Hillsborough River

The above alligator pair are from Trout Creek, taken towards the end of the kayaking portion of the day. The day being Saturday, January 5, 2013. I am composing the Tale at the Sirata Beach Resort in St Pete Beach.  I stayed here this weekend last year. Once again, I have a $50 room, thanks to Priceline. A better room than last year, thanks to being a Sirata Club member.  I was expecting nothing but a coffee maker and mini fridge.  Checking in, I asked if being a member would give me a discount on parking,$8, and internet access, $9.95.  The answer was no, but, I can upgrade your room.  I have a standard refrigerator, stove top and microwave. More about my accommodations later.  I took 219 pictures today, so this may take a while.

 Tri colored heron on the kayak launch at Trout Creek Park. I am going to count the animals. 1

 Underway at 7:31, paddling up River

Great blue heron, 2

 Anhinga 3

 The first anhinga is male, can I count a female as another animal.  Of course. So, that's 4

Roseate spoonbill 5

 Great blue herons nesting

 Cormorants 6

 Black crowned night heron 7

 Hooded mergansers 8

I saw three deer. To deep in the cypress swamp for a photo

 Red bellied woodpecker 9

A little later, I saw 2 deer I was able to photo

 Critter count at 10

Limpkin makes 11

Turtle 12

 I just noticed I have several great egrets on this Tale and have yet to count it. 13

Anhinga at Morris Bridge.   Half way point of the Trout Creek Park to Sargeant Park paddle

 Blue heron 14

Yellow crowned night heron 15.  5 heron varieties

Otter. 16  There was a least one more, Squealing and splashing.  I think it is otter mating season

I was on the Hillsborough almost  hours before I saw anyone on the River

 Ibis 17

 Gravity defying pileated woodpecker. 18

 Alligator 19. I saw a small one earlier.  The morning was cloudy and cool.   But the clouds were breaking up.  Perhaps I'd see more gators, later

That's a juvenile black crowned night heron with an alligator.  As I counted male and female anhingas as two separate animals.I'll do the say for adult and child.  These are my Tales, after all. Critter count at 20

Wood stork 21

I was almost to Sargeant Park when paddlers exceeded the number of deer I saw. 5. Landed at Sargeant Park a little after 11

Had a sandwich on the dock at the confluence of the Hillsborough and Flint Rivers. Every bird on this board, has been, or will be, on this Tale.

 The ibis were across from the dock

G

Great blue heron in the canal leading to the Hillsbourgh.  Back on the water at 11:40 for the return trip

I made a short paddle further up the Hillsborough to let a canoeing couple get ahead of me, heading down River

Back to the confluence with the Flint River, and downstream

Immature blue heron. To be consistent, and raise the animal count, that makes 22

 Pie billed grebe 23

I passed the canoers

More to come, Sunday night. Time to check out and head to Fort De Soto.  Hope to avoid the rain.
9:08 PM, Sunday.  I'm home.  I did get rained on.   For about a minute as I drove home.  I turned out to be a beautiful day. More later,back to Saturday's Tale.

 Snowy egret  24

 If I took the time to differentiate turtle types, I'd really increase the critter count

 Osprey 25

 I have so many wildlife photos, I did not take any scenic River shots.   Except as background.  So, I decided to take one,  just because.

 Morris Bridge, 1:20 PM

 Mouthful

 Saw two more deer, here is one.

Seven for the day. Saw another otter.

Belted kingfisher at Nature's Classroom 26

 Black vultures 27  I needed a red shouldered hawk to post all the birds on the kiosk at Sargeant Park.  I just looked at the kiosk pic.  Forgot to take a pic of a turkey vulture

 Red shouldered hawk 28

Paddling close to the bank, taking pictures, splat! as a vulture shat.  A white design on the back of the yak. A few small spots on the windbreaker.  Glad I kept it on.  Checked my cap. Clean

This snowy egret stirred the bottom with its feet in an effort to raise up a meal.

Trout Creek entrance.   Thought I, paddle a short time, or until I saw something cool.

Three minutes to two alligators.  One big, one huge

Landed at 3:15

When Dave's Yak Tales hits the big time, the Goodyear Blimp will be overhead. I went for a short bike ride.

 Sand hill cranes, 29

I saw a bobcat.  No photo, so the animal count ends at 29.  Also seen and not photoed, wood ducks, cardinals, small song birds, squirrels, and assorted fish. 

I told you it was a short ride, turned around after just 1.78 miles.  Even shorter on the way back, as I rode, well walked half, up the hill to the top of the dike.

Final numbers.  A short ride, because I wanted to be on the beach in time for sunset.  The beach is 45 southwest of the Hillsbourugh.  St. Pete Beach that is.   After a traffic jam in Tampa. On a Saturday afternoon, seesh does road construction ever end, I arrived at the Sirata Beach Resort.  Parked, told the bell  man I'd be back in about an hour, and headed to the beach.

 5:27 PM

My beach walk had a second motive.  From my stay here last year, I knew a Publix grocery is across the street from a public beach access parking lot, half a mile from the hotel.

 Hail (Don) Cesar

 5:42 PM, from the public boardwalk. Or as I think of it , the Publix boardwalk.  I bought 2 subs, a Cuban for dinner, and an Ultimate, half for breakfast, half for lunch Sunday.  Had the veggies for the Sunday sub put in zip lock bags.  Lettuce, tomato, banana peppers and black olives.   I still have some left over after putting some on a pizza when I got home Sunday, and making a salad, Monday

Back to the beach at 5:58.

I checked in, and received the room upgrade mentioned in the beginning of this Tale.  If I had know that before I went to the store, I would have had a different shopping list.  But, I would have missed the sunset.
So,  I warmed half  the Cuban in the microwave.  Later, the other have heated on the stove.  Considered an improvised sandwich press by heating a kettle and putting that on top.  But, I had a Packer playoff game to watch.

Perfect end to a perfect day.