Sunday
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
When I first got here, I went down the Blue Goose trail which is just down the road from the refuge headquarters. On this trail, I was almost eaten alive by mosquitoes, although I had not encountered much in the way of bugs on the rest of my trip. After a quick run back to my truck and half a can of Deep Woods Off, I was ready to resume my hike.
There is another trail down the road called the Wetland Walkway. It is paved, which doesn't make it much of a "trail" but you can see a lot of interesting wildlife. There is a section of the walkway called "Alligator alley," and there are signs all over the place warning you not to approach alligators. So, I kept my eyes focused on either side of me, but I did not see a single one. Alligator alley, my foot!
There are a lot of red winged blackbirds and a pink bird that I found out later is a roseate spoonbill. I don't understand why these birds are pink; they stand out like a sore thumb in the marsh.
Around the bend of the walkway, I finally spotted a couple dozen of juvenile alligators, about two to three feet long. They did not move at all, but froze in place like they were carved out of wood. Perhaps they were decoys, placed by the park rangers to keep the tourists coming? I kept my eye out for Momma alligator all the same.