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Way down on the Suwannee River! Trips this month: 13
* Non Paddling Trip
7/1/08
Recently, we heard about a relatively new state park near Mayo called Lafayette Blue Springs on the Suwannee River. It's located about 20 miles downstream of Suwannee River State Park where we stayed at this time last summer. It was an old county park that the state took over three years ago and recently they decided to build beautiful new cabins and after months of checking to see if they were ready I made the reservations and on Monday we were on our way. For Hope's birthday, she requested a kayak rack system and I was more than happy to oblige her. Since she had plans the following weekend in Orlando we decided to ignore the high gas prices and take two vehicles so that she wouldn't have to backtrack to Jacksonville. It would give us the opportunity to try out her new rack and do some "one way" paddles - something we have never had the vehicles to do it with.
We had a uneventful trip down on Monday and since we had pretty much explored the back roads in this area on previous trips the way down was pretty straight forward as we headed south from Lake City and passed through Branford on the Suwannee before taking SR-27 west to Mayo. It began raining heavily out of Branford and stayed with us until we finally found the park a few miles east of the town where the river begins its bend to the north toward Suwannee River State Park. The park itself is a bit odd. The entrance gate is a single aluminum tool shed manned by a lone park ranger. He handed me the keys and told me which cabin we were in and said that he would be down there to finish cleaning up the place in a few minutes. We got settled in and since the rain had decided to stay in the area, we pretty much stayed inside the rest of the afternoon save for one brief hike that took all of 15 minutes and traversed the entire tiny park. The spring area is nice but small and they also have a small primitive camping area at the opposite end of the park. The cabins are brand new and like all of the Florida State Park cabins - fabulous. Its odd that such an tiny park like this would get cabins built so quickly when other, larger, older parks like the Talbot Islands don't but I guess the state has its priorities.
We crossed paths with the ranger on our walk and he told us that he had messed up and given us the keys to the wrong cabin but since someone else had since moved in he was OK with us staying put but on our last night we would have to move our stuff to the next cabin over. He told us he was a kayaker as well and we asked him to recommend a good day long route. He told us that we could place our second vehicle down where he lives which was about 10 miles downriver and launch from the park. He said it was a four or five hour trip and there were a few springs along the way where we could take a break. I measured it on my laptop when we got to the cabin and found that it was a 10 mile trip but Hope was excited about trying it so we made plans to get going early and give it a shot. The next morning we were out of the house and found the place the ranger told us about without a hitch and were back at the ramp in the park and out on the water at 10 - exactly as we had planned. We figured that would give us a lot of leeway to mess around in case the trip was slower than we anticipated. We set out into a gentle current carrying us to the south on a glorious day. I was sure that the thunderstorms would be in the area as they always are in central Florida on a summer afternoon but for now the skies were clear with a few puffy clouds on the horizon. It was hot, but not oppressive and the humidity was less than 100% which is always nice in Florida.
This section of the Suwannee is quite different than what we have paddled north of here. It is considerably wider and the banks, although lined with the same limestone formations we see upstream are much lower. The most disturbing thing, of course were the houses which for the first couple of miles were non stop. It seems as if every square inch of waterfront is privately owned and that includes, as we were to later find out, the springs. Although it is perfectly legal to paddle into a spring run in Florida since you can't "own" water free flowing into a river, the owners had blocked them with huge boulders that prevented you from doing so. We thought about taking a swim in the river where they emptied but at the first spring, Perry, which we passed about two miles downstream of the park, we decided not to.
We didn't see a lot of birdlife or wildlife at first which was not unexpected given the constant development, but we began to hear huge splashes coming periodically from behind us. Since we have been visiting the Suwannee we have seen the signs warning boaters about the 200 lb Gulf Sturgeons who like to leap into people's boats but, except for one occasion from a distance, we had never seen them. We began to wonder if that was what we were hearing since nothing else could make a splash that large. A huge splash appeared ahead of us but my attention was directed elsewhere and I missed the fish who had caused it. Hope didn't, and she held her arms apart as far as she could to indicate the size of the monster and I knew it was a Sturgeon. I missed the next couple that happened in front of us but soon I saw a fish at least four feet long leap out of the water and belly flop back to the surface raising a wall of water. For the rest of the day this was a constant sight and I probably witnessed six or seven Sturgeons leap within 50 yards of our boats and heard twice that number splash out of sight.
We passed over a couple of mild shoals on our way down but as we approached the halfway point of our trip we began to hear a roar and could see white water ahead of us. I stowed my electronics and picked out a path that seemed the safest and told Hope to follow. Our boats are not made for rapids but we both had a safe if thrilling and wet ride down the shoal and both agreed that it was something we should do again. A few minutes after passing the shoal we could hear the sound of traffic crossing the suspension bridge on SR-51 north of Mayo. The last time we had come up this road three years ago the DOT was working on it and it now sported a fresh coat of bright blue paint. A mile or so downstream of the bridge was another spring called Telford which also turned out to be private. We beached our boats and Hope stretched her legs while I took a dip in the crystal clear icy waters that flowed into the dark Suwannee. We headed out and soon found a limestone ledge where we could get out and eat our lunch. It wasn't a great place to swim so we headed downstream and soon were at a place called Peacock Slough where we had heard they were building one of the river camps. It was now completed and open so we beached our boats and availed ourselves of the facilities above and then took a relaxing dip in the river.
