Terrific Tuesday at St. George Island

Tuesday April 16, 2013
Site 46, St. George Island State Park
St. George, Florida

 

With apologies to Rick Doyle who follows his own advice to limit posts to 750 words and 17 pictures.  He has many commenters perhaps as a result.  I aspire to his wisdom and discipline.  My enthusiasm has carried me away even more than usual today. 

 

The birds let me know it’s time to get up and greet the day.

They are joyful enough that I can hear them without the windows being open.  I can’t leave them open because at dusk and  beyond, the bugs are a factor here.  But not during the day and not at dawn.

So I throw on my favorite comfy sweat pants and a t-shirt, grab the camera and set out up the road for the Gulf Shore.   No one else is up yet.  Amazing since it is 6:45.  Probably the fishermen are already gone.

It’s still fairly dark but the light from the approaching sun has turned this cloud a lovely pink.  Sunrise isn’t far behind

 

 

 

Just below the pink cloud I see the Pelicans are moving west in mass.

 

 

Soon the golden orb appears.

 

 

My sunrise companion is a bit late today but he arrives silently and takes his accustomed spot.

 

 

If you are like me, you take way too many pictures of the sunrise.  The light shining on the water as the sun rises higher in the sky is mesmerizing.

 

 

 

 

Eventually the sun becomes too bright to look at.  But what a great way to begin the day.  The sun is up, the light and temperature are perfect.  Time for breakfast and then what?

 

 

A surprise guest shows up for breakfast.

As I walk in the door David says he hears a splat.

He looks over at the sink and sees a new house guest.  Well where did he come from?

 

 

 

I would love to invite him to stay permanently if I were sure he would eat up any gnats or mosquitoes that get inside but hopefully there won’t be enough food for him in here.  So I transport him out to greener pastures.  He’s not at all concerned about this.  Was he someone else’s pet at one point??  Or is he just too terrified to move??

 

 

 

See how small he is in the picture above.  Well here’s a close up of how cute he is.  I could just hug him if I wouldn’t squish him doing it.

 

 

Another narrow fellow not in the grass this time but on the road.

 

After breakfast I want to bike back down to the island’s point and get some pictures of my run/hike from yesterday.  As we are going down the road, who should we encounter soaking up the heat of the blacktop but what I think is a red rat snake.  Now rat snakes are good snakes.  They aren’t poisonous and they eat, well, rats and mice and other sorts of vermin that I would personally much rather not have then the snake.
His coloring is gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

I stop to get his picture and am starting to wonder if I will have to encourage him to get off the road lest he become road kill when he just ups and slithers right off into the grass as though  he heard me.

 

 

 

 

 

There certainly is a lot to see on our way this morning.

We only get a short way down the road before I stop to take some pictures of the ponds flanking each side of the entry road to the campground.   They are lovely.  

 

This one has a nesting heron high in a pine tree overlooking it. 

I don’t see anyone this morning.  I’ll check again later,

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second pond  has a group of 4 resident ducks.

Duck lovers, including you Good Luck Ducks,  what kind of ducks are these?

 

 

 

These pictures were taken at some distance but are they Mergansers?

 

 

 

Love that wake!

 

I know, I can hear you saying, ‘enough ducks, get on with it’.

We finally make it to the park road, a distance of perhaps .3 of a mile.  At this rate it will be sundown before we are back.

 

 

The park road itself is gorgeous with the beautiful dunes all along.   I really can’t get over these dunes that no one has flattened, made trails up and down or used for hang gliding.  They just are there in pristine condition.  They way I almost never see dunes any more.

 

It is only about 1/4 mile to the gate closed to protect the nesting bird area.  It is just beyond the 2nd public beach area.  The gate is locked but for a $6 fee fishermen can get the code and drive down to the end of the road at the island’s point.  It is a 5 mile drive. 

 

 

The pedestrian/bicycle gate does not have a lock or a fee.

 

 

 

What a wonderful trail this is for biking or hiking.

There are short stretches of pavement, mostly hard pack with gravel, one difficult sandy patch and some low spots that are full of water after a rain.   But very doable on wheels or feet.   It winds between the front and back dunes, between the Gulf of Mexico and the St. George Sound.  A wonderful 5 miles.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

We hear both of the birds whose nesting habitat is being protected, the snowy plover and the least tern. 

We catch fleeting glimpses of them in the air but do not see any nests.  These are hidden very well.

We do hear and see the lovely red winged black birds and more spring flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the road is a parking lot for the fisherman and a trail out to the sound which you can then follow around to the point and on around to the Gulf side.  Here there is also an information sign explaining about the nesting birds, the snowy plover and the least tern. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walk out to the point, me in the water, David on the sand.

We are at the far end of St. George Island.  It’s fantastic.  No wonder the fishermen are willing to pay to be here.  The sound water is gentle and beautifully clear.  Here, all seems right with the world.

 

 

 

We walk behind all the fishing lines and around to the Bay.  The waves increase.

 

 

I could stay the rest of the day here but I didn’t bring lunch. 

So we start back and on the way I am startled by a pair of Baltimore Orioles or whatever they are calling them now.  They streak across right in front of me.  I don’t actually see her until I come to a screeching halt and grab the binoculars.  She blends in too well with her muted yellow and green colors and doesn’t sit still long enough to get her picture.  But he is stunning.

 

 

 

The bike back takes less time than going out as the wind was at our backs.

All along the route there are rope barriers and signs asking people to stay away from the nesting areas.  There are several different types of signs but this one was my favorite.

 

 

 

 

As we pedal down the drive to the campground, the spring flowers are carpeting an area that was burned a short time ago.  It’s amazing how quickly the flowers and ferns return.

 

 

 

 

 

What a great morning!  After some lunch we head over for an afternoon at the beach.

We set up the sportbrella and I go in to check out the Gulf waters.

 

 

 

The water is wonderfully warm although the air less so with the breeze.   As I am getting out, I spot my buddy the Great Blue Heron flying in.   He doesn’t stay long.

 

   

 

It’s hard trying to read at the beach with all the activity going on.

 

After I come out of the water, I wrap up and sit in the sun to read for a while.  Then the Marx Brothers show up and for a while during the afternoon we are entertained by them and their company putting on an aerial and diving show.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

It appears I don’t quite measure up.

The afternoon wanes and it’s time to pack up and go back when in flies you know who again.  He struts up right behind David and then up in front of me.  He’s parading like a runway model.   I can’t stop taking pictures of him.

 

 

 

 

 

Gee he is so handsome.  He’s just stunning when you can see him up SO close.    Amazing.  He takes my breath away.

 

 

 

 

He turns and walks to my side stretching his neck up very high as if to look me over carefully.  I guess he doesn’t care for what he sees since he marches off in the other direction.  But I’m enthralled with everything about him.  

 

 

 

 

 

When he stands up tall, he comes at least to my shoulder.  Look at the size of his foot print next to mine and next to other shore birds, those little prints on the left.   He’s a BIG fella that’s for sure.  I am just so excited about his recurring presence in my life here.

 

 

This has been one terrific Tuesday!   But it’s not over yet.

 

When we return to Winnona, who do we see in our yard????

Not one, not two but three…….indigo buntings.

 

 

 

 

They hang around for quite some time and are wonderful to watch.  They appear to be eating some sort of seeds in the grasses in our yard.

What a day this has been.   I’m exhausted.  Bet you are too.

THE END!