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Community Corner

Under The Boardwalk, Down By The Sea

The boardwalk at Robert K. Rees Memorial Park provides a unique view of some of the area's natural habitat that would be otherwise inaccessible.

It took me quite a long time to find .  Not because I drove around unwilling to ask for directions. Because I was actually unaware of the park’s existence. It certainly doesn’t feature on any of the hiking websites I often look to for suggestions for my next walk. In fact you would be hard pressed to find any link to hiking at Robert K Rees Memorial Park.

The park is small, in fact the smallest I have visited to date at just 45 acres and it is certainly not intended as a hiking haven. It actually aims to be a quite family area with a very clean beach, small playground and various picnic areas.

So why did I head to Robert K Rees Memorial Park to go hiking? My research indicated the existence of a boardwalk and past experience has taught me that these manmade structures are an excellent way to get into areas you normally cannot reach. More often than not they span areas saturated with water, and this usually means one thing; plenty of wildlife.

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Leaving the well maintained parking lot behind me, I took an immediate right and found the boardwalk stretching out before me. From the moment I put my foot on the aging woodwork, I found myself surrounded by nature. The very first supports are anchored in mangrove-rich wetlands. Tiny fish and crabs darted around the many small pools left behind by the retreating tide.

As the mangroves merged into marshland, I became aware of the cacophony of birdsong that seemed to be emanating from all sides. One unusual sound seemed to stand out from the rest and I tried to locate the source of this unique bird call.

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It was my wife who was the first to find the culprit, which at first appeared to be a crow or possibly a grackle. As we watched, we saw a distinct flash of red on the bird’s shoulder, indicating this was a male red-winged blackbird. I am informed this is a very common bird in Florida, but it was the first time I had seen one, and I was intrigued by the little red-wing’s tenacious nature.

His calling became more insistent as he attempted to deter what he saw as an invasion of his territory. The closer we got, the louder he became, and he even started to ruffle up his neck feathers in an attempt to look bigger and more menacing. I later discovered that our meeting with this feisty flyer had taken place during breeding season when the red-wing is at its most territorial.

At the end of the boardwalk there was a viewing platform and we were presented with a stunning view of the Gulf of Mexico. The tide was out and calm water was as flat and clear as a mirror making it impossible to tell where the water ended and the sky began. I had been told that this was an excellent spot to watch for dolphins, but the water was evidently far too shallow for anything but the smallest of fish. Still, the view was entrancing with the lack of a defined horizon making it almost otherworldly.

It took an effort to tear ourselves away and I am sure we will return soon, hopefully at high tide, and have better luck with finding dolphins.

Robert K Rees Memorial Park is located 4835 Green Key Road in New Port Richey. The park is open from dawn to dusk every day and there is a $2 entrance fee per vehicle.

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