We rode bikes in the morning to the north end of the park. On the way we stopped at the birdwalk. This is a boardwalk that goes out over a wetland and overlooks Lake Myakka. There were a half dozen people out here with cameras and binoculars watching the various species of birds that were visible. There was a ranger that was an expert ornithologist and he was pointing out the different birds as they flew by. He told us that they had seen a bald eagle earlier and showed us an osprey that was flying across the lake. He said they saw several feral pigs on the opposite shore in the morning. There were thousands of tree swallows perched in the grass along shore and flying over the water. As we stood there he spotted a merlin which is supposed to be very rare in this area. Then we heard before we saw a huge bird off in the distance and I happily volunteered "whirly bird" as the species!
We rode on to the end of the park road and talked to an elderly woman at the park gate. She was a volunteer for the park and was watching this entrance. She told us that she was from upstate New York and that she and her husband had been volunteering at this park for the past twenty six years, ever since they retired. She was able to tell us a lot about the volunteer program and all the benefits they got from participating Next we took a bike path that went several miles into the outback and eventually led back to the campground. This was an old two track and we didn't see any other people out here. Along the way there was a ditch with a couple of six foot alligators lurking on the bank.
After lunch we drove into town and went to Siesta Beach on Siesta Key. This was a great resort area with a huge public beach. The sand was pure white and as fine as the silica sand you see in an hourglass. The beach was at least two hundred yards wide and went on for a couple of miles. We spent a couple hours in the sun and watched the waves and the people having a good time.
After dinner when it was dark we ended the day by by driving back down to the birdwatch where the park put on a skywatching program that told of the stars and constellations. We were surprised to see that the lady from the North entrance that we met that morning was conducting the program.
The birdwalk at Myakka Lake
If you zoom in on this picture you'll see hundreds of tree swallows perched in the grass near shore and in the air.
The two track we rode for several miles into the outback.
We saw two of these "six footers" in a ditch along the bike trail
Siesta Beach on Siesta Key near Sarasota
The lifeguard shacks were different colors so you could find your way back to your spot!
Beach critical information on one of the lifeguard shacks
Is that Doug on the beach in the cooler? Oh, I guess not. That guy has a water in his hand!
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