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Myakka River State Park 13208 S.R. 72 Sarasota, FL 34241 |
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May 11, 2006 Sarasota County Greg Dahlem & Trevor Stamper |
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When we arrived at Myakka River State Park, we received a good lead from the park staff - check out the dam area where a significant die off of shellfish was occurring. It was easy to spot the area with all the vultures flying overhead. While it was rather smelly at the dam area, there were lots of water birds around and, most significant for us, lots of alligators! We collected along shoreline areas here (staying away from the many sunning gators) and found 2 species of flesh flies here that we found nowhere else. There were numerous specimens of S. lambens and T. alata sitting on vegetation and gravel along the shore. Very different species were collected at the birdwalk, a boardwalk out into a marshy area of the lake which was mainly surrounded by dry land, due to a recent drought. We also checked out the Canopy Walkway and Tower which offered fantastic views of the park, but little in the way of carrion flies. This was one of our most productive stops on our short Florida trip. |
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(View over the park from the Observation Tower/Canopy Walkway) |
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