Critters

So: manatees. Among other places, they like to hang out at Blue Springs State Park, where the artesian spring guarantees year-around warm water (73 degrees). But there were only 10 in residence yesterday. The river water had warmed, and the manatees had moved out into the river. The river (the St. John—the US’s only north-flowing river, by the way) has food, and the spring has that nice warm water, but no food, so they go back and forth.

But a couple of the ones who stayed back were obligingly close to the shore, so we got some good looks.

Besides the manatees, the park offers boat tours on the river. Ours was extraordinary. We saw enough alligators to satisfy.

There were birds aplenty, including pretty much every heron (tricolor, green, great blue, and little blue) and egret (great and snowy). I didn't get a lot of photos of them, but I did get a one of my favorites, the yellow-crowned night heron, as well as a lovely cormorant,

trees full of ibises and black vultures,

a half-dozen gorgeous limpkins and one elusive bittern,

  

 

and lots of turtles.

It was a great day, and we were a couple of happy Florida campers.