Silver River and more

The long drought is over.  Not the meteorological drought,  the Dave's  Yak Tales drought of no monkey photos from the Silver River.  It has been at least three trips.  Until today.

Underway in the canal from Ray's Wayside at 8:45

Great blue heron

 Robin

Great egret. All this, plus an otter, before I even reached the Silver River.

Air 50's plus water 60's = fog

 Ibis

Anhinga

 Wood ducks

Red shouldered hawk

 Great blue heron

 Blue heron

One of my better belted kingfisher photos

Cormrant and undetermined fish

 First turtle of the day. 9:43

Black crowned night heron

Moor hen

 Tri colored heron

The Silver River is great for 2 for, or even 3 for 1 shots, Great egret, anhinga, turtles

First gator of the day.  10:08 Would not have seen it, but paddled back to see this limpkin

 Green heron

Two deer. One, seeking sustenance from lichen

Five paces, turn, draw, fire!

First monkey pic in a long time.  And, I get a butt shot.

Solitary monkey, moving along the bank

I encountered just 2 boats on the way up River,  canoes from Silver River State Park

Nest building has begun on the island near the head spring

Over the main spring, 11:30. There are several other springs on the upper part of the Silver River

The State is taking over the area

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-01-24/travel/os-silver-springs-state-park-20130124_1_silver-springs-palace-entertainment-state-park

A good thing, in my opinion.  Why have a zoo with non-Florida animals at this spot.  Plenty of natural wildlife  to see.  And unnatural. The monkeys.

According to legend, Osceola signed the Treaty of Paynes Landing with his dagger

 Osprey

 Pie billed grebe

 You know it is a quiet day on the River when a State Park Ranger is out in a kayak.  He alerted me to the gator below.

I stopped,soon after, at the State Park ramp.  Had a sandwich and a chat about baseball and the transfer of the theme park with a gent who says he walks in the park every day.

Back on the water

Another solo monkey

Eyeing the little gators?

Monkey movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQBEuSzQPA4

The River got busier as the day moved into the afternoon, but it was not too bad.  Power boats mostly obeyed the Idle Speed rule.   

Landed at 2:30. Water level at the launch is the lowest I have seen in 8 years I've been paddling the Silver River.

In 2 weeks, I will be at the Sweetwater cabin  No internet in the heart of the  Ocala National Forest.  But, there are 3 libraries nearby as counties, Marion, Lake, and Volusia, meet here.  The Forest branch of the Marion Co. system is 3/10 of a mile south of Highway 40.   I stopped to check out the WI FI.  It works, from the outside, as the library was closed.   So, I will be able to post a pic or two during my week long stay.

The cabin is about 20 miles away.  Just north of the bridge on 19 over Juniper Creek.  South of my next stop, Silver Glen  Springs.

Why are you scraping away the bottom and clouding the Spring?  Dickhead.

 Tilapia nest.  There were a lot of them

 The result of many nests

Boils

I did not see Jody's flutter mill

The Yearling, Chapter 1

I did not know, until now, that Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1918.  No wonder she was such a wonderful writer.

Speaking of The Yearling, I crossed HWY 19 to take a hike on the Yearling Trail. Cut it short, as the last battery died at the start.  At least I got this

Florida scrub jay.  It was 4:55. With no photo capability, I figured I might as well get home in time for kickoff. I did.