As soon as we had stopped, we began to hear the sound of several Red Shouldered Hawks flying nearby. They had been flying around above us calling all morning as we passed through each of their territories but now it seemed we were in the middle of a bunch of them and they were not happy. We could see them flying ahead of through the woods as we walked through the river camp and as we got ready to leave one swooped into the trees above us where the slough emptied out into the river. I tried to get a shot of him but he merely flew further up the slough until he was out of sight so I returned to the boats and we set out.
We were only three miles from our destination and it was apparent that we were going to make it in plenty of time and with the weather was staying clear we were in no hurry to complete our journey. Just after pushing off from the river camp, I spotted what looked like a hawk flying down to some rocks strewn about in the shallow water on the opposite shore. I couldn't see him, but I told Hope that I was going to check it out and soon we spotted the Red Shouldered Hawk bathing himself in a pool of water formed by the rocks. He flew up, but instead of flying away he perched on a cypress knee about six feet above the surface of the water and began staring at it. This is a Red Shoulder characteristic as they like to perch above water to hunt. Amazingly, he was very tolerant of us and allowed me to get several shots as we floated by. When I pulled over downstream of him he gave me a long stare and then decided he would hunt elsewhere and flew off.
Hopey pulled over to some large darkish boulders that we had been seeing strewn about on the limestone ledges and motioned me over. She said she wanted to feel the rock because it looked so much like wood. I came over and sure enough, although it was obviously stone it appeared to be petrified tree trunks and you could see the rings and even what looked like bark. We mentally put down on our "google list" to see if petrified wood was even a possibility in Florida. We hadn't seen a Gator all day but ahead of us we saw the distinct shape of a 6-8 footer slithering away from the bank into the center of the river where he submerged.
Just before the final bend of our trip we heard the roar of water and I scanned the river ahead for another large shoal but instead found a spring rushing out from the rocks. This had to be Running Springs and from all signs it appeared to be a county park. We got out and explored the beautiful and remote little park amazed that it was unoccupied and clean. We made another mental note to make this a stop when we did this run again. Not long after leaving Running Springs we made a turn in the river and began heading south toward the boat ramp where we had left Hope's car. Ahead of us loomed the huge "spinning bridge" the ranger had told us about and was mentioned in my guide books. Apparently, this is a relic of the steamboat age and consisted of a huge iron pylon in the middle of the river where the remnants of a railroad trestle rested. We could see the iron wheels and gears on which the trestle would spin to allow steamboats to pass and a couple of cypress trees grew from the center of the pylon. We made another mental "google" note because we both wondered what actually powered the gears and exactly how old it was. It was nice to see that they have left it standing but I wonder for how long it will be before nature takes it's course.
Not long past the trestle we spotted a large island in the middle of the river and I knew the ramp was just beyond. We tried to slow down to delay the inevitable and another Sturgeon leaped gleefully ahead of us as if to invite is to stay a little longer but we both agreed that as easy as the trip had been we were both tired and so we pulled up the ramp and unloaded. It was the inaugural voyage of the SS Hopey's Kayak Rack but we managed to get everything secured and we headed home to the park.
See the pictures from
this trip
7/2/08
Much of our conversation, both during and after our trip yesterday, centered around a year's long dream of ours - paddling the entire length of the Suwannee River. It has always seemed like a bit too daunting a task for two people over 50 in kayaks, but now that the river camps were being completed it seems more doable. One idea that we came up with is to do it in stages and perhaps do it by ferrying our two vehicles from place to place over a period of several days or weeks. Now that we finally had a second vehicle capable of carrying two boats, the whole idea seemed much more attainable. Of course, the first step in doing such an adventure is to see if we could both handle back to back long paddles and after checking my maps I realized that Dowling Park was almost the exact same distance upstream from the park as our trip downstream had been so we made plans to do it on our second day at at Lafayette Blue Springs State Park.
After eating a huge breakfast, we set out with Hope's car since the boats were already loaded from the night before. We headed north from the park and soon found ourselves crossing the Suwannee at the Christian retirement community of Dowling Park. We explored the town briefly before heading back to the bridge and the boat ramp there. A large bird with what appeared to be a white head was perching on a rock a few yards upriver which made us both think it might be a Bald Eagle until I checked with my binoculars and realized that it was one very big, very ugly, very sleepy Muscovy Duck.
We headed out into a gentle current and passed under the CR-250 bridge and then an abandoned railroad trestle. It was a hot, humid day that was starting out to be a lot more overcast than the day before and having no access to the internet we had no idea what the day held for us. We passed by some more odd rock formations that looked as if it might be petrified peat that had flowed down the limestone bluff and then turned to rock many years ago. We passed over a couple of gentle shoals but for the most part the route was free of obstructions and for the first several miles the docks and houses along the river were few and far between which was a nice change from the day before. At one point, I heard what sounded like the mewing of a cat and looked up to see a white adult about 15 feet up a vine covered bluff. As we watched we realized that she was not alone and three or four kittens were following close behind. It looked as if the cat family was out for a hike along the Suwannee River and we told mom to look out for the Red Shouldered Hawk we had seen just upriver.
