CIRCLE B BAR RESERVE/NATURE CENTER

A day spent at the Circle B is my favorite thing to do down here.  I awe at how the natural environment changes with each visit.  Two days before, we had steady rain and the water levels were an indication that the rain also came down at the Circle B. 
With the lake being high we didn't see any gators on that side ~ but the birds were everywhere!  Screeching, calling, patiently waiting until they could grab the insects or fish near the water. 
A little squirrel entertained us and when I looked down a 5' shiny, black snake was being entertained by us.  Just lying there, taking in the warmth of what sun was peeking out.  Joe thought it was dead/not so/I could see it's eyes, looking at me.  We backed away and the snake started to move too.  I caught a few pictures, only one shows it's length and then not all of it. 

Long and fat, not far from my bare toes!
I need to wear my boots out there!  

White Egret

A great heron.

So cute ~ eating this orange flower. 

We observed an armadillo using his snout to look for bugs. The armadillo was intriguing to watch.  He was digging every few feet, looking for lunch.  He looked like a small tank moving through the dead grasses.

An anhinga perching on this log, drying it's feathers.
The turtles keeping him company are quite large. 

We saw this alligator, hosting a turtle near his tail.
We saw five other gators, on the muddy, shallow side of the path.

This path is well used, coming out of the water right up onto the path we were walking on.  It goes down on the other side of the path.  Alligators climb up this path, from the lake to get to the muddy ditch on the other side.

We chatted with three men coming towards us on the path.  Each carrying a mega spotting scope, attached to their cameras/used for close-ups of nature. They mentioned the scopes/cameras were for their enjoyment and their enjoyment comes when they sell the pictures.
The guys were good sports to hold Flat Stanley for me.