This is a wonderful State Park. The grounds are beautiful and built around a spring with lots of manatees, fish and other creatures. It is home to a lot of native birds who have either been injured and are being rehabilitated, or who cannot live in the wild. For someone who likes birds, the place is a dream! It's very nice to walk around the park and enjoy the animals and scenery.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
HUGE manatees all over the place
It was a beautiful day to walk around the park
A man and his 2 friends enjoying the river
Beautiful, endangered Florida Panther
(there were a couple of them there)
(there were a couple of them there)
Red Wolves (also endangered)
(Smaller than the gray wolf, but bigger than a coyote)
A retired circus bear
Bobcat
A little fox
The star of the place - LU
(He was born in 1960 - an old guy)
A possum comes every night to my house and eats
my cat's food - funny, I never thought of picking it up
and playing with it!! This one's mother was killed
and she was raised by the park rangers.
THE BEST! Whooping Cranes
Bald Eagle (duh!)
HAWKS
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
Lots of Herons and Egrets
Horned Owl
Roseate Spoonbill
This is a Crested Caracaras, a member of the falcon family.
It is a threatened species (I like his toupee!)
Pair of Wood Storks
Anhinga
Brown Pelicans nesting
Sandhill Cranes (this one was sleeping)
Swan
Beautiful Wood Duck
Wood Duck and his Wife
He was never far from his wife
River Otter out for his morning swim
Then a little roll in the dirt
(Click on the play button (bottom left) to play videos.)
Whooping Crane making his famous whooping call
Whooping Crane making his famous whooping call
The underwater viewing area - LOTS of fish swimming in circles!