We spotted a Limpkin along the bank who clucked at me as I shot it and a little later a young Great Blue Heron flew along ahead of us. We hadn't taken many rest stops since we had planned to stop at the Charles Springs county park and eat lunch but we finally pulled over under a limestone overhang to rest. It was at this point that I realized that I had left all of my spare batteries back at the cabin and the ones in my camera had been in use since our lunch break the day before and were already giving up the ghost. There was nothing I could do about it now except try to nurse them along by immediately turning my camera off after I shot. Just before we came in sight of our lunch stop destination, I spotted a trio of small ducks swimming across the river in front of us. At first I couldn't identify them but later, as we got closer, I could detect the hint of a crest and a patch across the eyes and realized that they were immature male Wood Ducks. They were feeding on some moss covered branches in the river but as we got close they swam back across the river to some willows on the opposite bank.
Soon, we could hear the sounds of people and spotted some teenagers trying to snag a rope swing with a branch and we knew we were at Charles Springs. We pulled off at a little beach and walked up the dry and muddy spring run to find a small spring that wasn't flowing at all. It was a little disappointing but the river was a great place to take a relaxing dip and after cooling off we sat on the boulders and ate our lunch. We took another dip and then headed downstream toward the park.
Another waypoint that I had marked on my GPS was a place called Allen Millpond and after thinking we had somehow missed it I spotted a clear stream rushing out from some willows. The stream was clear and far too shallow to paddle up but it looked as though it might be interesting to walk up.
Not far downstream we spotted a pair of large Gators on a sandy bank who quietly slithered into the water as we approached. The houses started becoming more frequent and soon we were in sight of Lafayette Blue Springs State Park and our trip was over. As we had come to the end of the trip Hope was feeling pretty tired and beginning to question whether she could do two long trips in a row but I told her the fact was she DID do it and had we started earlier and stopped more frequently she could have done it without a problem. At any rate - we did 21.3 miles of the Suwannee River in two days which amounts to 11% of the total mileage of the river in Florida - not bad for a couple with 109 years under their belts!
See the pictures from
this trip
7/3/08
After 20 plus miles of kayaking over the previous two days Hope and I were both ready for a bit of a break. Added to that was the fact that we needed to lug all of our stuff to the cabin next door in 90% humidity - after which I felt like I had paddled an additional 20 miles. We could hear thunder rumbling in the distance and dark grey clouds were looming to the east so it seemed like a prefect day to do something else and so we hopped in my truck and went for a road trip exploring Lafayette County. After briefly exploring the town of Mayo and locating the two restaurants we were considering for our final meal of the trip we found ourselves heading south on SR-51 toward Steinhatchee. My passenger seat navigator (Hopey) recommended that we take a left on CR-360 and head east where it would re-join SR-27 near Troy Springs State Park. Actually, south of 360 is the majority of Lafayette County and apparently, according to our chamber of commerce map, nothing - just one big empty space. That is mostly due to the Mallory Swamp which is located there and prevents much from being done in that region except tree farming. The Steinhatchee River, apparently, drains the swamp to the gulf just 30 miles to the west. We saw little of interest except for a huge tract of land that was being sold off as hunt club tracts and we wound up back at 27 where we headed back west. We found the road to Troy springs State park which turns out to be one of the many Lafayette County roads called 251 or 251b. We noticed this when we arrived and have yet to figure out why since they seem to have no relation to one another and yet there are at least six or seven roads scattered throughout the county that are either 251 or 251b but that is only on our maps since the signs now call them something completely different. At any rate, we headed down the road toward the park but after a while we spotted another road with a sign about Ruth Springs and a canoe/kayak launch so we turned off. The maps and signage were confusing so I turned on my GPS which didn't acquire the satellites until we had reached a dead-end at the river bank. It was a nearly sheer drop off at least 15 feet down to the river so we decided that unless we wanted to literally throw the boats in the water and jump in after them - this was not the launch. Across the river and downstream a ways we could see and hear people swimming at another spring called Little River. We followed a maze of roads until we stumbled on a couple of guys with some earth moving equipment working on shoring up the bank. They told us that this too was not the launch but told us that there was a road down to the spring nearby which we could see rushing out into the river upstream. We eventually found the spring which we assume is Ruth Springs and then what appeared to be the launch although at this water level it would have been a slight climb to get to the water. We got back on the main road (251, 251b?) and wound up at Troy Springs State Park. Troy was the original county seat of Lafayette County but it burned down and was eventually moved to Mayo and no one knows the location of the old town. The spring is there and the interesting feature of it is that it contains the remains of a Civil War Paddle Wheeler which the Confederacy scuttled in the spring run when the Union Army was advancing on this area. There's very little of it left now but you can see some decking on the bottom of the run. There was a boat ramp there but it too would have been a fairly long carry to get out boats to the water. We decided to not swim there and headed back out to 27 and back toward Mayo. We saw the sign for another boat ramp which we investigated and also found the private campground at Convict Springs which includes some cabins, an RV park and a restaurant called "The River Rendezvous". We parked in downtown Mayo and walked around the area checking out the grocery store which looked adequate and then stopped to eat at "Two Sisters BBQ" for lunch. Hope goes to church with a man named "Norm" whom I recently met and found out that his parents live in Mayo on the Suwannee River. After lunch she called them and got directions to their house and a few minutes later we were pulling up in the driveway to their house which is located about 3 miles downstream of the park. We sat there for the next couple of hours fascinated by their accounts of living 20 years on the Suwannee after moving there from Atlantic Beach. They are now in their mid-80's but seem at least 10 years younger and the wife told us that when they first moved there she paddled the entire length of the Suwannee from the sill in the Okefenokee to the gulf which means she was at least 10 years older than Hope or I when she accomplished this feat. WOW! The husband, Norm, also told us about the Spinning Bridge we had seen on our first trip and answered at least one of our "Google" questions - how was it moved. I had assumed by hand and he confirmed that and he also told us that it was never actually used and was abandoned in the early part of this century. As hard as it was we finally left them happy to have made their acquaintance and after cleaning up a bit we drove back to Mayo to eat at the "Golden Pear". We left the next morning and parted company with Hope heading to Orlando and Vero to visit family and I to rescue the "babies" after having to board them for the first time ever. See the pictures from this trip
7/6/08
As much as I enjoyed paddling on the Suwannee last week, it's always nice to return to my home waters and paddle the salt marshes of the Timucuan. Since it was getting close to the time that the shrimp start to run at Pumpkin Hill I cleaned off my cast net and headed for Pumpkin Hill a few minutes before low tide.
