Rainbow River

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Saturday October 29^th kayaked the Rainbow River and this time was not a solo like the first one. Woke up asking myself where to go because the forecast had all Central Florida and the I95 corridor under water. Decided to check the weather for other areas and saw that North Florida was clear. But we kayaked the Santa Fe River not so long ago and that was ruled out. Too long of a drive and it was too late already. Then saw a clear spot in the weather map: Inverness. What is in that area? Rainbow River is close enough and we decided to go there. It was a little late at 9:00AM but the other choice, staying at home, was unacceptable.

Wood Ducks

Put In/ Take Out: The first time I kayaked Rainbow River did put in at the Dunnellon City Hall just because my Plan A, an area near the CR484 bridge over the Rainbow River a mile or less East, was being improved. This time decided to go there again, the CR484 bridge because did not have too much time and also because my wife was not going to like a long paddle against the current. The construction is over now and the name is Blue Run of Dunnellon Park. There is not charge and the access to the river is not bad neither in this location. As a reference, there is a place renting kayaks in the North side of the bridge and there is also a restaurant. The pic shows a sign just in front of the park. We entered, unloaded the yak, and then parked in one of the spots. There was only one other van in the lot.

Little Blue Heron

Eagle over the Rainbow River

We were in the water at 11:20AM. We started paddling up stream under a gray sky and a strong wind coming from the North. Did not see a kayak, a canoe, a boat or a tuber until the first hour and a half into our paddle. The whole river is idle speed/no wake zone. In that aspect this paddle was an improvement from the previous one when saw many of them. For this one I do not think we saw more than 5 boats, no tubers, and only a few kayakers, most of them after passing KP Hole, a Marion County park. It was in the area in front of KP Hole when we saw a couple of otters playing in the East bank of the river. I do remember seeing otters near this spot the first trip here. We missed an otter pic chance earlier in the paddle and wifey was not this one to go away so we followed the otters while they played and swam out of the river. While we followed the otters am eagle appeared high in the sky flying East to West. What a dilemma!!! Eagle or otters? My wife decided to go for both and thanks to the eagle circling a couple of times was able to shoot pics at both.

Otters on the Rainbow River

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Did You Know That? Our star this time is a bird we see often while paddling: The Little Blue Heron. I cannot remember a kayaking trip when we came out with no pics of a Little Blue Heron. There is one of them, adult or juvenile, posing for pics. Little Blue Herons do not have long showy plumes in breeding adult plumage. So it escaped the serious population declines from feather hunting for the millinery trade. The juveniles Little Blue Herons are not blue but white. They use that fact to blend in with the bigger Snowy and Great Egrets in what is believed to be like a protection deal. The juvenile little blue can catch more fish in company of, for example, a Snowy Egret than when alone. The Snowy Egrets tolerates better the company of the juvenile than the adult little blue heron.

Belted Kingfisher

Rainbow Springs State Park fall

It took almost two hours to reach the Rainbow Springs State Park area. There we paid $4.00(two per person) at the honor box and sat down near their kayak/canoe launch ramp to have a quick lunch. After eating our sandwich we walked to the falls inside the state park. The falls are not natural and are remnants of the original attractions when Rainbow Springs was a private amusement park. The area around the springs was a major source of phosphate early in the 20^th century. The falls were built using material from the phosphate mines. There was a zoo, gardens, a monorail, an aviary, a rodeo show, and even a submarine tour when Rainbow Springs was not own by the state.

Green Heron

Moorhen

After the mini tour inside the state park we started our return trip back to the bridge. With the current in our favor wifey did not have to paddle as much as she did in the first leg of the paddle, when we had also the wind on our faces. The wind did not help us on the return but it did not matter. We enjoyed the return trip admiring the things that we were not able to see on our paddle upstream. Now it was sunny and the beauty of the river was much appreciated. Wifey was impressed with the crystal clear waters and some beautiful houses in the west bank. Will we ever have one like that one? She asked me at one point. We can dream, for the time being. You never know. We arrived at the take out in one hour and fifteen minutes after leaving Rainbow Springs State Park, close to 5PM.

Ibis' Flock

Here are more pics of what we saw today at the Rainbow River...

Ibis

Anhinga(female)

Turtle

Eastern Phoebe

Cormorant

Wood Duck

Turtle swims on the Rainbow River

Pied Billed Grebe

Red Shouldered Hawk

Wood Ducks

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Belted KingFisher

Unknown Bird

Patriotic Belted KingFisher

Turtles

Bald Eagle

Otters

Otter

The one and only gator on the Rainbow River

Belted Kingfisher

Rainbow River Flora

Rainbow Falls at Rainbow Springs State Park

Rainbow Springs State Park

Rainbow River

Green Heron

Rainbow River

And this is it for this one. The link will take you to more pics of this and past trips to Rainbow River.

Thanks for reading and see you next week.

Rainbow River scene

Lower Wekiva River from Katie's Landing

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Today was one of those days you can never forget...

After a short recess today we went back to the water Saturday October 22. It was my wife's idea. I have been a little blue due to a situation that may end my kayaking days, at least in Florida. My wife decided that enough was enough and to Katie’s Landings we went to kayak one of our favorite places; the Lower Wekiva River. It turned out to be one of the best trips we have had. Several eagles sightings and witnessed a heck of an aerial show, that in addition to the beauty of the Lower Wekiva River scenery.

