Silver River and more

Saturday, April 18, 2009, I kayaked the Silver River. "More" includes the Ocklawha River, from where the above photo came, and a visit to Silver Glen Springs. I launched from Ray's Wayside park at 8:29, according to the time stamp on this photo.














I put in with alacrity, wanting to get ahead of the boy scout troop. Who probably headed down the Silver, the down the Ocklawaha to camp. Youth would be a common theme throughout the paddle.




The second prothonotary warbler pic on Dave's Yak Tales.











The pontoon boat was one of three boats I saw on the up River paddle. Great egret.



















Thirty-five minutes into the trip, monkeys.









Adult, keeping an eye on the youngsters.

Mom patiently waits.

Great blue heron







Worth a second look.

The Silver River State Park landing was in view when I saw this doe.

I know its a doe, because males don't look after new borns.

You can't spell "fawn" without, awwwww.

Mama, on the lookout.

The State Park ramp, about halfway up the River, is at a prime spot for wildlife. In five minutes, I saw the deer, and,

Yellow crowned night heron, limpkin and cormorant. I thought, usually I see alligators...

The first of many.

Headless bird?

Nope, black crowned night heron.

Mama, and little wood ducks.

Dad?

I was over the head spring, the source of the Silver River, at 10:28.

I did not linger, as the Silver River theme park tour boats were out and about. Here is the Dave tour of more wildlife and springs in the upper reaches of the Silver River.

I think this is the last photo of minors. Beginning with humans, then monkeys, deer, wood ducks, and now, alligators. Took a photo of a cormorant nest that did not turn out.






Speaking of wood ducks, how much wood, would a wood duck, duck, if a wood duck, could duck, wood?

Alligator over a spring.

I saw this green heron, and thought, I now have photos, of great blue, black crowned, yellow crowned, and green herons. Getting a blue heron pic will be easy. All I need is a tri colored and I will have seen all Florida herons (so far as I know) on this Silver River paddle.

This is the black crowned night heron seen on the way up, now on the way back. Remember how the head was not visible? It was grooming. See the feathers in the beak.

Blue heron.

Gator, turtles, great egret.

More wood ducks, with turtles, alligator, wood duck.

I stopped at the State Park landing for a break. Turned out to be a short one. As I landed, a pickup with six canoes on a trailer backed to the launch. It must have had special permission. Launching at Silver River State Park requires a 0.6 mile walk. Must be nice to be a boy scout. For the second time in the day, I got in the water quickly to get ahead of the kids. Nothing against kids, but having been a 13 year old once, I know the loud fun a group of boys can have.

The Silver was getting busy. Boaters and paddlers. From the wakes produced by some boaters, they don't know what "Idle Speed" means, which is :"The slowest speed at which it is still possible to maintain steerageway and headway; the vessel should not produce a wake at this speed." My greeting to these lawbreakers is either "Hello, criminals !", or, "Where's the fire?"

Boaters who know the rules get a friendly "Thank you !"

Despite the traffic, wild life viewing remained excellent. A lone monkey sat on the bank.

I got to the canal leading to Ray's and decided to keep paddling. I had to find a tri colored heron to get the heron sextet. The Silver River mets the Ocklawaha River a short way past the canal. I paddled up the Ock for 30 minutes.

Just three other boaters, up and back, no paddlers. No tri colored heron, but yellow crowned, limpkin, and more alligators.

The views upstream were just as good.

The alligator that began this Tale was from this part of the day.

I failed to spot a tri colored heron, so I had to end the paddle with five, blue, great blue, green black crowned and yellow crowned, out of five.

I visited Silver Glen Springs, a short detour up Highway 19. Striped bass replaced the crevalle jacks seen on my last visit.

Plenty of mullet, too.

After my swim, I hiked the Lake George Trail.

Big lake, little gator.

And, a tri colored heron.

This is the last picture of the day. From the Boils Trail.

Last photo only because I ran out of batteries. Used up two. 151 pictures. No, they are not all on this Yak Tale. I missed the big bass just behind the sunfish.

I also was unable to show you the Yearling Trail. You may recall this is where I often see Florida scrub jays. I did see one during a 10 minute visit. The interesting thing is how the Trail, and landscape, was affected by a major wildfire that occured about a month ago. The Trail served as a fire line. It was widend for several hundred yards out from the parking area. The fire line worked. Lots of charred remains on the south side of the trail, no black marks on the north side.