The current was still heading out and I floated with it as I rounded the first bend. Unlike my last few trips here, the birdlife was out in force feeding in the shallows. I watched a Black Crowned Night Heron snag a snake or mud-worm and then a few seconds later a Great Blue nearby had one of his own which he began to shake vigorously. I rounded the bend near the trails and headed toward my shrimping spot but I already knew that I wouldn't bother to cast my net since I was seeing just a few large shrimp flipping out of the water. Once again, as I approached my spot the smaller of the two Gators appeared in the water ahead of me. I don't mind sharing my shrimp but I sure hope he doesn't get much bigger since he really loves hanging around the same area.
As I headed toward the point a huge Gar surfaced a few ahead of me crossing my bow. At least three feet of the monster was showing which probably means there was another foot or two of him that I couldn't see so I braced for his reaction once I crossed his tail. I covered my camera as the huge splash came in my boat and then continued on my way. At the point, a lone Brown Pelican was the only occupant of the trees but a young Osprey was perched in one of the dead trees at the other point further up Edwards Creek. He flew off a couple of times as I approached but always came back to the same spot. He finally flew off and I watched as he joined another Osprey behind Tiger point. These two may be this year's fledges from the Osprey pair who nest at the point although I have no idea where their nest is now that the old one is gone. I paddled up to the big cove and shot some of the Herons and Egrets there and then caught the incoming tide back. I saw the Gator back at our spot once again and after shooting him headed back to the put-in.
See the pictures from
this trip
7/7/08
It was time for my annual physical at the Mayo Clinic so in keeping with my usual habit I made Guana my paddling destination. It's not the ideal time of the year to paddle at Guana and certainly 10 am on a July morning is not the ideal time to start a trip but I figured it was still a good place to spend a few hours on the water. The levels, as promised, were up considerably from my previous trip here but still lower than they were earlier in the spring. I could see and hear several of the Stilts still in the area but couldn't see any chicks running about. I wasn't sure which way to go but once in the main channel I headed north. I spotted some activity along the western shoreline so I decided to see if the water levels were high enough to let me paddle in the channel that runs along that shoreline. I paddled carefully through a narrow path expecting to see large Gators protecting their young but I saw nothing.
Above the tree line on the western shore, I began to see several Swallow-tailed Kites swooping and diving. I have seen these birds on several occasions here in the past but never in such numbers so it may be that they are nesting somewhere in the preserve. I counted as many as six in the air at one time and one of them was squeaking constantly. It flew up to a branch on a pine tree where it began flapping it's wings and calling excitedly. Another Kite swooped down on it and at one point lighted nearby and it gave me the impression that the first one was a youngster who was letting its parent know that it was not happy about having to feed itself. At any rate it finally flew off and since the group seemed to be drifting to the north I began paddling that direction until it became obvious that the water level was too low so I turned around.
As I paddled south, I began to notice that the primary bird that was out on this day was the immature Tri-Colored Herons which I saw dozens of for every adult that I saw. I headed toward the Eagle's nest even though I was sure that the chicks would be gone by now and it was too late in the day for anyone to be hanging around near the nest. Sure enough, it was empty but as I left the area a large, all black bird rose from a nearby pine tree and was immediately set upon by a smaller bird. There was no mistaking the eagle's profile but from it's all black appearance I am pretty sure that this was the chick I saw here earlier in the spring. A few minutes later, the young eagle returned to his perch and was once again attacked by the smaller bird.
I began paddling back toward the ramp and spotted a young Great Blue in the vicinity of a mature Heron. The elder Heron began waking toward the youngster with his head cocked in an odd, obviously aggressive manner. The youngster took the hint and flew off and although I fully expected the mature Heron to leap up and attack it as is it flew overhead it didn't. It was a very unmistakable territorial move and the young Heron didn't miss the message. On my way back to the ramp I paused to shoot the only Roseate Spoonbill I saw on the day - a mature one who was dozing on a grassy island. Not long after that I spotted a dead Gator that was probably about four feet. I've only seen two dead Gators in my life and they have both been in the last six months - odd. It was a pretty hot day on the lake and with the breeding activity over it will probably be my last trip here until it cools off.
