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Friday, April 3, 2015

Haulover Canal

Got it!!!!!! Finally

As I promised, here is the full post. It was not a good day at Haulover Canal and the waters around the Indian River. It was a wonderful magnificent day. Had a lot of fun and came back home excited and looking forward to look at the pics taken. To my disappointment some of them were not as good as they looked in the camera but am not complaining. Lots of nice ones to share.

Great Blue Heron at Mullet Head Island

Put In / Take Out: At the end of the dirt road at the North West Side of the bridge over Haulover Canal in Merritt Island.

Brown Pelican

I will not bore you with my much less than adequate narrative. Anyways I do think that 85% of the Viewers only look at the pics and do not read comments. So will only let you know that at the put in headed out West to Mullet Head Island ( approx 1 mile ), circled the island taking advantage of the sunlight at the North East side, back to the canal area through the alternate canal in the South side of Haulover Canal, a long stop at Dolphin Cove (where the alternate canal joins the main one), to Bairs Cove, and then back to the put in. Mullet Head Island, a bird sanctuary, is full of life and had a good time there.


Rudy Turnstones

Indian River Dolphin

Osprey

Brown Pelican

Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

Lots of Spoonies with chicks. Saw one begging one of the parents for food, and got it...

Spoonbill chick begs for food

And the parent delivers...

Then to look for more food for the other chick

Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret leaves with nesting material

Brown Pelican gathering nesting material

Brown Pelican

Flying Spoonie

Spoonie chick

Cormorant

Spoonies

Snowy Egret

Cormorant

Spoonie

Glossy Ibis

Great Egret

Gull

Reddish Egret

Ibis

Great Blue Heron

Brown Pelicans
Dolphin
Dolphin
Manatee mating mat in the Indian River
Indian River Dolphins

After circling Mullet Head Island headed back to Haulover Canal using the alternate and less traveled channel to the South.

Royal Tern


Indian River scene

Made it to Dolphin Cove, as it was named by Dave Cannon, from Dave's Yak Tales, where a dolphin was hunting. It just made my day. It did a fast pass while going after a fish. Then did it again and again. I have seen it before and was hoping to see and capture the moment when the dolphin leaped after a mullet. I waited...and waited...and waited...and waited more until in one of those passes it happened and I got the picture that opened this post...


Dolphin Cove dolphin

Dolphin gets a mullet

High speed chase

Dolphin

After spending a lot of time with the dolphin headed to Bairs Cove, a place where manatees like to hang out. Lots of them were present.

Manatee

Bairs Cove Manatee
Belly up

Manatee

Manatees

Went back to the put in to put an end to my kayaking adventure. Decided to make a atop at Scrub Ridge Trail looking for a Scrub Jay. Did not see one in the trail but then, while on the car on my way back home saw one in the dirt road...

Scrub Jay

And that is it for this one. Thanks for coming and if you were waiting for the completed post, thanks to you too. Will post some more pics on the Facebook page. Allow me to invite you to our next post, when will be showing more Views From Our Kayak.

Looking East to Haulover Canal


Saturday, March 28, 2015

Lower Wekiva River 2 - From Katie's Landings

Friends

Why Can't We Be Friends? The gator and the turtle are. Returned to the Lower Wekiva River today. Last Saturday saw an Aquatic Engineer, as one of our Viewers called him, clearing a path and wanted to explore it. Did it today and a little bit more. The turtle being used as a pillow earns the opening because it is so cool but it was an excellent time at the Lower Wekiva River. Also saw a friend, a mentor, and the responsible for me getting into kayaking; Dave Cannon from Dave's Yak Tales. If you do not like my blog...blame him!!!!If you like it...blame him too!!!!!!!

Am watching you watching me...

Put In / Take Out: Katie's Landings in Sanford. For information check previous posts about the Lower Wekiva River from Katie's Landings.

Belted Kingfisher Dives

The only reason I did go to this area again today, did paddle this section of the Wekiva River last Saturday, was to explore a "new" (not sure it is really new) area someone cleared. Just did exactly that. Spent my usual ton of minutes in the lagoon in front of the put in and then headed down river through the area less traveled, that is the West side of the small island just maybe a hundred meters from Katie's.

Little Blue Heron

The new trail is not long and just bypasses Wekiva Haven. It starts shortly after one of the docks in the residential area and connects to the Wekiva River in the first big open area. I did paddle all the way to the high ground that is often illegally used as a camp site, took a 20 minutes break and returned to Katie's using the same route. Paddling the less traveled area was when saw Dave coming down river. Anyways, here are the pics of what I saw today.

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron

Belted Kingfisher

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Osprey

Osprey

Green Heron

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Green Heron

Green Heron

Limpkin

Black Crowned Night Heron

Wood Stork

Wood Stork

Turtle

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Anhinga

Ibis

Tiny gator

Deer

Gator...same one with the pillow, which bailed out

Dave Cannon, from Dave's Yak Tales


Belted Kingfisher

Osprey

Sandhill Crane

And this is it. Thanks for checking our blog and considered yourself invited to come back in the future. We will be sharing with you more Views From Our Kayak.


Lower Wekiva River