The Resident Red Shouldered and Panther Territory

Wednesday February 18-Thursday February 19, 2015
Collier Seminole State Park
Naples, Florida

 

Note:  I had written two posts about our days this past week.   I mistakenly posted the most recent before this one (dreams of getting caught up).  So now they are out of order. No biggie probably to anyone but me.  Anyway, if you read about the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, you read about Friday.  This post is about the two days  before that.  Confused yet? 

 

WEDNESDAY

 

It rained all night last night and this morning.

 

We stay inside where David cooks breakfast and does the clean up to encourage me to read aloud Colin Campbell’s latest book entitled Whole.  It’s an eye opening expose on our government and medical establishments as regards our health and what they’ve told us is “good for us”.

 

 

When the rain stops we take another hike around the Royal Palm Hammock trail.  If you missed the first one it was in yesterday’s post which you can find by clicking “older” at the bottom of this page.

I’m assuming that some of the palms with missing tops lost them in Hurricane Charley 2004 which did a great deal of damage nearly destroying the tall Royal Palms.  But clearly some woodpeckers have been putting these topless trees to good use.  Nature is a cradle to cradle system making use of absolutely everything.  We would do well to emulate.

 

 

 

Back at the slough overlook things are happening.  Lots of them are obviously on the ground but what I can see from this spot is primarily in the air.   Most of it is white great and snowy egrets as well as great and little blue herons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t resist adding more pictures of these gorgeous royal palms and their decorative trunks, home to epiphytes and lichens of all types and colors.  I want to be reminded of how much I enjoy them.

 

 

 

Now can you see the rings on the trunk as it gets near the royal green Judy?

 

Back at the ranch what has turned out to possibly be our resident red shouldered hawk flies in and lands on the site post opposite us.  Amazing that he isn’t bothered by all this activity and so many vehicles.   He’s so strikingly handsome.

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY

 

Today we drive over to hike the 3.5 mile hike.  It’s about a mile and a quarter walk over but the ranger recommends we not walk on Route 41 although after we’ve driven I think we could have.

Here in far southwest Florida we are in Panther territory.  I am thrilled to see this map which shows breeding and roaming territories in Florida although I know there are only 80 to 100 panthers remaining in the wild.  They are one of the most rare and endangered mammals on Earth.  Too many are hit on roads where people should be driving slower.  The speed on Route 41 here is 45 mph at night but I’m betting few people honor it.  It makes me sad to think of a world with no panthers as it does to think about a world with no Rhinoceros as I highlighted in a post read by the fewest of my readers ever two days ago. Very disappointing.

 

 

The trail today is simply called the 3.5 mile trail.  Catchy name isn’t it?   The most exciting thing of the walk happens less than a mile down the trail.

 

There lying in the sun is a diamond backed rattlesnake keeping his/her eyes on us but looking as though there might be digestion of dinner going on.   He’s about 4’ long and has simply gorgeous markings.   I’m taking these photos from a safe distance thanks to my camera zoom lens but look at that face and rattle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flowers aren’t too bothered by the cold nights in the 30’s we’ve been having as is evidenced by those we see along the rest of the trail.

 

 

 

Approaching the end of the 3.5 miles, we come to swamp ponds on both sides of the road.  At first glance it looks like a log there floating on top but a closer zoom shows the alligator.  Can you even see him in the non zoomed picture?   He’s on the right in the back facing away from us.

 

 

 

 

On the other side of the trail is a lovely spot with some beautiful bromeliads decorating a branch over the water.  You couldn’t create a landscape like this if you wanted to.

 

 

As most of you know on Friday we went a whole 3 miles away to the 10000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.  If you missed the great birds in that post you can read it here.   So far this week the winds have been too strong for kayaking the water trail but winds or not it will be in the next post.