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Hop on in the electric cart and come join me this evening on a drive down the Swamp Island Wildlife Drive. It seems to me that no matter what time you take this drive, you’re going to see something interesting.
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First up, a six point buck dashes across the road into the pines and palmettos. It’s kind of like ‘Where’s Waldo’ with these pics. Can you find him?
Passing the watery ditch on the left where the mama alligator lives, I find her out sunbathing in her usual spot. But a little further down the ditch, almost hidden on the far side is one of her offspring from this spring. This little one is only about a foot or so long and is easily missed.
As we continue down the eight mile loop, the evening sun lights up the tall grass plumes. In the background you can see some of the charred ruins left by the terrible fires of 2011. Grasses and palmettos are some of the first plant life to return after a fire.
A much larger alligator takes in the late afternoon sun along the ditch on the left. Yesterday he (?) was out in the road, and two visitors on bicycles weren’t sure about riding past him. They were happy to see Gracie and me approach in a vehicle. They rode alongside the vehicle in order to get past him. Good idea. Better safe than sorry.
Along this same ditch is the area where all of the pitcher plant photos from my last post were taken. The setting sun gave them a little different look this evening.
Just before arriving at the Chesser Homestead, I stopped to admire this Eastern phoebe that was hawking insects from one of the burnt out pines.
As I sat on the side of the road, I witnessed literally hundreds of American robins arriving for the evening in the swamp. This is where many of the robins from up north spend the winter, and was the first large flock I’ve noticed this fall. Undoubtedly the recent strong northerly winds after hurricane Sandy prompted their arrival. It was quite an experience to watch them all streaming in.
Before I took this drive this evening, two major items on my list of things to do got taken care of. I, and several others, have been trying to figure out a way to get my rig attached to the propane gas outlet that is provided at each RV site here. It has been a frustrating week trying to accomplish this until this afternoon. Suddenly both Bruce and Barry, fellow volunteers, had the same light bulb go off in their heads, and within minutes I was finally hooked up. With colder temps coming, that was certainly a relief.
Secondly, after a good deal of time on the phone at the VC (my cell doesn’t get reliable service here) I now have an appointment next Wednesday with a Mayo Clinic orthopedic doctor in Jacksonville, FL. I don’t know what will result from that appointment, but anything has got to be an improvement. I’m tired of the pain and hobbling around.
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
