Let me tell you, there are some things which cannot be adequately recorded. The excitement of seeing otters for the first time in my backyard is one – or indeed the second time, which topped the first because I waylaid them – and they showed up!

But the absolute good fortune of today is hard to describe. We decided to travel a ways from the backyard in the afternoon to visit the J B Starkey Wilderness. This preserve is several hundred acres. Google had poor directions to the park, so we got lost. A group of model airplane hobbyists re-directed us. We were still 20 minutes away, and therefore later than we had planned to arrive.

An hour north of Tampa, the Wilderness is several hundred acres of county maintained land. The website said more than 150 different species had been recorded. From that, I expected to see dozens of different birds, and I anticipated much the same kind of environment we encountered at Lettuce Lake Park. I was eager to see the birds so was unconcerned about any other potential wildlife.

I was encouraged in this hope, because, as we drove along SR 54, I spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk on a power line, as well as blackbirds and other small birds. Blue caught sight of several sand-hill cranes.

It was not a surprise, therefore, that just behind the visitor center, Blue drew my attention to a bright orange flash in some saw palmetto trees.

I immediately thought it was the summer tanager because there was an identifier  sign just a few feet from us at the entrance. I thought it must be an oft-seen species. As soon as the bird heard us, it got very quiet, and sneaked around in the palm fronds in really excessive quiet. I’ve looked the video over, and in just one spot I see what looks like black on the bird. The summer tanager is the only completely red bird in North America, so I now believe that was wishful thinking.

But you see, not getting a good image of this bird did not concern me too much. Up ahead, beyond the boardwalk, we could see the glint of water, and we could certainly hear birds. I expected to find many waders and much activity, and to capture some of the song birds that I could hear.

The boardwalk extends a few hundred feet behind the visitor center, which was closed.

 

Blue advanced and started exclaiming about something. Wild oranges.

 

While I tried photographed these on their surprisingly tall trees, he beckoned to me, urgently. But quietly. And I suddenly saw what he had seen. Ripples in the creek that did not look like the natural flow.

Otters, we thought. And how right!

The first otter captured on camera. He was just as curious as the next.

The boardwalk ends at a viewing spot right over the creek that runs picturesquely through the swampy land.

We heard the intermittent bark of the otters and saw three or four pop up to look at us, then drop away. It was such a truly awesome pleasure to see. And the fortune in it was that we had been delayed, and we had wondered behind the visitor center just to see what was there before going to find a trail. Pure happenstance.

They moved downstream. We watched. They slipped beneath the water’s surface so cleanly that it was hard to tell when they were no longer there. They’d swim a few dozen feet, then pop up in some closer-to-us location. It was quite hard to capture them, but I finally gave up on still photography and turned on the video. Thus we have the evidence.

 

 

Understand that this was within ten minutes of stepping out of the car. And while other people were parking and walking to trail heads, we were the only people back there with the otters.

We waited to see if they would come back. Hoping they enjoyed the view as much as we did!

But they didn’t.

On the way out, we heard a raucous woodpecker who wasn’t pecking. It was the Red-bellied Woodpecker. That was the only bird we saw in what appeared to be dry swamp land beneath the boardwalk.

At the next trail which we wanted to follow, it was Blue who spotted the tortoise crossing the road. It stopped just at the edge of the blacktop.

I went up and snapped photos. He was neither afraid nor cautious, but kept his eye on me the whole time I was there. I was endeavoring to make some great images of the tortoise in somewhat overcast skies. I was crouched in the middle of the road and not comfortable,  and kept being disappointed with my output.

Blue called to me. Quietly. Then more urgently.

“Armadillo”, he said.

I had never seen one, except perhaps scurrying to the shadows in Cincinnati. The day was beginning to seem unreal. We had not been there half an hour and already I had sighted a new bird species (as I thought) , otters, and now a creature unknown to me. I was half-persuaded the armadillo would be gone by the time I crossed to the other side.

But no. Indeed not.

There, concentrated-ly devoted to his search for food, clawed the armadillo. I saw him distinctly.

 

I was surprised by how close he allowed me to get. I remained several feet away but this was clearly a wild animal quite used to people. Blue and I sat on two nearby picnic benches, as other park visitors drew closer. He was a fast but steady forager.

And then, incredibly, the armadillo walked between the two picnic benches. I could have easily reached down and touched him. I saw up close that it’s armor plating might be more flesh like, than bone like. Perhaps it has ribs supporting the flesh, but the whole animal seemed quite delicate. Of course, he also reminded me of a dainty lady dressed for church in a pink and grey ensemble. So, who can credit my judgment in these matters?

[This is being published as a ‘To Be Continued’, at which time, this section will be removed. There is such a lot more to tell, but today’s commitment has been reached and tiredness from an eventful afternoon set in.]

Well, the armadillo might have left the party, but the party continued.