See the pictures from
this trip
7/8/08
Three days in a row on the water - its a bit much but my only other option was to stay home and catch up on yard work so I guess you know what I chose. The tide was about right for a trip down Simpsons Creek to the sound and by 7:30 I was loaded up and catching the last of the outgoing tide. Other than an almost continuous stream of Wood Storks flying toward the sound, I saw a surprising lack of birdlife as I headed out and the little I saw was uncooperative. No matter. I was here to spend the day "vegging" on the sound and soon found myself camped out on the Big Talbot beach. I spent the next three hours reading, eating and swimming in the sound. When I first arrived, I saw a pair of Ospreys on the beach who later flew up to some trees above where I was planning to sit. They were both youngsters and I have noticed that the fledges from a particular nest tend to hang out with each other for at least the first few weeks out on their own. I guess this is only natural since they have spent the first several weeks of their lives in close proximity to one another. They eventually flew off but I saw them land on another tree close to one another down at Black Rock point. While I sat on the beach, the tide started coming in and even though the winds remained calm the waves started breaking on the shoreline which is unusual on Big Talbot. It made my launch from the beach a couple of hours later a bit hairy but doable but I had to be careful paddling back toward Simpsons Creek to make sure a big swell didn't hit me broadside and swamp my boat. Once I was behind Little Talbot Island the waters calmed down and I re-entered the mouth of Simpsons Creek. The rest of the trip was uneventful as I rode the strong incoming tide into the put-in.
See the pictures from
this trip
7/13/08
Today's excursion didn't get off to a good start but in spite of everything it turned out pretty good. I woke up pretty early and with high tide at 6 am I decided to head to Cedar Point creek and paddle up to the point. I backed down to the put-in and was ready to launch about 15 minutes before sun rise when I noticed that the back of my truck was missing a little something - like my bumper. That wouldn't have been a big deal since it only vaguely resembled a bumper except that it's only real useful purpose in life was to hold my license plate and now that it was gone - so was my plate.
I assumed that it had fallen off between my house and the put-in - a mile and half stretch at the most so I loaded my boat up and drove back to the house. I didn't find it which meant that it must have fallen off after I left work Saturday afternoon and so I jumped in Hopey's car and drove the route back and forth but once again came up empty. By now I had wasted nearly an hour and that put Cedar Point out of the question so I quickly made one of those "Lost Tag" signs and duct taped it to my rear window and headed to Pumpkin Hill. I had seen on the weather report that there was patchy fog in the area but hadn't seen a sign of it along Heckscher Drive. As I headed down Cedar Point road, however, I could tell that it was going to thick on Pumpkin Hill and as I pulled into the put-in I confirmed that. As I was loading up my boat I could see dark shapes in the grass around the corner from the put-in. I could see one large Hog and two smaller ones grazing in the grass so I walked up closer and took some shots before I headed out.
I paddled over to the island directly across from the put-in but found it empty so I headed out to the main channel and made my way around the bend near the trails. I paddled into the marshy area near the little point past the trails and shot a Green Heron who played hide and seek with me for a little while. As I headed back out into the main channel I watched an Osprey doing an odd thing. He was circling the water and then dived down to the surface as if he was going to pluck a fish out of the water. Instead of plunging into the water as usual, he would pull up short, hover above the water and touch his feet on the surface and then fly up and repeat the process.
I rounded the bend across from my shrimping spot but since the water levels were so high I didn't stop to check on the shrimping conditions and headed on to the point. By now the sun was well up in the sky and beginning to burn through the fog which was being blown toward the coast by a westerly breeze that had picked up suddenly. I was paddling along the eastern edge of Tiger Point trying to shoot a Green Heron perched on a post when an Otter popped up ahead of me. Almost simultaneously, across the way a Dolphin surfaced across the way and then headed inland.
I lost track of the Otter while I drifted in on the Green Heron but I spotted a trail of tiny bubbles coming from under my boat and followed them over to where the Heron was perched and the Otter popped his head up and then disappeared. I shot the Heron until he flushed and flew around the point so I followed. As soon as I rounded the bend I could see that at long last the Roseate Spoonbills had made their way to Pumpkin Hill and about seven were perched in the trees there. With the tide coming out of Edwards Creek I decided to paddle upstream and then drift back under the trees shooting both the Spoonbills and the Green Heron. Of course, the current, wind and everything else was completely wrong for good shots so I basically just kept shooting as I drifted by in the hopes that something would turn out.
After I got out to stretch my legs at the point the remaining Spoonbills flew across the creek and began feeding in the shallows so when I got ready to head back I paddled over and shot them as they vigorously fed in the mud. I began my trip back against the strong outgoing current which was part of the reason I was not going to put-in here this morning. I took my time and paused to shoot another Spoonie who was dozing by himself near the oyster beds leading to my shrimping spot.
There were some huge splashes coming from my shrimpin' hole so I paddled over to watch a pair of Dolphins who were feeding along the bank there. It was getting pretty shallow by now and they were using their tails to push themselves up against the bank to feed creating loud booming splashes like a kid kicking against the side of a pool. It was apparent that one of them was a youngster since they stayed constantly on the surface and it's fin was considerably smaller. I'm not sure what they were feeding on since I detected no shrimp there. I did see a few large ones jumping in the shallow, muddy areas but none where I could get out. I continued on up the creek toward the put-in passing another young Spoonbill before ending my trip.
See the pictures from
this trip
7/15/08 Unit 1 came down this weekend with another tube leak and this afternoon I was sent home so that I could come back in for start up later in the evening. I was all set to go home, grab a beer and head to the FGR to do some serious vegging but when I talked to Hope she informed me of a problem at home I needed to look at. Two hours later, when I was done wrestling with the water heater I decided to head to Hannah Mills to get a couple of hours on the water. The tide was just far enough in to allow me to launch into a surprisingly stiff NE breeze. The breeze coupled with the incoming current made my trip out to the waterway a strenuous one but I was on the waterway heading south in about an hour. I paddled back to the Kingfish park and rode the current in with the wind at my back, popping the beer I had brought along with me as I coasted back to the pool. I cruised by the trees near the put-in flushing several Great Egrets and Night Herons without getting any good shots. It was a quick trip and very little to shoot along the way but still good to get out there.
7/16/08
After a long but quiet start-up the previous night I was prepared to sit around the house waiting for a repair person who would arrive some time between "8 am and 5 pm". I had just fallen asleep when the phone rang and 30 minutes later the repair man, who luckily lived just up the street, was finished with the work all done. I headed to bed and woke up sort of refreshed at 11 and decided to take advantage of the situation by packing up a lunch and catching the outgoing current on the FGR. I was floating with the tide into a very brisk easterly breeze by 11:30. A large group of kayakers were coming in under the bridge as I headed out - all African American, which is unusual, and I think I saw Jody Hetchka bringing up the rear of the group.
I let the current carry me to the end of the sandbar which was just barely exposed at mid-tide. I got out and set up to do some serious vegging on this hot, breezy day. There were lots of big puffy clouds on the horizon along with some small rose colored ones that were racing by. I'm not sure if the clouds and breezes are associated with Bertha or not but it is that time of the year when the offshore storms affect us even when well away from the area. A couple of guys were playing around with a Tri-maran sail boat running it back and forth across the inlet between Huegenot and Little Talbot and it looked like a lot of fun. After a couple of hours of swimming and relaxing I decided to head back now that the tide was slack. I thought about heading into the pool behind Huegenot but I had seen a Reddish Egret flying toward the river side of the bridge as I was heading out so I decided to go past the put-in and see if I could spot him.
At first, I spotted what I thought was him but it turned out to be a Great Blue hunched over on a sandbar. As I was trying to approach him, A Reddish Egret flew up and landed nearby so I stayed and shot the two of them for a while. The Egret flew across the main channel and entered a stream that cuts into the big sandbar next to the bridge. I paddled in as far as I could and shot him as he twirled and danced in the shallows. I left him when he started to walk across the sandbar and headed back to the ramp. I was about to cross over to the ramp when I noticed that the gathering of terns and gulls on the sandbar was getting stirred up. I looked a could quickly see that cause for the consternation was the presence of either the same Reddish Egret or else another one who was doing his comedy dance routine amongst the other birds who were not happy about the nutty interloper. It didn't matter to him as he happily danced in their midst and then began walking resolutely away in search of a better spot to do his thing without having to worry about stepping on someone. I left him and paddled over to the ramp to end my trip.
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7/20/08
I decided to head to Pumpkin Hill early this morning since low tide was at 6:30 and I wanted to see if the shrimp had finally arrived at my spot. I got in the water as the sun was rising above Black Hammock and headed around the first couple of bends as the tide began to turn. I spotted four White Pelicans on one of the sandbars near the trails but they flew off shortly after I paused to shoot them. I arrived at my shrimping spot at 7:30 - about two hours later than the optimal time. I had seen some large shrimp jumping near the put-in but not nearly what I had seen at this time last year so I wasn't really sure what I would find once I started to cast. Well, what I found was a lot of empty nets unless you count the large mullets I caught with each cast. I threw my net a dozen times before I decided to give up and head on to the point. As I reached the confluence of Edwards Creek and Pumpkin Hill I saw what, at first, I assumed were Dolphins surfacing but after they didn't exhale I realized that what I was seeing was some very large Gars - the biggest I have ever seen. The eddy that is formed by the joining of the two creeks is a very popular spot for all kinds of wildlife that likes to fish and the Gars seem to be gathering there in greater and greater numbers. The point was empty so I pulled into the marsh behind it where a couple of young Ospreys chirped at me. It appeared that they were returning to the same tree but I couldn't quite see if it held a nest or not. I have been wondering where the new nest at the point was since the old one that used to be near the road is gone - tree and all. I left the point and headed toward the big cove west of the flats where I could see several Brown Pelicans diving in the water. I made a long slow circuit of the cove and thought briefly about making the circuit of the flats along the Broward Islands but decided that I didn't have enough water to attempt it on so hot a day and headed back. I explored some side streams near my shrimping spot and then pulled into the Little Point where I played hide and seek with a pair of Green Herons before heading back to the put-in.
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7/21/08
I debated making my trip today a little more challenging and interesting but finally settled on a "veg out" day at Ft. George River and it turned out to be much more than that. Actually, it was much more of a "wow" kind of day where I filled up one memory card in less than two hours and wound up with close to 400 pictures on the day.
It was forecast to be one of the hottest days of the year, topping out in the mid-90's with little or no wind in the forecast. I packed plenty of beer and water and picked up a sandwich at Nicole's before heading on to the Ribault Club. I made a circuit of the yacht basin, shooting a Night Heron and an Osprey before heading out to the main channel to catch the incoming tide. As I approached the stream beyond the docks, I watched as an Osprey who was perched in the trees, dove into the water but came up empty. As I cruised past the overhanging trees, a Green Heron came flying up from direction of Point Isabella, clucking as he flew. There are few birds that I will actually go out of my way to shoot and the Green Heron is one of them. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because they are as curious about me as I am about them and I have a lot of fun playing hide and seek with them. I saw where he landed, so I paddled back against the strong current until I drew even with him. Just as I reached this point, three more Green Herons came clucking from the opposite direction and landed in trees near where the first one was perched.
