Birds, Manatees, and Mermaids on the Florida Gulf Coast

Our home away from home for our recent getaway to Florida’s Gulf Coast was a cute Airbnb in a quiet neighborhood near Crystal River. It was our first Airbnb experience and it was exactly what we were looking for. When we weren’t out exploring the area we enjoyed just relaxing on the large screened porch or walking around the neighborhood in search of wildlife.

I started each day with a walk. The sunrises were glorious and I enjoyed seeing the many birds each day.

Florida Sunrise
Brown pelicans stand by while an American White Pelican scratches an itch
Two kinds of pelicans
A fisherman tossed a fish to this Great Blue Heron who enjoyed a free breakfast
Ibis
Brown pelican at sunrise

Weeki Wachee Springs

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park was just a 45 minute drive south so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the famous mermaid show there. The park is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary this year. In addition to the mermaid shows there is a swimming beach, Ranger led wildlife talks, picnic areas, kayaking and a nature cruise on the Weeki Wachee River. Mermaid statues around the park are part of the 75th anniversary celebration.

We took the nature cruise where we saw Martha, one half of the resident Bald Eagle pair George and Martha, and a Tri-Colored Heron in the mangroves.

The highlight of our visit was attending the mermaid show. We arrived early for the show and while we waited for the main show we were entertained with videos of the history of the park and highlights of some of the old mermaid shows. My favorites were the old black and white videos with the mermaids in their old style swimsuits.

Swimming with Manatees

One of my bucket list items was to swim with the manatees in Crystal River. We had done this back in the 1990’s and I’ve been wanting to do it again ever since. We booked an early morning tour with Fun2Dive in Crystal River. Before we left home we watched a manatee manners video which explained what was acceptable and what was not when in the water with these gentle giants.

I donned a wetsuit and met our guide at the dive shop before riding a bus to the dock where we boarded our boat, the Manatee Life for a tour through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. There are several springs which are protected Manatee sanctuaries in the refuge. Henry stayed on the boat with the captain to watch the manatees from above the water. I was one of four guests who got in the water with our guide. As soon as we hit the water we watched a small female chewing on the anchor line of another boat.

Two manatees enter the sanctuary while we humans watched from outside the roped off area
Following our guide outside the sanctuary in search of manatees

Our guide led us in our search and showed us where to look. We spotted several manatees and stayed in the water for about an hour before getting back on the boat. Our captain then took us on a boat ride around the bay to a second location. The highlight of the day was observing a huge female moving along the bottom grazing on the grass as we watched. She weighed about 1500 pounds and ignored us.

We watched her for a while before it was time to head back to the boat. While we were in the water Henry and the captain spotted a mating herd in the water near us.

Scenic Drive on Fort Island Trail

Another day we took a drive along the Fort Island Trail. We stopped to walk out on a fishing pier on the Gulf and watched a manatee swim under the pier. We took a walk on a beautiful white sand beach near the pier and stopped at another smaller fishing pier before returning home.

Boardwalk trail on Fort Island Trail
A manatee swam under the fishing pier
Fort Island Beach
View from fishing pier at Citrus County Fort Island Trail Park

Sunset

Watching the sunset on Florida’s Gulf Coast was a great way to end each day.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #235 – Shadows and Reflections in Monochrome

Patti’s challenge is to show shadows and reflections in monochrome. You may be thinking that black and white are two colors. Patti did some research and explains that black and white photos are really different shades of gray so they are considered monochrome for this challenge.

Our last challenge was from Donna who asked us to show messages in our photography. In my response I asked for guesses on where we spent our vacation last week. Those of you who guessed Florida are exactly right! We were on the Gulf Coast of Florida in Crystal River to be exact. I took these first three images while we were there and converted them to monochrome for Patti’s challenge.

Sunrise in black and white

Pelican gathering

The rest of my images are from some of places we have wandered over the years.

Airplane shadow over Alaska moutains
A walk in the Georgia woods
Storm over mountains in Colorado

Many thanks to Patti for her challenge Lens-Artists Challenge #235 – Shadows and Reflections in Monochrome

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #179 – Serene

I always find peace and quiet in an early morning walk on an uncrowded beach or observing a brilliant sunrise.

Coastal Georgia Sunrise

The remoteness of Everglades National Park, Denali National Park, and the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge bring me a sense of peace and calm like nowhere else.

Sunrise in Everglades National Park, Florida
Deep in the wilderness of Denali National Park in Alaska
White Tailed Deer in the Okefenokee National Wildlife refuge.

Patti, thank you for this Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #179: Serene

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #178 – Your Choice

For this challenge Tina asked us to choose our own topic. December has been super busy with holiday events but I made sure I took the time to get out to take a few photos. For Tina’s challenge I chose a few images from the first two weeks of December here in coastal Georgia.

The weather has been beautiful with gorgeous evening and morning skies. The image above is from my favorite place to watch the sunset. The below image is a recent coastal sunrise.

There are some wonderful Christmas light displays this year.

The Christmas baking has begun.

I hope you are enjoying your December wherever you are!

Many thanks to Tina for letting me choose my own theme for her Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #178: You Choose

Happy Thanksgiving 2021

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, a national holiday set aside for Americans to give thanks for their blessings. This week I have been reflecting on how thankful I am for the many things that bring me joy.

I am thankful for my husband and soulmate, Henry, and our 51 years together. I am thankful for our two grown children and our four awesome grandchildren. I am thankful both my children and our two oldest grandchildren are with us this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful to live in a community with wonderful friends and neighbors and surrounded by amazing natural beauty.

I am thankful for the little things that bring me joy – spending time with family, laughing with friends, a butterfly on a flower, a hummingbird on the feeder, watching the birds in my backyard, or a beautiful sunrise.

I am thankful that I have been given the gift of another day above ground. I am thankful that I am healthy enough to do all of the ordinary every day things I enjoy.

This post is inspired by Lindy Low LeCoq’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #175; Follow your Bliss