Cedar Key, Monday, 3-10-14

Took advantage of the time change by getting on the water before sunrise, 7:34 EDT

 

Black skimmers

 

 

 

 

 Well, the sun rose. Over black skimmers. Time to see if the white pelicans are still near the wreck in the Number 2 Channel.

Put the Super Vivid setting back on for the spoonbills.

 

 Also colorful, oyster catchers

 

No white pelicans

 Cormorant leads me out of the Channel

 Not sure what the deal is with the streaking on the brown pelican.  Below, the white lights is the sun hitting windows.

 Landed at 8:29.  Breakfast, pasta with clams, red onion and summer squash, just a touch of tomato sauce, compose the Yak Tales, back in the kayak at 10:31

High tide means black skimmers find a new sandbar

 

Back to the Number 2 Channel. Great egret at the Old Fenimore Mill dock

 Spoonbills in the mangroves

Too shallow in the cove for a closer look. Egrets and night herons, too.

 Out of the cove

Into the Channel

 And, the Gulf

Paddling north northeast along the shore of unnamed keys, past Scale Key, and beyond

 

 

 

 

 

Bald eagle

Closer view

 Took the water proof case off, reaching forward as far as possible without the neck strap's constraint

 

 Crowds on the unnamed key where I planned to land.

 

This key, like Scale Key and others in the area, is part of the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge.

 

 Little bird, big nest

 

 

 Landed on the ancient shell mound

 

 

 

 Back on the water

 I assume the markers are clam leases

Loon

Florida's secret.  Retractable dome.

 

 

 

 

 Back in the Number 2 Channel

 

 "Line up according to height"

 

 

 

Looks like one side failed to pay condo maintenance fees

 

 Clamers returning from their lease

 

 

 Coming into a crowded Cedar Key City Beach

For a Monday, this is a crowd. Damn the cold winter up north. The majority of license plates were out of state. Landed at 12:30

 Lunch, then on the bike at 2.

 

 

 Cemetery Point Park

Boat graveyard

 

 

 

 In the Cemetery

 

 

 The Cannons deserve a better view

 Out of the cemetery, for now.

Air strip on the left

 Water on the right.  I did not see the missing Malaysia Airlines plane

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowy

 

 

 

 Love it when a sign is in the right place

 

Or, wrong if you're the lizard

 

History, another reason I love Cedar Key

 

 

My kayak on the beach makes an excellent final photo from the bike ride.

 Back to 330 for about an hour

Back on the water at 5:30

 

If you do not recognize I was back in the Number 2 Channel, welcome to Dave's Yak Tales

 

 Turned back at Cemetery Point

 

 

 

 

 

Freeloaders

 

 

 

 

Spoonbill in the Fenimore Mill cove

Going into the shallow cove to get the sun between the spoonbill and I.

 More spoonbills

 

 

 Black crowned night herons

 

 Out of the cove, could have gone into the Gulf, and paddled out to the sunset, but I was distracted.

 So, I paddled the other direction, back to the wreck

 

 

Ok, enough of the wading spoonbills.

Missed most of the colorful sunset by watching colorful birds

Day ending it began.  Black skimmers

 

Landed at 7:45

 Quality refreshment.  The water bottle in the background is one I have been refilling for the last month.  If only beer came from the tap. Instead of just on tap.

 

Black crowned night heron on a night time walk.