Homosassa and Halls Rivers

Buffleheads on the Halls River.  I hoped to lead the Tale with some face to face manatee photos, but was not that fortunate.  Males have the big white spot, females the smaller. I was thinking these were hooded  mergansers, since I saw some female mergansers earlier.  Check out this Cornel U link to learn the difference.

March has been very lion-like, at least on weekends. Wind and rain.  I've done my favorite wind and rain spot, Rock Springs Run, several times recently.  Thought about Blue Spring and Snake Creek.  It would be windy on the St. Johns and Hontoon Dead River, sheltered on Snake Creek.  And, manatee season ended March 1. I could snorkel the Spring Run, and maybe see a wayward manatee.  But, a check of the Blue Spring State Park website showed 62 manatees were in the Run Thursday, 10, Friday. So, I assume it would be closed to human activity.   Manatees on my mind, I thought, where else can I go.   On the Gulf Coast, the marine forecast called for a moderate chop on near shore waters.  Much better than the choppy forecast on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.  Orange City, home of Blue Spring had a forecast of 15-20 mph north winds, gusts to 30.   The forecast for Homosassa Springs held 10-15 mph winds, gusts to 20, out of the east.   That meant the wind would be at my back on the return paddle.   I headed to Homosassa.

 I woke at 5:30, which was really 4:30, and thought, if I want to beat the manatee  tour boats and the wind, I may as well get out of bed.  The ramp on the Homosassa River is 95 miles away.  I was on the water at 6:50.  Another benefit of the early start, I got a prime parking spot.

The great egret and great blue heron tried to grab a prime spot on the crabbers boat.  I said, "Dumb birds, they should wait until you come back with a full load"    "They're after the catfish heads used to bait the traps"    I learned something new.

Not new, the monkeys on the island across from the Homosassa Riverside Resort.

The wind was not bad as I paddled up the Homosassa. I often see bald eagles, and there it was.

From the large, bald eagle, to the small, belted kingfisher.

Unsure what the black and white duck is.  I think a bufflehead.  I was distracted by a mantee exhaling. I was getting near the Homosass headwaters.

As regular readers know you cannot paddle to the main source of the Homossasa River, Homosassa Springs.

The manatee refuge is also in place along both sides of the River near the State Park until April 1. I paddled along both sides, no manatees.  So, I paddled under a bridge up a spring run into a residential neighborhood.

Must be nice to have a home on a spring.  A volunteer manatee watcher was in the area.  I chatted with her as we paddled back to the State Park area.  She said she was expecting a busy day with spring breakers.  I told her that is why I arrived early.   I was thinking of not getting in the water, but then a group on a pontoon boat exclaimed that they saw a manatee.  Well, I won't get any photos if I don't try, so I anchored at the usual spot and got in.

Snorkeled along the south side of the river, the pontoon boat, and maybe a manatee were on the other side. I never got there.  The volunteer claimed I could not anchor where I had.  I told her it was one of her colleagues that suggested that spot.  I told her I was not going to argue with her and would swim back, but I thought she was wrong.  She said, "its State Property"  "I'm a taxpayer.  And Annual Pass holder" I should have said, I want you to show be where it says I can't anchor.  But I'm too nice.  So, I swam back to the kayak.  And could not help but think of the classic NFL Films, Marv Levy clip

This boat is in cove on the north side of the River where I see an occasional manatee.  Wonder why it can anchor and I can't. 

The only manatee picture of the day.  Upper right.  I saw about six.  Not in this shot, here and there throughout the morning.    The Halls River enters the Homosassa from the north, about halfway between the springs and McRae's.  Once past a bridge and trailer park, it is almost all wild.

I know this is a female hood merganser, so when I saw this

I thought male hooded merganser, with the white patch indicating it is in breeding phase.  But, as mentioned above, it is a bufflehead.  The difference? Buffleheads are white on the bottom.

Florida mottled ducks.  Look a lot like mallards, but the males and females are pretty much alike.  My rule of thumb, if I see two or more mallard looking ducks, but no green heads, they are mottled ducks.

 Most of the Halls River shore is grassy/ reedy, as above, with a few hardwood hammocks mixed in.

I took a break at one of the latter.

 This is a new stream flow gauge.

 The eastern sky wasn't looking to inviting, so I turned around to beat the rain.  11:20 EDT

Snowy egret

 Coot

I was the only boater on the Halls River.

 Back on the Homosassa, limited boat traffic, all Idle or Slow speed this time of year. 

Saw the final two mantees of the day just before Monkey Island. 

I landed at 1:00.  Got drizzled on for a while, but nothing bad.  The worst thing, even worse than having to get out of the water when snorkeling, was when a dumbass, at the I-75 Turnpike merge, decided he did not want to go to Orlando, and came out of the Exit Only lane, into my lane.  To avoid getting hit, I had to stay on 75.  But that wasn't the worst part.   As he passed me, and I had the urge to lift my middle finger, I saw the car had Wisconsin plates. Very disappointing.