As I set up to drift in on the group another Heron flew up which meant that a total of five Green Herons were all perched close by on the overhanging branches. As I began to drift by I wondered if all of the Herons were a part of a family group as it certainly seems that this is the only time that I see several Green Herons in the same vicinity and most of these appeared to be youngsters. After cruising past the group, I floated out to the end of the sandbar and was prepared to head toward Point Isabella when I spotted something spinning and jumping in the shallows near the end of the bar. One of the other birds that will make me change directions was there doing his thing - a Reddish Egret. I watched him for a while and then continued on toward the point where I pulled into the small stream that runs in front of the wharf.
I paddled past the wharf into the man made basin behind the wharf. I could see some small songbirds flitting about so I paused to see if I could get some shots. As I did, I heard some noise to my left and looked to see four Raccoons walking along the exposed beach beneath the overhanging oak trees. I was completely exposed and only about 30 feet away but because I was still and the bright morning sun was behind me they were completely unaware of my presence.
I sat there shooting them for at least 15 minutes as they began exploring the area for clams, oysters and other food. There was an styrofoam cooler washed up on the beach which they were very interested in - climbing in and out of it. I know that Coons are basically pests and they give the residents of Ft. George Island fits as they try to keep their garbage protected but in the wild I love to watch them and this was a rare treat since I was seeing them calm and just doing "Coon Family" stuff. I was sitting in the blazing sun twisted around to shoot them and after 15 minutes I had to move which of course prompted them to scurry up the trees. Three of them headed up one tree while the fourth scampered up another and began "barking" at me which I was sure was an attempt to keep my attention diverted from the other Raccoons.
Finally, I left them and continued my circuit around the basin. As I made my way back into the main pool by the wharf I spotted the Green Heron that I had heard clucking while I was shooting the Raccoons. I shot him and then as I was heading back out into the river I spotted another in a tree across from the wharf. As I glided over, I ran out of space on my primary card and had to swap it. Amazingly, the Heron stayed put as I made the swap and I wound up floating so close beneath the branch he was perched on that I could have reached out and grabbed him.
After he flushed, I made my way out to the river and spotted a mass of white on the sand bar opposite the plantation so I headed over. It turned out to be a group of three dozen or more Snowy Egrets which I shot until they flushed. After that I was ready to do what I had intended to do when I set out on this trip - "veg" so I headed toward the island at the entrance to Simpsons Creek and set up my hammock and then took a dip in the deliciously cool, clear waters of the FGR. I spent the next three hours swimming, eating, drinking and reading as I swung in my hammock. I was surprised how busy the FGR was - almost like a weekend as several boats came in off the ICW and anchored nearby to enjoy the best version of Florida air conditioning - the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean. At one point, a pair of Green Herons appeared on the shoreline a few yards from my hammock so I walked through the thick glasswort and shot them before they flushed.
Finally, I was ready to head home so I packed up and caught the now outgoing tide and headed around the big sand bar opposite the docks. I spotted a young Reddish Egret that I paused to shoot but some Jet Skiers began running up and down the channel making it difficult to get any good shots so I gave it up and headed across to the Ribault ramp. I spotted a Great Blue at the corner of the big sandbar and shot him before heading across and doing a quick turn in the yacht basin before heading home.
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7/23/08
The usual afternoon thunderstorm came ripping through the area with great violence much earlier in the afternoon than normal so by the time I got off work the skies were overcast but not threatening and the temperatures had dropped off into the low 80's. I couldn't ask for better conditions for a late July, after work paddle so I headed toward Pumpkin Hill at mid-outgoing tide. I packed some extra ice just in case the shrimp decided to show up but I really didn't have any expectations that this would be anything more than a pleasant evening on the water.
Being at mid-tide, I didn't think that my photo opportunities would be that great either but as I reached the end of Pumpkin Hill Road I realized that I was going to be dead wrong on that count. Just before the end of the road a small creek passes under a little bridge and perched on a short, wooden utility pole was the unmistakable silhouette of a Bald Eagle. I screeched to a halt and pulled to the side of the road and shot a couple of quick shots through my dirty windshield. I was sure he would fly away but I pulled up to the end of the road so that I could turn around and park next to the pole to shoot him through my open window. He stayed almost perfectly still as I shot, occasionally peering down at me with typical Eagle sternness that always makes me want to recite the pledge of allegiance or confess that I cheated on my taxes. He stayed put as I put my truck in reverse and backed down the road to launch my kayak. It was cool and breezy as I set out into a swift outgoing current. There were shrimp jumping in the muddy shallows but not in great numbers. I rounded the bend by the trails and made my way down to my spot shooting a few birds along the way. Once at the spot where I usually throw my net there was little activity perceptible in the water and it was still a little deep to exit my boat so I continued on to the point.
I shot the sun breaking through the dark clouds over Tiger point and then decided to go ahead and head back toward the put-in. The current was still strong but there was a brisk breeze at my back so the first leg was not too bad. I checked my shrimpin' hole one more time and decided to not bother casting and headed back against the tide and also now, against the breeze. I paused to shoot a Wood Stork who was keeping company with a Spoonbill, a Tri-Colored and a Snowy Egret before making my way back to the put-in where I had to fight my way past a crowd of bank fishermen.
