Ken and I decided to take it a little easy today - no bike riding or kayaking! So, we headed to Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park to see all the animals and birds. It really was a very worthwhile place to visit.
The centerpiece of this 210 acre park is a first-magnitude freshwater spring, which produces millions of gallons of fresh, crystal-clear water every hour. The spring outflow creates the Homosassa River.
Upon arrival, you travel on pontoon boats along Pepper Creek for about 20 minutes to the actual entrance to the park. It is a beautiful boat ride in a totally natural setting. Once inside there is a mile of paved trails and boardwalks for observing all the animals in natural habitats. This was a private park until 1987 when it was taken over by the state of Florida. As a private park it was the home of exotic animals - giraffes, tigers, lions, etc. The state decided to only have animals and birds native to the area, so homes were found for all of them except for Lu, the Hippo. Many local folks signed a petition to keep Lu, somewhat of the "mascot" , in the park, that the governor made him a legal citizen of Florida. Lu is now 52 years old and will stay here until his death, usually around 60 years old.
While there, we saw manatees, a black bear, snakes, alligators, deer, fish, turtles, owls, otters, many exotic birds, wolves, bald eagles, bobcats, a cougar, etc., and of course, Lu. The otter was a hoot to watch - quite the entertainer with his flips, back floating, etc. Lu weight 6000 pounds and definitely does his "own thing". There was a small turtle who was struggling to get over a little wall into a pool for food. Eventually he fell upside down onto his shell. Poor thing!
Probably our favorite thing to see was all the beautiful birds. Did you know that flamingos actually are bright coral, especially during mating season. They were gorgeous, but certainly appeared to be noisy and aggressive. We also saw sandhill cranes and whooping cranes, which are the tallest birds in the US and on the endangered species list. The roseate spoonbills are always a thrill for Ken. Found out the ones that are only pink with no reddish color are the young ones. The white pelicans actually have black on their wings when they are open, even though they look totally white and they have a "fin-like thing" on their bills when they are young. We finally learned a way to tell the difference between a cormorant and an anhinga. Cormorants have a hook at the end of their curved beaks, while an anhinga has a straight beak. Also, did you know that an osprey nest can weigh up to 1200 pounds and that the same nest is used year after year?
How about a lesson on manatees? The large ones can weigh over 1000 lbs. and they eat about 10% of their body weight per day. That's a lot of salad!!! Their gestation period is 13 months and the baby calf weighs about 60 lbs. at birth. They only conceive about every 3 years. They are a warm blooded mammal and require water to be above 68 degrees. That is way they like these springs, for the water temperature averages 72 degrees year round. They are a protected species!
As you can tell, we really enjoy our visit to this park and learned a lot.
We left the park and went to The Freezer for a late lunch/early supper. Ken learned of this place through an RV website. They do no advertising nor do they have a sign on the restaurant. If you are not familiar with the area, you need to ask a local how to get there. It is right on the water and they are known for good shrimp and cold beer. Ken was thrilled with both!!!! A friendly cat decided to share my stool. We protected Ken's shrimp!!!
https://picasaweb.google.com/100432034439116837822/WildlifeParkMarch1#
Wow! What a neat park. I would love to check it out sometime (when we can go camping in Florida!). And The Freezer too. Thanks for sharing the fabulous pictures!
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