Paddling Around Lake Arbuckle

Friday, February 18, 2022

Hi Blog! 

It was another warm day in Lake Wales. The morning fog gave way to variable clouds. While the wind was not as strong as yesterday, it was still just at the edge of where we feel comfortable trying to paddle. We decided to give kayaking a chance. If the winds turned out to be too strong, we would just find something else to do.

Not far from our resort is the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest. Next to the state forest is Lake Arbuckle, a shallow, bowl-shaped lake with only a few spots dropping to more than 12 feet. Very little offshore structure exists, but there is a broad littoral zone loaded with lily pads and bulrush. With the high winds predicted today, we were hoping the lily pads would provide the buffer we needed to be able to paddle around the lake shore without being swamped by swells and white caps.

Lake Arbuckle Park campground is a Polk County Park in Frostproof, Florida. The campground has 38  large campsites set among large cypress trees right next to Lake Arbuckle. The boat launch is the main attraction at this park. We've never seen so many bass boats in one campground before.

Lake Arbuckle sits in a high ridge of ancient dunes and contains pine and oak scrub, and is home to Florida scrub-jays and gopher tortoises. Other natural communities include pine Flatwoods, sandhill, and bottomland hardwoods along streams and creeks. We would be focusing on the wildlife found along the lakeshore. While much of the lake is surrounded by state forest and an Air Force Base, there are several grandfathered properties along the lake.

As we began to work our way around the shoreline, we were pleased to see how the lilly pads and bull rushes protected us from the wind.

We ended up paddling for two hours and took two hundred photos! The wildlife was so abundant, we were stopped more than we were in motion. We tried to pick a few of the best photos to share with you. Some of the photos have stories behind them. Others are just cool, like this anhinga in a tree.

Here's a good story. We don't always see turkey vultures roosting in the middle of the day -- let alone roosting with a stork. The vultures were willing to move over and allow the stork to share the tree. However, when a bald eagle arrived, all the other birds took off really fast. The eagle had sole possession of the tree.

After chasing away the vultures and stork, the eagle didn't even stay very long. We were only able to get a photo of him flying away!

Herons are hard to photograph. This Great White Heron was playing hard to get all along the shore line. As soon as we got close, it would fly further down the shore. We eventually grabbed a photo when it thought it was hiding in the reeds.

We passed a few alligators sunning themselves on the shore. This guy decided to head back to the lake as we approached. Further along the lake, we considered paddling out past a point to explore another bay. However, as we approached the point, it looked like five large gators were having a swim meet. Rather than paddle out to the middle of the lake and face the full force of the wind, we decided not to paddle through the gator gauntlet and turned back to explore the shores on the other side of the boat launch.

The wooden horned owl keeps watch over the dock.

The Little Blue Heron is a small, dark heron arrayed in moody blues and purples. 

Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the shallows with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. 

White Ibises gather in groups in shallow wetlands and estuaries in the southeastern United States. At each step, their bright red legs move through the water and their curved red bills probe the muddy surface below. As adults, these striking wading birds are all white save for their black wingtips, but watch out for young birds that are brown above and white below. White Ibises nest in colonies in trees and shrubs along the water's edge, changing locations nearly every year.

Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons. We watched patiently as an osprey hovered over the lake just in front of our kayaks. The dive happened so quickly, all we caught was the splash!

We eventually were able to get a photo of the osprey. They are unique among North American raptors for their diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them.

In addition to all the campers who brought boats with them, there was a steady stream of other fisherman putting their boats in and taking them out. Lake Arbuckle is a bass fishing hot spot.

The turkey vultures don't stray far from the fish cleaning station.

This bald cypress has managed to take root in the lake. It appears as if the shore is trying to reach out to it. All of the cypress along the shore are covered in a thick coat of Spanish moss. We tried a couple times to get a video of the moss waving in the wind, but each time we tried, the wind died down.

Large, white Wood Storks wade through southeastern swamps and wetlands. Although this stork doesn't bring babies, it is a good flier, soaring on thermals with neck and legs outstretched. This bald-headed wading bird stands just over 3 feet tall, towering above almost all other wetland birds. It slowly walks through wetlands with its long, hefty bill down in the water feeling for fish and crustaceans. This ungainly looking stork roosts and nests in colonies in trees above standing water.

The red-shouldered hawk was patiently watching over the fish cleaning station. While not particularly a fish eater, any of the small critters that happened by to snag some fish scraps would make a nice meal for the hawk.

The boat ramp was busy when we returned, but, since we had kayaks, we didn't have to wait in line to bring our boat trailer down into the water. We just beached our kayaks and carried them back up to the Jeep.

This outing proved the adage that we never know what we'll find when we head out for adventure.  We expected a tough, windy paddling day with little reward, and, happily enough, had a very pleasant paddle with so much wildlife that we didn't have time to photograph all of it!