flora and fauna at wakulla springs part 1

there was no time to dawdle. the last "tourista" boat down the wakulla river was leaving in 15 minutes according to the schedule. it wasn't anything we had planned so we barely had time to drop our luggage in our room and hustle to get our boat ticket. it wasn't so much that i relish a boat ride with 30 strangers; it was more my excitement and anticipation of snapping some wildlife along the way that was the draw for me. only problem... i hadn't bargained for the fact that the boat never stopped moving. it's really much better to be still, keep the camera still and for the object to be still for snaps of the best kind. alas.

the first three miles of the river is a protected wildlife sanctuary within the wakulla springs state park. who knew i would become a nut for taking photos of every living creature i come across? today i'm sharing just some of what i discovered in my contrived adventures.

wood ducks

these two quickly swimming away from the boat advances. the very next second they took to flight.

we were told the gators have become accustomed to the boat tours so they just hang out instead of dodging the humans.

green heron

this was the only green heron i saw - it was on the other side of the boat and by the time i spotted it- this was the only shot i was able to get. usually i snap several and choose the best. so this is the worst and the best. :-)

suwannee cooters

enjoying the evening threat of rain i think- we did dodge some sprinkles.


anhinga

the fascinating thing about these guys is they spread their wings in the sun to dry them. this one sat unconcerned on its perch as we passed by - slowly turning its head as if just to keep an eye out on us.

love the moss in this photo as much as the bird and its webbed feet like a duck.

little blue heron

poking along in the shallow waters for its evening meal

i tried and failed with fairly poor photos of a great blue heron, a great egret, a snowy egret, white ibis, a purple swamphen, and several common moorhens. not a bad grab for a 45 minute pseudo exploration.

lodge built by Edward Ball in 1937

this is one of those places with lots of charm and fabulous views. the state has kept all the original architectural features with upgrades for comfort. our room was on the corner and on the water- the (original) windows cranked open and we left them open all night long.

interior of the lobby

our stay here was an added detour at the last minute. our original plan was for saturday only in tallahassee. it turned out to be very fun and well worth the extra day on the road.

stayed tuned for more photos of flora and other critters.