I loaded up and was in a hurry to get down to Wendy's to pick up my dinner and head home but as soon as I pulled onto Pumpkin Hill Road I stopped short. There, on the exact same pole, sat the same Bald Eagle facing the same way as when I had left him 2 1/2 hours earlier. I grabbed my camera and pulled up behind him and then pulled slightly ahead of him and shot several shots through my window. He stirred a couple of times as if he were about to fly away but settled right back down to staring at his surroundings disapprovingly. The breeze was ruffling his chocolate brown breast feathers as well as the feathers on the back of his neck which showed a slight hint of black streaks that indicated his young age.
Finally, I left him and as I drove away down the road I could see him in my rear view mirror, still looking like he was not exactly happy about what he saw. Of course, he may have been perfectly pleased with the state of affairs but that's the difference between us and birds. They are kind of stuck with the expressions God handed out to them whether it be the half crazed look of the Reddish Egret or goofiness of the Roseate Spoonbill. We humans can change our facial expressions depending on our moods which makes communication a little easier - sometimes.
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7/29/08
A had a morning of appointments at the Mayo Clinic so I took the day off with the hopes of paddling somewhere when I was done. My last appointment was at 10:15 so I was hoping that it would finish early so that I could head to Guana while it was still relatively cool. It ran long, however, so I ran a couple of errands on the way home and headed for Pumpkin Hill. Low tide at Tiger Point was around 2 and I was in the water at 12:30 as the storm clouds started to organize to the west. A couple of guys were casting a net at the put-in and I overheard one of them tell the other that he caught 20 on a bad cast so that gave me hope the shrimp were finally here. I had to turn around after I set out so that I could retrieve the GPS I was sure I had left on my truck tool box (it was in the cab) but I was on my way with the end of the outgoing current as the sky grew darker and started to rumble to the west. Near the trails I passed a couple of guys in a jon boat who were casting giving me further hope that the shrimp had arrived although I hadn't seen any real evidence so far. It started to sprinkle as I rounded the bend near the trails so I stowed my camera in my deck bag to make sure it stayed dry. I shot a Spoonbill as I floated with the current toward my spot but more or less made a beeline for the place where I toss my net. As I glided up to the clay shelf, the water erupted with shrimp and started bouncing off my boat. One of them landed in my lap so, finally having the provocation I required, I pulled over, tossed the terrorist in the cooler and started casting. My first cast caught a single good sized one but it took several more before I caught any more. I spent the next hour or so casting and wound up with about 4 dozen small to medium sized shrimp along with a Blue Crab and a 12 inch Red Fish, both of whom I tossed back. The skies to the west started to get more threatening and to the east the lightning started to get closer to where I was. I considered waiting it out and while I was considering this I took a break and ate the sandwich I had brought along and drank a beer. The boat I had seen earlier came by and the wake they stirred up sent large shrimp flying out of the water a few yards ahead of me. I considered staying but ultimately common sense got the better of me and I started to head back as the leading edge of the front passed over me. The wind kicked up and the temperature dropped 10 degrees but the rain stayed away. As I reached the put-in, I could see the ground strikes to the east getting a little close but since the rain was staying away I decided to cast a few times at the put-in before I loaded up. I wound up with another dozen mostly small shrimp before I packed up to leave. It wasn't enough for a meal but it was a nice snack.
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7/30/08
The afternoon storms rolled through early in the afternoon - just after noon, so by the time I got off the deep blue skies were filled with puffy clouds and only a hint of darkness to the west. With high tide at around 8, there was just enough water to launch from Hannah Mills at 5 and I was skirting the Night Heron roost to the east of the put-in. A couple of dozen of the Black Crowns flushed as I paddled by but I was only able to get a few shots of the perfectly camouflaged birds.
I quickly realized that there was a pretty stiff breeze coming from the south which made paddling against the incoming tide a lot easier as I headed north toward the sea daisy island. There were some Herons on it along with some shorebirds but who all flushed but as I was preparing to head on toward the old cedar, I spotted a brave young Green Heron at the water's edge peering at me so I paused to shoot him and then headed on. As I was heading toward the old cedar which was full of birds, a pair of large Stingrays surfaced next to my boat and then gently glided away. I let the current carry me into the grass near the cedar sending the birds scattering. I thought briefly about heading north to check out the Pelican Pool but I decided that fighting both the breeze and the current on the way back was more than I wanted to do on a work night so I headed south once I hit the waterway. The current was pretty swift but I made slow progress toward the Kingfish Park. I was fairly certain that the Osprey triplets would be gone by now but as I got close to the old marina I could hear the intense call of a young Osprey and watched as another one swooped up to the same Manatee Zone sign where I had seen the trio on my last trip. At first I thought it was one of the parents answering the plaintive call of the youngster who was sitting on the sign and sure enough the second one hovered briefly and then flew off leaving the first one still wailing away.
As I got closer I could see that it was using it's wings to hover over something which I assumed was a fish. I circled around the sign and I could see that what was causing the commotion was a tiny little fish that it was very proud and protective of. Of course, it was announcing it to the world so loudly that it's siblings were coming over to investigate which caused it to screech even louder and hunch over it's prize even further. It really didn't like the idea of me drifting in on it to steal it's morsel so finally it flew off and wound up on top of an old lamp post by the marina. I caught the current coming into Hannah Mills and as I floated past the fishing pier I spotted the third youngster of the triplets sitting on a piling from the old marina. I floated by him and took a few shots before I headed on back to the put-in. I cruised by the Night Heron rookery one more time and got a few shots of a youngster before packing up to head home.
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