Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

I have the good fortune to live about 1 mile from Blue Spring, a winter sanctuary for Manatees. As plump as Manatees appear, they actually have less than a 1 inch fat layer. This leaves them vulnerable to cold temperatures which can prove fatal. Florida spring water has a year round constant temperature of 72 degrees. When the river temperature drops much below that, the Manatees congregate in springs and other warm spots such as the discharge from power plants.

This year has seen a record number of Manatee deaths, mostly from starvation. Massive areas of sea grass along the coast were destroyed by an algae bloom in the past and recovery is slow. Fortunately, the St. Johns River still has abundant food so the Manatees in the river are relatively safe.

We visited the spring with a guest visiting from Idaho. On that day the Manatee count in the spring run was 474. We visited a few days later, on a much warmer day, and the count was only 7. Researchers count the manatees every day. Blue Spring is also a location where rescued and rehabilitated Manatees are frequently released.

In the summer there aren't many Manatees to see but swimming is allowed and scuba divers also dive in the spring. There are also canoe rentals and a large vessel that takes visitors on a 2 hour tour of the river and wildlife.

Please forgive the poor quality of the pictures. I guess I haven't figured out the best way to photograph them.
-

3 Manatees - the small one is a calf. The white markings on the adult are scars from boat propellers.

(Download)

2 Manatees taking it easy. The upper one is about to take a breath.

(Download)

A section of the spring run.

(Download)

A boardwalk makes it easy to go from the parking area to the head of the spring. There are several observation platforms along the way.

(Download)

Manatee researchers doing the daily Manatee counts.

(Download)

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Nice set, Carol. Manatees are amazing creatures.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Nice.

I've been to Blue Spring many times when I lived in Florida.

angler Loc: StHelens England

Excellent set Carol.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

A very informative post about the Manatees couple with wonderful images. Thanks.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Thank you, Ken! They truly are gentle.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Thank you! I enjoy seeing the Manatees and it is also a neat park to wander and enjoy nature.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Thank you, Jim!

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Thank you. There are volunteer in the park that share a lot of great, interesting information. We watched the floating tracker that was attached to a recently released Manatee. It added a fun element to the outing.

rbmacc Loc: DeQuincy La

Love the whole set Carol !!

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Thank you, Ron. The Manatee count that day was 474! Sort of Manatee soup!

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

Nice set Carol

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Very nice Carol! Once I swam with the manatees at the Three Sisters spring in Crystal river.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Nice set Carol - looks like a great location.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana