Hillsborough River

I changed by mind about beginning to make up for Friday's "Snow Day" today, Saturday, January 17, 2009. I'll work next Saturday. Today, I headed to Tampa and the Hillsborough River. I'm glad I did. A fantastic day for wildlife.

I put in at Trout Creek Park just past 10 am. Still cool, I'd guess low fifties. No cars in the dirt parking lot. The day got off to a fine start, this is the first picture as I paddled upstream.

Great egret, reflection, cypress roots.

Woodstork feeding.

Rosette spoonbill takes off.

It soon landed.

Two otters ran along the right bank, disappearing into the woods. Then a deer. I raised the camera, it bounded off. Not to far, joining two others. I just got one in the frame.

Next, a raccoon. Note the stringy fur from being in the water.

With the cool weather I was not expecting to see many alligators. Of course, as soon as the thought formed, I saw this one.

The first of four seen during the day.

Remember being a kid, and drawing pictures of Thanksgiving turkeys ? Using a red crayon for the wattle/ beard ?

It really is bright red.

Another great egret.

Noise on the left bank, two piglets. This was proving to be a good day of mammals. Another deer bounded through the woods on the right bank. I did not see the first humans until I was almost at Morris Bridge Park, four miles into the paddle. A gentleman in a canoe said, "You're holding the paddle wrong, put it in at an angle, its better" " Yeah, right" "I'm serious". He and his partner headed downstream. I thought about what he said, and he was right. The blade was not entering the water properly. I need to cock my wrists so the edge enters the water. On the chance that canoer is reading this, thank you.

I took a break at an overlook at the end of a hiking/biking trail. The site of an old bridge, for those of you familiar with the Hillsborough. A kayaker, headed upstream went by, a runner ran up, and turned back, it is the trail end. I got back in the kayak. People were coming downstream, but not to many. I recognized a spot where I saw about 6 baby gators my last visit. One small gator. The sole survivor ? I told a couple coming downstream to look for it.

I then came to the area where I took the picture of the rosette spoonbill and tri colored heron that open this Tale. Also in the area, great egret and great blue heron, and an otter.

I would not want to get my fingers near an otter's mouth. The crunching sounds they make when eating shellfish makes me think a bone would be no problem.

Another view of the spoonbill.

I arrived at Sargeant Park, my turn around. It is also the launch spot for renters. A trio of red rental Canoe Escape canoes were headed up the Flint River. Sargeant Park is at the confluence of the Flint and Hillsborough Rivers. Knowing the renters would soon turn around, I continued up the Hillsborough. Not for long. Unlike the eight mile section I had just paddled, the Hills borough above the Flint River is not cleared. A few trees are removed, but most remain where they fell. I paddled until a large tree blocked the channel. I turned back. Saw a blue heron, nothing else, which I attributed to a guy on the bank with his doberman. But, when I passed them for the second time, downstream, twenty yards away, stood a deer.

Later, at Sargeant Park, I asked the guy if his dog was tempted to chase the deer, which bounded off in his direction after I took the picture. "No, it was more interested in sniffing out the hog tracks". Before I landed, I paddled up the Flint, looking for alligators. That's why the renters had gone that way, I've been on the shuttle bus. I saw several my last visit, none today.

Did get a nice shot of a great blue heron, breeding plumage flowing.

I landed at Sargeant Park, finishing the lunch I had begun on the overlook near Morris Bridge, on the fishing pier/boardwalk. The 2:00 pm and last rental shuttle came with 2 kayakers. Perfect, no crowds on the downstream voyage. I was back in the water at 2:30. The wildlife continued.

I passed four or so renters between Sargent and Morris Bridge. Once past Morris Bridge, nobody until two fishing boats near Trout Creek.

Anhinga. Another great blue heron, fully fluffed feathers.

Something moved in the forest, unseen, to my left. The same noise on the other bank, accompanied by grunts. Pigs. Several, big and small, brown and black.

Great egret.

Limpkin.

Not shown, a flock of robins.

The Hillsborough is a fantastic place for birds, here wood stork with vulture, red shouldered hawk, and another great blue heron ready for the ladies.

Sometimes, two spectacular birds share the same tree.

Here are closeups of the black crowned night heron and rosette spoonbill.

I shortchanged a great egret when I wrote "three spectacular birds". Couldn't get all of them in the frame.

I returned to Trout Creek Park, and having time left before sunset, paddled up Trout Creek. A barred owl flew over head, landing on a branch twenty yards in the woods. Tow far, and dark for a good photo. Other birds seen, but not on this Tale, ibis, belted kingfishers, pileated woodpeckers, osprey and blue herons. I paddled up Trout, to a sulphur spring, and just beyond where the Grandmother of all alligators lay on the bank.

The photo does not do it justice. It was taken at a distance of 20 yards or so. I saw it, my first thought, "Holy crap !" Had to be twelve feet, and wide. Bigger than the two big gators that hang out on a bend of the Econlochatchee River. I tried to get a better photo, but as it slid off the bank, I decided it was a good time to turn around.