Back to Brooksville Part 1

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We headed back to Belle Parc RV Resort at the beginning of November to stay 5 months enjoying the Florida weather. We had spent the same length of time here last winter as well. For that first season here, we hadn’t made our reservation until early August of 2020. This park is typically full over the winter months, but with COVID restrictions keeping most Canadian snow birds out, we were able to get a site. As it turned out, while we enjoyed the park, we weren’t completely satisfied with our site. It was too close to the main road (SR41) which is very busy and noisy. Since we knew we would be staying in the eastern half of the country for 2021, we decided to make life easy and simply book at Belle Parc for a second season.

In late January 2021, the park allowed current campers to reserve their same site for the following winter season. After that occurs, a list of available sites was sent out and current campers are given the opportunity to reserve a different site. We explored the campground and came up with a list of our top three sites. As luck would have it we got our first choice. It’s about 4 times further from SR41 so it should be dramatically quieter. While the site we picked was a “standard” site, it is adjacent to the large lake that is part of the resort. A “standard” site costs $3915 (plus electric) for 5 months while a “lake front” site is $4770 (plus electric) for the same time period. So our site is practically lake front but is $5.70 per day less expensive.

Our Prime Viewing Spot

Our Site for 5 Five Months

The View from Behind Our Site

Our Rig Across the Lake

Our site backs up to the fence line of the neighboring property. Presently the water level of the lake is quite high so the lake is probably a few more acres in size than it is during the dry season. The residents of the adjoining property are generally quiet and don’t cause us any problems except for the occasional “mooooo”. Yes, our neighbors are a herd of about 2 dozen cattle. They spend most of the time either on the opposite side of the lake or out of sight somewhere else on the farm. They have made it into the woods closer to our rig a few times. They are much better to have as neighbors compared to some housing allotment. The guy 2 sites down from us stays here year round and said there are times when the cattle have gotten thru the fence and graze in the campground. He suspected they would swim over the submerged fence but that seems a bit implausible. Being on the west side of the lake, we do get some very pretty sunrises.

Submerged Fence

Cattle Grazing Nearby

Sunrise with Crescent Moon

Dramatic Sunrise

We had picked this site based on its proximity to the lake. We figured we would have more chance of seeing birds and gators. We had no idea just how true that would be. Each morning when I raise the blinds, there are numerous birds already out and about. It took us several days before we spotted any alligators. We know there are least 2 of them residing in the area but likely more. We keep our chairs setup at the back of our site and often sit there with our binoculars keeping an eye out for activity. Last season we would occasionally walk down to the lake and look around for 10 or 15 minutes. We might see some action but by having our rig next to the lake, it’s almost like we like in a nice photographer’s blind. If I see or hear something going on, I can simply step out of the rig with camera to investigate. We are by no means “birders” yet, but can now identify the majority of the species that call this part of the park home. They include: anhinga, belted kingfisher, black-bellied whistling duck, double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, little blue heron, Muscovy duck, osprey, red-shouldered hawk, roseate spoonbill, snowy egret, tricolored heron, white ibis, and wood stork. Here are some of my favorite photos.

Wide Eyed Osprey

Mr & Mrs Muscovy Duck

Snowy Egret

Red-shouldered Hawk

Great Blue Heron

Cormorant and Hawk

Little Blue Heron Near Gator

Great Egret in Flight

Osprey After Fishing Attempt

Tricolored Heron with Turtle

Kingfisher with Catch

Roseate Duckbill Lands

Wood Stork

White Ibis on Fence

Osprey Shakes Off Water after Dive

Wood Storks and Duckbill

Tricolored Heron Up Close

Being in our current spot in the park also has the side benefit of being close to many of the events that occur within the park. The activity center is just a couple hundred feet away. The park usually has a local restaurant cater a dinner on Thursday and meals cost just $7 per person. The exercise room, laundry and pool/hot tub are also a short walk from our site. The pools were closed early in our stay for resurfacing but have opened up for our enjoyment. The park also has some corn hole boards and shuffle board courts nearby. There are several pickle ball courts on the far side of the lake near the mail room and registration area.

Pool and Hot Tub Being Drained

By mid November, there were some new arrivals to the park. Both the black-bellied whistling ducks and the Muscovy ducks had their babies. They would often come and sit behind our rig. When we first noticed the Muscovy duck mother, she had 9 ducklings with her. But over the course of the next couple of weeks that number dropped. Possibly a result of osprey, alligators or snapping turtles.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck Family

Muscovy Duck in Lake with Ducklings

Mom and Ducklings Behind our Motorhome

There were a couple of spots on the far side of the lake where the gators tended to lay in the sun. One of the bigger gators was a rather impressive size. We are glad they hang out across the lake instead of in our back yard.

One BIG Gator

 We didn’t spend all our time just chilling by the lake. We spent a fair amount of time visiting with my one sister and brother-in-law who live about 30 minutes away from camp. We had some good dinners and helped them with a couple of chores.

We like staying at Belle Parc in part due to it’s proximity to Croom Wildlife Management Area and the 50+ miles of single track mountain biking trails. But at one of the dinners, a fellow camper suggested we avoid the area until deer season is over. We took his advice to heart and stuck to some of the paved biking trails where hunting accidents are less likely. In subsequent blog posts, we will get out of the RV park and explore some other areas of interest nearby.

Dragonfly at Rest

Colorful Moth or Butterfly

Dew on Web

Turtle and Reflection