it on a map -- without me asking.  At the time, I thought it was bit odd.  Why would the volunteer want to direct tourists to a nest?  Well, once we saw the trail, I realized immediately it was so dense with foliage it would be nearly impossible to find an owl nest.  And then…I heard it call!  Again…and again.  Then, it went silent.  Darn!  I've seen several barred owls here in Sarasota…but, I was on a mission to find this particular rascal.  After walking around for a few minutes about ready to give up, amazingly, maybe 30 yards deep into the thick brush there he was….sitting  in a tree watching me.  He was  tucked in so far it was difficult to get a clear shot.  But, we were able to point him out to a couple visiting from Germany who we had met on the other trail -- and they were pretty excited. Success! The Everglades journey will continue...

Say 'Aaaaaah!'

Well, since Everglades National Park is synonymous with alligators, we'll start the highlights of our recent trip there with what can only be described as a "Show off Gator".  This guy really wanted us to see his incredibly large (and pristinely clean looking) maw.  So, how did we get to this point?

Well, we were hiking the Anhinga Trail, a very popular walk in the Everglades. At the end of a boardwalk, we paused to take in the beautiful scenery when this guy spotted me immediately. (Note I say me…not the SDP Jr. Editor who was present and accounted for on this adventure.  I suspect I may have been viewed as a smaller, more manageable snack….but, who knows?!)  For whatever reason, the gator made a beeline toward me as you can see in this video.

Although there was decent bit of separation between us (and I was elevated on a boardwalk), there's something a bit unnerving about an  imposing beast like this staring you down and swimming straight for you. It didn't even wait to get on land before exposing it's massive white/pink mouth, teeth and all.  Naturally, I was looking down at my camera at the time -- and almost missed the entire "gaping maw scene" which happened very quickly. Fortunately, the SDP Jr. Editor was on her game and alerted me: "It's mouth is OPEN!"

  

This is what it looked like without my long lens -- and no cropping.  Welcome to the Everglades!  It's perfect timing that we're sharing these photos, because it's National Park Week in the U.S.  Although I've lived in Florida for almost 18 years, this was my first visit to Everglade National Park and I really enjoyed it.  We'll be sharing more from this wonderfully wild and swampy area soon.

Gator Habitat

Recently, when I posted "Living in Harmony" showing an alligator peacefully co-existing with several birds, a few blogger friends commented that they couldn't believe the size of the gator and how close I was standing.  Actually, that wasn't anything!

A couple weeks earlier, at the same location, I spotted this monstrous fellow sunbathing along a retention pond across from the visitor center at the Sarasota National Cemetery.  He must've been at least 12-14 feet long -- one of the biggest gators I've seen in the wild in awhile.  Naturally, I couldn't resist taking a photo or two.  As I've mentioned many times, I have a healthy respect for wildlife, particularly gators, which, believe it or not, are quite speedy on land.  I was a fairly safe distance away but when this guy turned and eyeballed me, it made me uncomfortable enough to pack up immediately (after getting the shot, of course) and scamper away.

And…around the corner at the next pond I spotted this little sun worshipper.  Doesn't it look like he's smiling?  He was much, much smaller and did not appear aggressive.  Increasingly, the Sarasota National Cemetery is becoming a healthy ecosystem attracting a variety of birds and other wildlife. I've seen all kinds of herons, cranes, hawks, and gators and a security guard told me recently that a bobcat tends to prowl the area in the morning.  Happy Saturday!

Living in Harmony

             So...two ducks, an alligator and a great blue heron are all sitting around a cemetery…

…and up walk two sandhill cranes.
No joke!
This actually happened at Sarasota National Cemetery yesterday.

The heron was a bit skittish and flew a feet few away….apparently out of respect for the big cranes and to make room for them.   (The ducks and gator didn't move.  And, actually, seemed bored by the sudden activity.)

 

  Then, something interesting happened:  they all stayed within a few yards of each other without any incidents….all living in harmony.

Disembodied

Things remain quite busy. I'm just trying to keep my head above water, like this alligator I spotted recently at Myakka River State Park. We've been getting lots of rain lately in Sarasota and many areas of the park are flooded, which is causing the wildlife to modify its behavioral patterns. Since the plants and brush that the deer and wild boar eat are now under water, the animals are moving inland to higher ground.  My favorite hiking trail is submerged and impassable, but I spotted several deer as they galloped through the standing water last night.  Normally, deer are quite stealth. But, these snorted loudly before racing through the water. They seemed displeased with the situation (I wasn't pleased either, as I was battling a healthy, ferocious contingent of mosquitoes.) Anyway, some of the deer are looking thin and I hope they're able to scrounge up enough food while we wait for the flooding to recede.  As I left last night, there was another heavy downpour. I'm starting to think the only ones out there appreciating all the rain are the gators.  By the way, thanks to those who have been so kind to reach out to us at SDP to ensure we're still alive.  We're hoping to return to regular posts by the end of summer.  **fingers crossed**  Hope everyone in the CDP community is doing well!

