Nature's Coast, Florida

We left Disney World on Wednesday, 1/15 heading 90 miles to Crystal River on what the tourism board calls Nature's Coast of Florida.

Wild turkey escort out of WDW

It runs along the Gulf Shore north of Tampa and is, like Cedar Key, what we think of as more "old" Florida. After the glitz, glam and crowds of Orlando, these small towns, 2 lane highways and abundant nature harkens back to what Florida might have been 70 years ago.  Or at least that's our fantasy.  The area is rife with springs that bubble up from the largest aquifer in North America.  The springs feed streams and rivers that run into the Gulf.  The spring water is a constant 72 deg. F which feels pretty warm on these 40 deg. night and 60 deg. days.  The warm water, abundant vegetation makes it the perfect winter habitat for....yes, you guessed it....manatees.

Yes, this area of Florida has made its name on manatees and they so appear on all sorts of retro/tacky advertising.

Slightly bigger than life-sized roadside manatee

You can Google manatees to see their natural history and vital statistics and see lots of photos, but that won't really prepare you for seeing them in person.  We started at Homossasa Springs Wildlife State Park.  A former private zoo, it was turned over the State of Florida in the 1980s and the state maintains a native wildlife attraction and manages the ideal manatee habitat in cooperation with other protective agencies.  It's a wonderful place with a nice boat ride to the park entrance and then an easy walking trail to see the attractions.

Boat ride to the park

 We headed to the manatees first.

Slightly smaller than life-sized...the manatees that is

We rounded a bend in the trail and the navigator exclaimed, "Look at all those rocks in the river.  Wait a minute, those rocks are moving!"

Herd of manatees

Yes, there they were, the manatees!  The first of several groups we saw that day.  Each 6 or more feet long with a whiskery face and small gentle eyes and the most benign expression you can imagine.  Of course as a trained biologist, I refuse to anthropomorphize these critters, but they sure are cute.

They were close to the bank and abundant, floating and sleeping and rolling and doing adorable manatee things.  There is much written about the risks these gentle creatures face including habitat degradation and boats and debris in their waters but the population is relatively healthy now and many groups are working to protect them.  It was amazing to be so close and be able to just watch them.

After ogling the manatees for a while, we walked the rest of the trail and enjoyed seeing the other animals, especially the many birds which you usually don't see up close.

Great Blue Heron

Flamingos

Ibis flock flying off

No caption needed, right?

Barred Owls

It was a great day at the park, and a deal at only $13 each admission.  Our appetite for seeing manatees was whetted and we were determined to find more.  Luckily, it wasn't hard.

Manatee on the way out

Last manatee of the day.

Stay tuned...next up....swimming with the manatees!