Silver Springs with Friends

I had a mini get-together with RV forum friends, and Tina, Judy, and I decided to kayak the Silver River. Tina used her inflatable kayak.

Judy rented a kayak.

This was Judy's first time kayaking. She took to it like a pro.

And of course I used my kayoo.

It was a cool, but beautiful sunshiny day to gaze into the clear spring waters.

We started at the main spring and did a loop down the river and back by way of the Fort King paddling trail.

Tina and Judy floating over the main spring. We had to make way for the glass-bottom boat approaching.

I borrowed this pic from Judy's post, so there'd be one of me.

 Judy and Tina looking at the big fish in the main spring.

We saw lots of turtles sunning themselves.

I was taking a picture of the Common Moorhen on the right, but noticed the green heron on the left when I loaded it on the computer.

Drifting past a gator...

Cormorants and turtles on the log.

White Ibises

This Tri-colored Heron was busy fishing.

A Little Blue Heron and a moss-covered turtle.

Paddling was easy.

I think these fish were looking for a hand-out.

Perhaps some kayakers do that, but they got nothing from me.

Snowy Egret with a catch.

Anhinga drying her wings with turtles.

Judy getting a close-up of the big gator. I just use my zoom lens, haha.

Couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

Sometimes the wildlife was a little hidden in the vegetation.

Great Blue Heron.

This is an immature Little Blue Heron. 

Tina turning into the entrance of the Fort King Paddling trail that will take us back upstream to the boat launch.

This was once the route of the Jungle Cruise at Silver Springs attraction. 

Judy is still smiling!

Green Heron

I think Judy said she counted 20 turtles on this log, plus a couple anhingas.

Tina taking a photo.

On the left is a replica of Fort King, located near here during the Seminole Wars. These structures were part of the Silver Springs Attraction. The park is now being allowed to return to its natural state.

Tina in her Sea Eagle inflatable.

Female anhinga.

When we took Judy back to the campground the fire-fighters and rangers were doing a prescribed burn in the park.

Bolen Bluff Trail

I decided to start the New Year off with an unguided hike in nearby Paynes Prairie State Park.

The Bolen Bluff Trail between McIntosh and Gainesville lies along the path that Spanish Explorer, Hernando de Soto, took with his expedition in search of gold in the Florida peninsula. The map depicts the route.

 The 2 1/2 mile trail is one of several in Paynes Prairie State Park. It is named for a pioneer family that once lived here along the south rim or bluff of Paynes Prairie. Wild horses live here, as do bison, and are sometimes seen along the trail.

 Paynes Prairie is also an important birding area with many migratory birds spending the winter here.

 The trail starts out through a hardwood hammock.

 A little color..

 Some swampy areas beside the trail.

 And today is a lucky day….I saw a wild horse. The horses are descendants of "Cracker Horses," small horses brought here by the Spanish and used for herding cattle in the early days of settlement. They were later abandoned in favor of larger horses.

 Along the trail...

 Approaching the prairie.

 A pair of cardinals and many other unidentified little birds enjoy this area.

 Male cardinal in a sweetgum tree.

 The trail follows an earthen dike, with wetlands on either side.

 5 sparrows in a tree.

 Approaching the viewing platform.

 There's a bald eagle perched in a nearby tree.

There he goes. 

A large flock of sand-hill cranes winter here, and there are year-round residents also.

 Do you see the hawk way out there? I spotted it with my binoculars.

He's even a little beyond the range of my 65x optical zoom.

But zooming closer with the digital zoom makes him blurry.

The longest zoom using optical plus digital zoom made these trees look like a watercolor painting.

Taking the second half of the loop trail back through the woods.

 Played with my camera's special effects with Live Oak tree. Normal picture:

 Special effect:

 Meanwhile back at the campground, two hawks were having a territorial discussion over my RV.

I'll leave you with a couple close-ups from my early morning walk around McIntosh. The Camellias are in bloom all over town.

 Hibiscus

If you would like to follow my blog by E-Mail, you can now do so by entering and submitting your E-Mail address in the link at the left. I will no longer send them out individually to everybody unless I get a specific request to do so. Many of you get the links on Facebook or the Women's Forum, so this should cover everybody. Happy New Year!