December 16, 2009
I am continuning the blog even though I cannot post it till I get a new modem.
Florida has some beautiful state parks. The State Park system calls it “the Real Florida.” Northern Florida sits on an aquifer. Many of our rivers have head waters that are springs that percolate through this aquifer. Some of the "springs" have become State Parks--Manatee Springs, Fanning Springs, Rainbow Springs; some like High Springs and Zolfo Springs have become town names. Many of these springs form the base for many of our state parks—picnicking, hiking, swimming, horse back riding… Until recently the state parks were a super bargain. But because of budget problems, the fee has doubled. They are still a good value. One can buy a single annual pass for $60.00 or $120.00 for a family. This gets you into most parks with a car load of up to eight people. There is one park that we feel is very special. For seniors, the daily fee is eleven dollars and change. The annual pass allows only two people, however, to enter under the state annual pass—Homasassa Springs. We took our visiting northern friend there. This was the only touristy thing that we did while he was here this year.
Originally, this was a roadside tourist trap with exotic animals on display—lions, tigers, apes and monkeys, etc. But when it became a state park, the decision was made to house only native animals—mammals, birds, reptiles. Many of the animals have come here for rehabilitation. Many of them can never be released back to the wild. The two bald eagles, for instance, only have partial right wings—one was shot in its nest; the other hit by a car. They were able to keep them alive, but they lost their ability to fly.
While I am talking about birds, I will tell you about some of the other species. Raptors have a fairly big population. They house several kinds of owls—horned, barred, barn. There are lots of large wading birds—whooping cranes, sand hill cranes, storks, herons, ibis, egrets and a beautiful bright salmon-colored muster of flamingoes. There are at least two species of pelicans. Spoonbills, small wading birds like sandpipers and turkey buzzards that fly freely in and out of the area.
Before I leave the world of birds, I will add an aside…The University of Miami has for its nickname “the Hurricanes” or “’Canes.” The reason for this was way back when, their very first football game had to be postponed due to a hurricane. Okay, so what kind of mascot can a school whose nickname is Hurricanes have? Well, an ibis, of course. “Why?” you might ask. The ibis, a wading bird of medium size with a curved bill, is the last animal to leave before a hurricane hits and the first to return.
I don’t get particularly excited over reptiles, but there is a reptile house which has a great assortment of venomous and non venomous snakes. There are also some turtles and tortoises (a turtle generally lives in water; a tortoises is primarily a land animal). And, of course, the Florida alligator (twelve call this park their abode).
The mammal population is amazing.
The otters—there is a family of river otters. Two pups were born last years, but have now grown to be as large as their parents. Play, swim, play some more. It seems as though they do laps—first the breast stroke; then the back stroke. There is a shelter made of stone to which the otters can arrive either under water or by climbing up the sides. One can spend hours watching these critters.
Deer, key deer (very tiny and only found in the wild in the Keys), a Florida panther, a couple of bobcats, brother and sister black bears, gray and red foxes.
Red Wolves. Three of them. Brothers. They are about a year old. When we first saw them, they paced constantly and were very thin (they had not yet filled out as they were still growing). Their coat is kind of copper color. Now, that they have been here almost a year, they have settled down somewhat and occasionally one can find them playing together.When a canine is anxious, fearful or watchful, their tails are down. When happy or playful, they are up and wagging. We had the pleasure of seeing the wolves with their tails wagging just before a frolic and wrestling match. They have also filled out and are a magnificent looking animal. In the wild, they are almost extinct. Once roaming all over southeastern United States, their only wild habitat is a very small area of northeast North Carolina. They are beautiful to behold. When they mature, they may use them for breeding.
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