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Monday, December 30, 2013

Silver River...Good Bye 2013

Deer

To close 2013 was looking to go out with a bang. Weekie Wachee was the Plan A, Silver River Plan B. Wifey is reluctant to go back to Weekie Wachee unless we put in at the State Park. Not my favorite option. Still working on that so to Silver River for the last 2013 post...and it was awesome...take my word for that.

Silver River Rhesus Monkey

Put In / Take Out: Ray's Wayside, aka Ocala Boat Club. The fee is $5 and if there is no attendant you just leave your payment in a box using the envelopes they provide. For information about location please check previous posts from this location.

Gator

Was on my way to up river at 9AM. Took me 3 hours to reach it. I usually take my time when paddling, always looking for something to shoot pics at. It was a beautiful, but I mean really beautiful, day at the river. What a day to finish the year!!!! Saw monkeys, gators, and even deer. The river was busy, specially near the head spring area. Here are the pics taken on my way up river to the Silver Springs head spring...

Pileated Woodpecker

Ibis

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker (female)

Anhinga

Great Egret

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron

Limpkin

Limpkin

Turtles sunning in a beautiful day in the river

Moorhen


Moorhens

Anhinga

Snowy Egret

Cormorant

Belted Kingfisher

Gator

Tri-Colored Heron

Tri-Colored Heron

Tri-Colored Heron

Pied-Billed Grebe

Pied-Billed Grebe

Black Crowned Night Heron

Eastern Phoebe

Red Shouldered Hawk

Black Crowned Night Heron

Deer

Deer

Deer

Snowy Egret

Reached the head spring area, which was busy with stand up board paddlers, and wanted to paddle the newly open paddling trail but the signs at the entrance are confusing. It has an arrow pointing inside that says paddling trail but on the other hand there is another that says restricted. I was in doubt and also do not like to be called out so decided against going in. Started my paddling down river and stopped in an area where a gate used to be in the river. Decided to take a look to see what was there and it looks beautiful. A canal not too wide but not too narrow. I was admiring the view when a Park Ranger came in a very nice wooden kayak. She told me that the trail was open and that I was more than welcome to go and explore it. So I did starting right there. The canal takes you back to the head spring and there is only one restricted area, which has a sign. Here is what I saw there...

Cormorant downs a fish in the new paddling trail at Silver Springs

Add captionTurtles

Soft Shelled Turtle

Phyllis, in the nicest kayak I have ever seen


Gator

Little Gator

Left the paddling trail and kept paddling down river to Ray's Wayside. Thought that my streak of seeing monkeys at the Silver River was going to end when a boat occupant told me "There are monkeys" just in the marker 4.7, really close to the entrance of the canal to Ray's Wayside which is 5.1. And there they were, 100 meters up river from the canal entrance.

Black Crowned Night Heron

Mrs. Wood Duck

Mr. Wood Duck

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Some kind of Woodpecker...Downy maybe...

No idea what is this one...TBD

Great Blue Heron

Rhesus Monkeys

Rhesus Monkeys


Rhesus Monkey

Rhesus Monkey

Rhesus Monkey

Rhesus Monkey

Rhesus Monkey

Rhesus Monkey

Rhesus Monkeys

And this is it for this one, and for the year. Has been a fun one and am looking forward to 2014. Check our Facebook Page for more pics from this and past trips, there is a link on My Favorites section that will take you there. Thanks for reading and will see you next year to share more Views From Our Kayak.

Sunken ship in the new paddling trail at Silver Springs

HAPPY 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!