Our drive through Ding Darling was overcast with misty rain today. Even more dreary than the weather, was smelling and seeing all the large dead fish floating in the water. It signals the return of red tide to the waters at Ding. These are the big fish that the wood storks, egrets, and other birds were feasting on last week. It is so sad to see the return of red tide, again.

One of the first clues (other than the smell) were all the buzzards on the sand bar on the left side of the drive. They just stood there waiting for the dead fish to float nearby. This is the area that is usually covered with the big white pelicans this time of year.

All those things floating on the water are large dead fish. They were everywhere and starting to pile up under the trees.

Speaking of white pelicans, we did see quite a few on the right hand side of the drive. There didn’t seem to be quite as many dead fish on that side.