Alexander Creek

Alexander Creek Otter

Today's paddle took me to the Ocala National Forest and Alexander Creek. The plan until Friday night was paddling Juniper Creek, also in the ONF. But my first and only experience, so far, there was not good and I have been reluctant to go back. So had a change of mind and headed to Alexander Springs Recreational Area Saturday morning.

Green Heron

Put In / Take Out: Alexander Springs Recreational Area in Ocala National Forest. This facility is managed by a concessionaire working for the Federal Government, as some other facilities in the Ocala National Forest. The fee is $5.50 per person, NOT per vehicle. They also have strict rules that they really enforce. No alcohol inside the daily use area. Someone in a birthday party near us had alcohol in the car and went back and forth a couple of times to get a refill on his beverage. They got him and kicked him out of the facilities. There is also a charge of $6 to launch your own kayak/canoe. Check the link for more info: Alexander Springs Recreational Area.

I am not sure of these ones. Are them young Wood Ducks?

It was a short and relaxing paddle at Alexander Creek with just a few pic chances. Started at 9:30 and was done shortly after noon. Saw a canoe and a kayak on my way down and two canoes on my way up. Alexander Creek is an easy paddle either way, up or down stream, since the current is not too strong. Alexander Creek goes under the bridge of CR445 a mile away downstream and empties into the St. Johns River between 7 and 9 miles after. I am awful estimating distances so take it at face value. The spring, Alexander Springs, is a first magnitude spring and around 70 million gallons of water come out of it daily. A heck of a place!!!!

Anhinga

That is all that was going to be said. Let us go to the pics, that will tell the rest of the story...

Bald Eagle. Our old friend at the 434/417 intersection in Oviedo. Saw it on our way to Alexander Springs.

Little Blue Heron

TBD...I believe they are young Wood Ducks

Turtle

Anhinga

Reflections

Green Heron

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

The following three gator pics are from the same animal...

Green Heron

Just logging around

Biggest gator of the day. Next pic is the same one

Moorhen

Otter

Otter

Gator

After the paddle a dip into the cool waters of the spring was in order. My oldest joined me...

And a few underwater pics of Alexander Springs...

Need a better UW camera. Maybe next year. This is it for this one. Check also our Facebook page for more pics. Thanks for reading and hope you come back so we can share more Views From Our Kayak.

Alexander Creek scene

Haulover Canal and more

Roseate Spoonbill

Team Views From Our Kayak kayaked together today again and it was GREAT!!!! I cannot believe we came back home with so many pics after a rain shortened paddle but we did. I am going to express finish this one providing only the information that may be important for you. Let us start with the Put In and Take Out location.

Osprey

Put In / Take Out: Bairs Cove at Merritt Island. We usually do not use this facility since is not kayak friendly. The kayak canoe area has lots of stones and is not as nice as the usual area we use. But this time I fell victim of my own mistake and thought the draw bridge over Haulover Canal  was open to traffic so approached from the South. Well, the bridge is still closed to traffic so there was no other option than to use Bairs Cove. The fee is $5 and uses the pay and deposit in an envelope system.  Heck!!! It did worth the payment!!!!!

The only reason this pic is here is because the mullet. You know how many times I have try to catch one mid air? N times. This time I was not even aiming at it. Was aiming at something else I cannot remember. Was not the Great Blue Heron

Do not remember at what time we started our paddle but that is not important. The fact is that this paddle was less than 2 hours because of the rain. We headed to Mullet Head Island, at the West side of the Canal in the Indian River, under a cloudy sky with no wind at all. While we did not see manatees at Bairs Cove we saw a few at the Indian River. Wifey was able to shoot a pic of  one of them floating belly up. Also, instead of circling the island counter clockwise we did it the other way around. Mullet Head Island gave us several chances for pics and wifey was like a kid in a candy store. This place is truly magnificent.

Indian River manatee

We were halfway around Mullet Head Island when saw a lighting and heard a thunder in the distance, South from us. That was enough to spook Wifey, who asked me to end our paddle. She has not been in a kayak with me for months so I decided to play nice even when the storm was way far from us. So we headed back to Bairs Cove, no Dolphin Cove this time, to end our paddle. Here are pics of what we saw during this trip. Have in mind that it was a short one and 90% of the pics are from Mullet Head Island...

Spoonie

Mullet Head Island greeting committee.

White Pelican

TBD

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

Reddish Egret

Rudy Turnstone

Dolphins

The one on the left is a morph of a Reddish Egret. The one to the right may be a juvenile Great Egret

Brown Pelican

Snowy Egret

Osprey

Osprey

Red Bellied Woodpeckers

Scene at the Indian River

Cormorants

Snowy Egret and Juvenile Black Crowned Night Herons

Brown Pelican

Spoonie

White Pelicans

Great Blue Heron

Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret

Dolphin

Manatee goes sideways

Tern

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

Tri-Colored Heron (Juevenile)

Brown Pelican

Juvenile Tri-Colored Heron

Great Blue Herons

Magic scene. White Pelicans flying away from Mullet Head Island

Juvenile Great Egret

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

Osprey in a lunch break

Tri-Colored Heron

Belted Kingfisher. They are baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!

We left Bairs Cove and no rain was imminent. Wanted to say "I told you so" but one more time decided to play it nice so did not say a word. But convinced Wifey to go to Scrub Ridge Trail, to which she agreed with the condition: It had to be a short hike. Once again, I played it nice. We only needed two minutes before a pair of Scrub Jays showed up. The pics are of one of them. The difference a background makes...Is not that true?

**Warning: The mosquitoes at Scrub Ridge Trail seem to have developed immunity to bug spray. My back is the best witness of that.

Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

After leaving Scrub Ridge Trail we drove around Black Point Wildlife Drive. Wildlife was not present but we managed to come out with a couple of pics, including our first ever Eastern Kingbird...

Great Egret

Tri-Colored Heron

Green Heron

 

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Osprey

And this is it for this one. Thanks for your patience and for coming back for the whole post. Hope you enjoy it. Check also our Facebook page for more pics and videos. We have a nice one of the White Pelicans at Mullet Head Island. We will be at another beautiful paddling place ( Is there any other kind in Florida?) and will share with you the Views From Our Kayak.

Indian River scene