We biked at Shark Valley National Park yesterday and saw some super sights. The drive on Old 41 through the Everglades felt like an avian safari, with thousands of egrets, herons, spoonbills, and wood storks filling the glades and skies. The weather was mild—chilly for me—but the sun felt warm, and the critters were crawling. Some of you might not read further than my snappy initial commentary if anything at all, but be sure to read about what happened to Ray Bradbury and about the dad-turned-hero below! Follow my wheels…
A pretty Killdeer.
So this happened…I finally placed a book in my bike basket in case of a flat tire. (I’ve been burned and bored before during many flats on the trail) After biking to the end, I grabbed my purse from the basket, and we hiked to the tower for a look. Upon our return, we noticed three crows had snagged a treat and were devouring it on the ground near my bike, but it wasn’t a treat; it was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 they’d lifted from my bag. Luckily, they only tore their way to the dedication page, and I’ll still be able to read it.
We were stunned the hungry pests would steal a book! You can see their peck marks above. One time, dining alone and al fresco at Culvers, I went to the bathroom and when I returned to my table, there were peck marks in my ice cream. The horror!
Mosaic Monday!
One of the perps in action.
Now for the tale of the hero dad seen above. As I biked by this gator, I noticed (hard to miss) a giant turtle upside down, clenched between the gator’s jaws. After the alligator tried to munch on the turtle to no avail, the turtle fell onto his back on the pavement, seemingly dead with a lolling head. But no worries. The hero dad placed his bike between the gator and the turtle (I wouldn’t recommend this) and flipped the turtle onto its stomach. The turtle awoke and awkwardly retreated. The gator, slow and sinister, slinked back into the ditch. Fingers crossed, the fat turtle lived to see another day in Shark Valley
Nap buddies.
It was an epic ride!
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Hello,
The crow was cheeky, stealing your book. Love the cute Killdeer. I would never get too close to a gator, I am glad the turtle survived. Great captures of the heron. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and have a great week!
We see a lot of crows here and I wouldn’t be surprised at what they pick up. But your book! Oh my! I would stay far away from that gator!
Those thieving birds. I don’t think Bradbury envisioned his words being in danger from hungry birds.
What a bike ride! The drama! Glad you had fun. I kinda agree with the birds while some of Bradbury is good not all of his stuff is good reading. It has not aged well. I have always struggled with his portrayal of women
Brave dad! Not sure I would have tried that. Sorry about your book.
A funny thing ;)))
It’s Thursday, the afternoon to write my comments. Gray daylight, it’s not very inviting to go outside. And I’m happy about another wonderful contribution to MosaicMonday.
Thank you so much for your participation, dear blog friend … interesting to read! Greetings from Heidrun
Great photos! I especially enjoyed the kildeer shots. Haven’t seen one in a while but I love them.
Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/12/views-of-castle-in-donegal-ireland.html
/wow what an adventure!
Hihi, dear Sharon,
I’ve just read on Angie’s experience report about goats that ate one of her husband’s shorts (or at least parts of them) during a multi-day hike ( http://tentoesinthewater.blogspot.com/ ), now I’m reading about the crows that got their claws on Fahrenheit… And then there’s the alligator-turtle story, wow – fascinating animal world! 😅 (And I’m glad about the hero dad!)
Warm greetings from Austria and a wonderful Advent season, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/12/es-weihnachtet.html
✨🎄🌟🕯️🌟🎄✨
Wow! True stories of animals in the environment. You nailed it. Dad saving the turtle. Crow’s trying to snatch your book. So nice to have a hero for a husband. YEA! Happy Trails!