Look! Down in the water! That’s not a bird!

I know my blog is about birds but these animals are so cool that I had to share them with you!

Manatees have to be some of the coolest most gentle animals I have ever seen and I have seen them many times and had several unique encounters. They like to visit one my favorite places to go. Blue Spring State Park.

Now if you have never been to a freshwater spring, then you are missing out on some of the most beautiful natural sights you could ever lay eyes on. Just imagine crystal clear water, full of exotic fish and animals. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? It sounds like something that would only exist years ago, before pollution and habitat loss. Florida’s Freshwater springs are just that. They are crystal clear and full of amazing wildlife.

Blue Springs is open year round! You can enjoy the spring yourself in the spring and summer and it is awesome! Make sure to bring a mask and snorkel so you can truely enjoy the sights! You can even find prehistoric sharks teeth on the bottom is you look hard enough.

I found these teeth on various occasions to the spring. Did you notice my alligator ring in that picture? I found it there too!

The water at Blue spring is the same temp year round and to me it is cold! It is a constant 72 degrees! Most people inch there way into the cold waters gasping every step as the cold water rises. That is not the proper way to enter these cold waters, nope you just have to jump in. Take one deep breath and go!

I love going in the summer on a weekday in the afternoon, you can have the spring to yourself, except for the animals of course. One summer my son and I were snorkeling down the spring run when a large shadow caught my eye and made me nervous. I stood up and looked to my side and a manatee came swimming lazily by. He was just a few feet from us. He stopped to eat some vegetation on the bottom and my son and I were thrilled to watch. My son says to me “dah mmm ahh ee ii aa eener” Yes that is what he said. He was so excited he forgot to take the snorkel out of his mouth. Translated it means. Dad he looks just like a vacuum cleaner! It is rare to see them at the spring in the summer. They come to the spring in the winter by the hundreds.

In the winter the St John’s river gets way to cold for them to survive so they swim into the (warmer, remember 72 degrees ) water by the hundreds. There have even been a few born in the spring. Here are some pictures of some from this winter. Enjoy!