Turtles, Alligators and Birds Oh My!

ALLIGATORS & TURTLES
One of the most wonderful aspects of travel is discovering the interesting wildlife that inhabit there. A location's climate and geographic features have a great impact on the types found and the resulting behaviors. The southeast US, especially Florida, Louisiana and coastal South Carolina, have warm humid tropical climates and water features that include many inland ponds, marshes and brackish areas. That is where alligators and turtles like to hang out. 


My favorite sightings were definitely the alligators. On this trip I was able to observe and get fairly close to 5 different ones. My first was this big guy above spotted as I biked through the Ding Darling Nature Preserve on Sanibel Island. He was about 8 feet long and 20 feet away from me and the other tourists. These cold-blooded reptiles are pretty sluggish when they are basking on the shore of the inland marsh trying to get warm, but if they do get warm enough, they can move very fast.  So, needless to say, I stayed the recommended 20-foot distance from this relative of the dinosaur and quickly took some photos. He was so still and only sometimes opened his eye(s) - it was hard to believe he was alive.

 I also saw another smaller one at Ding Darling that suddenly swam back into the water after looking so ‘dead’. His movement was quick and startling – a ‘whoa’ moment for me.

The other 3 were also small and on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina – one in a very sludgy pond below us (we were on a boardwalk on the bike trail), another one sunning itself every day next to our bike path to the beach and the most surprising was an alligator snuggling up to 3 turtles soaking up the sun. It was one of those times that make you realize that spending time in the natural world can be full of such surprising and unique moments. I have been known to call

the type of vacation destination described here a
subsidiary of  ‘God’s Disneyland’. Contrast that with what I call the ‘Disneyland vacation’ where so many aspects are manufactured moments experienced the same way by all those who were in line with you. (Note to reader: I do like DisneyLand/DisneyWorld too and have enjoyed going there)




More about alligators - follow the link

BIRDS

I must admit that I never used to pay much attention to birds in my surroundings. I would ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the occasional cardinal or blue jay…
Or worry that I would see Alfred Hitchcock if I saw crows gathering somewhere…
I could also be known to crane my neck to find out where that ‘Woody Woodpecker’ was enthusiastically drilling that hole in the tree.

My interest started to grow a few years ago after moving into the house I live in now and have even started putting birdseed out on a feeder to attract them. All I can say is that either there are a lot more birds here or I can see and hear them better from my kitchen. However it happened, I notice them when I wash dishes, take walks and or just sit on the patio in my backyard. I even spotted a large owl way up in a very tall pine tree in the yard one day recently.

A funny situation for me is that there is one type of bird with a very annoying and loud chirp that produces the same pattern over and over for long periods of time. If this bird is around and I am trying to read on the patio, I have to go inside because I just can’t concentrate. And, of course, all the birds hanging around outside the windows keep my indoor cat frustrated yet entertained.

Down South there are many birds similar to the ones I see here, but there are some that are unique to that climate. We saw herons, white egrets, and pelicans to name a few. I enjoyed watching them all in their watery habitats sunning, flying, interacting and searching for food, but my favorite was the pelican.

The pelican is a very large bird that is reported to have been in existence for 30 million years. They do remind me of pterodactyls and, of course, being a fan of old Japanese horror films, ‘Rodan’. I learned a lot more about them on this trip both by checking the Internet and observing them every day on Hilton Head.

Near where we stayed on Hilton Head was a place called Harbour Town – a small marina with a lighthouse, restaurants, villas, shops and boat rentals. Just off the end of the dock is what appears to be an old concrete dock support slab. The pelicans congregate here every day all in a row. While they are sitting there, they appear to be cleaning themselves and stretching their beaks or tucking their heads and beaks next to their body to sleep.

Their most impressive activity is the way that they fly and dive to catch their fish for dinner. I wouldn’t even describe what they do as flying – it is more like gliding; they make it look so effortless as they slide through the air and sometimes skim just inches above the surface of the water. Once they spot a fish, they turn their body very quickly downward 90 degrees and plummet toward the water with incredible speed. Most of the time they do not come up ‘empty-beaked’??

Maybe because I am retired and now so more in the moment (and a self-proclaimed ‘birdie’), I never got tired of watching these pelicans interact with each other and waiting for one or more of them to take flight and fill the sky with their impressive soaring. At least one trip to the end of that marina dock became part of my daily routine. Now that I have finished rambling on about the pelicans, I realize I may have bored many of you since I have only recently evolved into a serious bird watcher. But if this has piqued your interest about pelicans, here is link to check out more information about them.                                  

 Follow the link - Pelicans

me, my bike and I

   The self-reliance, the human powered transportation, the pedaling motion, the air flying around the body and stroking the face, the exercise, the sightseeing at touring speed – it’s all there in riding a bicycle (bike). This trip south has shown me that I am not alone in this, especially in the senior citizen community. We biked quite a bit in 3 different places and saw so many oldsters on the wheels. They came in packs with reflective vests, in recumbent bikes of every form imaginable, with beach bikes, fancy multi-speed bikes of every size and shape. If 85 is the new 65, this has got to be why!  