Gator vs. Gator

From the time this 13 foot alligator displayed his substantial maw at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, it was clear he was in no mood. Sure, it was Easter Sunday and he was sporting his Easter bonnet comprised of leafy lettuce plants....but nevertheless, Biggie didn't appear inclined to spread any cheer. He seemed antsy, like he wanted to go somewhere. A nearby narrow muddy path connected this lake to another and I suspected he was going to venture there.

So, the entire SDP staff watched and waited for an hour as Biggie slowly plodded his way toward the other lake. Each movement seemed to be a laborious, exhausting exercise but he was determined to get to the other side.  When he arrived, a shot of adrenaline torpedoed him across the lake so fast he very well could have run across it.   He was chasing a smaller male alligator -- a 6 footer.  Naturally, at this captivating moment, my memory card expired and I quickly fumbled to change it.  When I looked up....

...the two gators were running through the cypress forest, fully extended upright on their haunches. What a sight!  A sanctuary volunteer watching the action unfold with us said Biggie is very territorial and doesn't want the little guy to have any fish.   So, the chase was on...deep into the forest replete with Easter bonnet.  It was like watching a tank motor through the woods destroying anything in its path...

...like this log.  You should have heard the KABOOM when Biggie powered over it.

The little guy's strategy, apparently, was to traverse so deep into the woods Biggie eventually would retreat due to sheer fatigue.  At one point, the little one tucked himself under the boardwalk.  In fact, he was so close I could have touched him (had I momentarily lost my mind). Standing above him, I pondered whether the wooden boardwalk would hold up under the extreme weight of two wrestling gators.  Fortunately, it didn't come that.  After venturing about 50 yards into the forest, Biggie gave up and slowly returned to the lake where he proceeded to open his maw one more time and smack it so loudly tourists standing nearby jumped.  I smiled and said to a family visiting from Switzerland, 'Bet you don't see that in Switzerland!'  Their wide eyed response: 'Uh....no!'  Great adventure.  This concludes our tour of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

On a completely different note, you may have heard legendary singer Donna Summer passed away yesterday in Sarasota County.  What a loss.   Several years ago, I saw her in concert here -- what an incredible voice.  At the time she told the audience she had discovered Sarasota.  A couple of weeks later, I heard she bought a house here.  She'll be missed.  While she was known for her disco hits, my personal favorite is her rendition of 'O Holy Night'.   It's fantastic.

Lake Buddies

At first glance it looks like that snowy egret is perched on the tail of a very large alligator going for a ride around Lettuce Lakes at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  If you look a little closer, though, you can see the bird is actually roosting on a piece of wood while his reptilian friend lounges half submerged in  water, muck and lettuce plants.  Nevertheless, the bird's proximity to the gator seems a bit too close for comfort especially when you hear about the gator's wild antics.  Alligator tale comin' up tomorrow!

Living in Harmony

Picking up on yesterday's yarn...

This big gator had been splayed out sunbathing along the Myakka River. It wasn't moving. At all. Then, it lifted its sizeable head, and stretched its maw into what appeared to be a permanent menacing yawn. If that's not an imposing look in the animal kingdom, I don't know what is. So, imagine my surprise, when this scrawny little cattle egret wandered into the scene looking as though it intended to strut right by the gator. Apparently, it finally clued in to what was going on and did an abrupt about-face. If this were a cartoon the little bird would have been sputtering -- in a silly, fast voice -- 'Yah know, I really didn't want to go over there anyway. How's the sunbathing? Don't forget to apply lotion! You don't want your skin to get all scaly...er...uh....I'll just see how the fishing is over this way. (cartoon sound of bird feet slapping the ground as it scampers away)

In other news...while I was watching this scene play out, I met a guy from up north who, as it turns out, is a very talented photographer. He was on the boardwalk sans camera, just checking out the environs. He had been in the Everglades and shot some amazing bird-gator photos there. You can check out his photos here. He goes by Cool Kayaker 1 and he's also in the blogosphere.

Who Goes There?

We're back at Myakka State Park for today's post. This waterway is the Myakka River, which meanders for 58 miles through this part of the Sunshine State. It's a well known habitat for alligators....which leads me to this photo. See the gator? Usually, I don't see them in this part of the park. I spotted it instantly, but then lost it. Even though I was standing safely atop a boardwalk a good distance away, losing track of what had appeared to be a substantial alligator gave me the heebie-jeebies. So, I was a smidge relieved when I located him again. (Look for the brown lump in the lower third of the left side of the pic.) Tomorrow, I'll show you what he was up to a few minutes later.