Little Blue Heron

Put In/ Take Out: Katie’s Landings. Check this link to our first post about this place and you will find the information about Katie's Landing.

Otter

We arrived early to Katie’s Landings, at least early for us. Our yak was in the water at 8:30AM and spent 30 minutes in the area just in front of Katie’s. I have mentioned before that usually you will see many forms of wildlife there. Today was not different so as we started paddling an otter surfaced with a catfish in its mouth. Wifey tried desperately to shoot a pic showing the otter and the fish at the same time but it was impossible for her. The otter disappeared under the vegetation. Bon appetite!!!!!! We circled the area where it went down thinking that it was going to surface at the other side but nope, it did not. It is a shame we ended up with better pics of the catfish, which I deleted.

Tri-Colored Heron

Pileated Woodpecker

Time was a problem today. We had to pick our daughter at 1PM since she was taking the ACT. Because of that we agreed to turn around at 10:30 wherever we were at the time, and kayak the area in front of Katie’s once more before leaving. Sounded like a plan to me and that is what we did. The river was not crowded. Only one motor boat and two kayakers. The boat we saw it on our way down river and the kayakers on our way up. A group of five(or maybe six) were putting in at Katie's as we arrived. That reminds me something. The driver of the van that had the kayaks'trailer left it right in the middle of the way besides the put in. What would happen if everybody plays the ignorant card and ignore the rules? Anyways...Back to the paddle. It was the perfect day on the perfect place. Was not cold, the wind was not strong and the Wekiva River offering all it can offer. Lots of little birds, one of them a seasonal visitor featured in the pic below. We started our paddle back just short of the high grounds that is a popular landing site for boats and kayakers, just after seeing our first(and biggest) of a total of four gators we saw during the trip.

Eastern Phoebe

Osprey(top) vs Eagle(bottom)

A few minutes after that, in an open straight area in the river, I saw an osprey flying high. Circling the area was also a big bird, bigger than the osprey. The osprey was flying over the big bird and sometimes it dove and made contact with it in midair. As their issue brought them closer I realized that the unknown big bird had a predominantly white head and when saw it flying over me was able to see that it was a young bald eagle. Wifey was able to shoot several pics at the eagle that was joined in the dance by two more eagles, an adult and another juvenile with the same characteristics of the first one. The three of them started circling and climbing higher. The osprey, maybe because it was outnumbered, decided to leave in a hurry. Call it whatever you want to call it but we were in awe at the sight we had on top of us. I do not think that is a show you see every day. After that display wifey mentioned that she now needed to take pics of a deer to complete her day. I added a black bear, which she does not want to see never ever. I was hoping for a see a manatee as I have seen in my previous two trips to the river. But no deer, no black bear and no manatee today. Still was a heck of a day.

Osprey

Did You Know That?

Eagle pair just out of Katie's Landings

Eagles do not have vocal cords. They make high-pitched, shrill squeaking and screeching sounds via the air passes the bones in their neck. The sound is created in the area where the windpipe is separated going to the lungs. The eagle's calls are made to deepen the bond between married eagles or to warn predators not to pass their territory. The screaming sounds of eagles you hear in the movies are actually those of the red tailed hawk used to provide a dramatic effect. So we can assume that we witnessed an eagle marriage today. Have to say that it was a great experience to be able to hear the eagles and now that it can be confirmed eagles make those sounds to bond with their mates...well...we only missed the wedding cake. Congrats to the newly weds then.

Wood Ducks

Red Shouldered Hawk

After the aerial display we spent the rest of the trip upstream talking about the eagles. Stopped here and there for pics and once trying to spot a Black Crowned Night Heron, which we did not get since the bird went hiding deeper in the forest. But the real thrill was when we arrived at Katie’s Landing at 11:40. A bird crossed in front of us heading to the west side of the river. I was able to see it had a white tail and told my wife. She did not have time to shoot a pic and the eagle went to perch on a dead tree. As it was making a noise similar to the noise an osprey would make, another eagle flew by and perched in the same tree. Two for one!!!! How cool is that? Wifey tried to get a good pic but the eagles were too far for a good pic. As we shoot pics to a Wood Stork in the area the eagled left because they were not at the tree as we put our yak in the minivan. But as we drove on Wekiva Park Dr I saw another eagle flying low. While we pulled to the side another eagle joined it on the tree. I do not know if they were the same two eagles we saw minutes before but these ones were closer and wifey had a lot of pic chances. We tried to record a video of them making osprey like sounds( short and fast cry) but for some reason did not come out good. Sorry about that but will have to settle for the pics.

Anhinga(female)

Here are more pics of what we saw at the Lower Wekiva River...

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Gator

Limpkin

Scene of the Lower Wekiva River

Gator

Juvenile Moorhen

Turtle

Gator

Belted Kingfisher

Wood Stork

Eagles...Two for One

What do you think about that tree to build a nest?

Mr. and Mrs Eagle

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Belted Kingfisher

Mallard

Ibis

Anhinga(male)

Gray CatBird

Gator

And that is all for this one. For more pics from this and past trips to Lower Wekiva River click on this link. Thanks for reading and hope to see you later this week on another Views From Our Kayak.

Lower Wekiva River (looking South from Katie's Landings)