   Three places I biked were the Pinellas Bike Trail and Sanibel Island in Florida and Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. Links are here, but more about these at the end of the post.  

   I have been riding a bike since I was very young. My first 2 wheeler had one gear and foot brakes and was assembled by my Dad from parts he got from a friend. It wasn’t just a 26 incher that was popular at the time, but it was much bigger with fatter tires and an aggressive frame – it was a beautiful blue. I was the bike queen of the neighborhood, winning all the races and turning heads wherever I rode. That was when I first discovered the independence my bike provided -  being able to visit my friends, go to my piano lesson or shop without needing a ride from my parents or walking (tediously long). My independent streak and biking were becoming fused day by day. Even the instances of serious injury did not diminish my love for my vehicle. They did teach me that I needed to be a little more careful and pay more attention to my surroundings and strategic attacks toward inclines with a one gear monster.  

   I started to realize as I grew into the teenage phase that it was pretty ‘uncool’ to ride a bike – “that was for kids”! It was hard for me to adjust because I was already a geek and out of the mainstream. So regrettably, I abandoned my beautiful blue ‘friend’ and took to walking. I still wanted to travel under my own steam as much as possible, but needed to keep up appearances of at least trying to fit in.  

   As luck would have it, when I went away to college in Boston in the late 60s/early 70s, rebellion from the status quo in dress, hair, politics, and societal and cultural rules reigned. As a budding young adult, it was as if this rebellion was designed just for me. I could wear what I wanted, grow my wild hair down to my waist, protest inequities and unfairness openly and, yes, use a bike for transportation or recreation. One of the first things I did when I arrived on campus was to look for a used bike to buy. I was on a scholarship and was not allowed to have a car but I couldn’t afford a car anyway. The bike I found thrilled me because it was a lovely English bike and had 3 WHOLE GEARS and a hand brake!!! I had to learn how to shift gears and use my hands to brake, but now I had my transportation needs met, a way to explore the area and a recreational activity to be pursued anytime I wanted to. The college years are those of self-discovery, the chance to develop the skills and knowledge to become a successful adult and, of course, have fun. The solo rides I took on my bike gave me the opportunity to get away from campus to think about all of these things. 

   Once I graduated – still did not have enough money to buy a car and lived in many cheap apartments in the Boston area. I had to take a bus to work, to the store, to the beach. I didn’t have my bike during this time and I just knew something was missing. Eventually I got a car and another bike and bought a house north of Boston and the pent up need for the bike kicked right in and I established a riding route for every day after work and rode it on weekends to run errands and get exercise. When I got pregnant I didn’t stop riding my route and everyone in town knew me – “hey, aren’t you that girl we see riding your bike every night (and pregnant too)?” “Yes, it was me!!!!” Once my son was born, I did not quit. I put him in a front baby carrier, then in a back carrier and finally in a baby seat bolted to the back of the bike. I wasn’t always sure he enjoyed it, but I guess I wanted him to love bikes as much as I did. My dilemma came when he got too big to fit in the seat anymore and could not ride his own bike yet. So, I went back to doing my route solo but it made me sad to have to leave him behind (at least for now). As the years passed, I had another child and they both grew old enough to ride their own bikes (and I always made sure they had one). Sometimes we rode together and at other times they were learning the same things I learned about having a bike and independence. It was a shared family value. 

   Fast forward to the present – Before I retired I had been riding my bike to work quite a bit and taking recreational and exercise runs many days in the nice weather. Many vacations over the years involved some bike riding – a bike carrier on the car was always a necessity. On my vacation now – have bike will travel on the back of the car on the new fancy bike carrier and continuing the joy of riding on the trails mentioned above.  

   The magic is still there:  every time I board my bike and start to ride, I feel like that young girl I was so long ago on my beautiful blue special!!  

   The Pinellas Trail in Florida runs from New Port Richey to St. Petersburg a distance of about 35 miles. This trail is so well planned and executed. There are marked lanes for each bike riding direction and a pedestrian lane clearly marked and signs everywhere. The roads that have to be crossed can be quite daunting, so they have installed push buttons at every one of them to allow a time for bikes to cross. Most riders and drivers respect the lanes and crossing protocols. Great for recreation and transportation.  

   Sanibel Island near Fort Myers, Florida has many bike trails all over the island. I was able to tour the Nature Preserve there on the bike instead of using the car. It was cheaper and much easier to park when an interesting bird or alligator was sighted. I was also able to bike to Bowman Beach on a bike trail. Bike racks available in every location. I only spent the better part of one day there, but I think it would be possible to abandon your car and use your bike for transportation to go just about everywhere.  

   Hilton Head Island in South Carolina has beautifully paved bike trails all over the island. It was wonderful to see so many people taking advantage of them. There are trails to get to all kinds of stores, restaurants, the tennis club or the beach and trails winding under the live oaks of the low country just to ride and enjoy. My favorite place to bike is on the beach. The sand there is very hard packed and at low tide, beach lovers can spend their time next to the waves on their bikes.