This is a long blog entry because my paddle on the silver on 6-15-13 was amazing. The pics are kept small.
FOR LARGER PICS CLICK ON THEM AND HIT ESCAPE TO GET BACK TO THE TEXT.
The put-in for Silver River is about 15 minutes from my house but that's not my home paddle. The Juniper is but that's another story. being that it's so close and all I took my time getting ready and didn't get on the water till about 9:30 AM after a huge morning rainstorm. I paddled downstream first to check on a swimmin' spot I know.
Because it's less crowded downstream the first thing I saw was an otter.
But otters come and go and this one left heading downstream for the Ocklawaha.
I turned around and pushed upstream in my tandem kayak, a wide comfortable boat that takes effort to paddle up this spring fed current. I like to take pics from a boat I can stand in.
After a few minutes I came to the iconic jumping tree. I have never and will never but I see the kids make the jump and it's plenty deep.
The eel grass was bloomin and the wood ducks were hanging together, still early no crowds yet.
Wood ducks are a favorite suject of many photographers for obvious reasons
but so are flowers and butterflies for obvious reasons
And yes, I saw the monkeys. For folks who don't know they got loose many years ago when the Tarzan movies were shot here. The babies hanging on to their moms are so cute.
I paddled right under this anhinga drying it's wings. I was scared he would poop on me.
Very cool birds and skilled underwater hunters that spear their prey.
Another part of what I do is monitor the river as it changes over the years. Below is a rare shoestring fern growing out of a palm trunk. They are doing fantastic because of the warm winter. The other more typical looking tree fern is a polypodium, they are doing well also.
I don't know why I like epiphytes so much but there are lessons to learn from them. We humans should try to be more epiphitic toward our planet (COEXIST)
So I'm taking shots of more shoestring fern hanging over the water and a big mudfish (bowfin) swims toward me for the camera. These guys are fascinating.
Mudfish look prehistoric and act like they aren't scared of you. They just mosey about slowly. . .
then Wham!! they snatch a fish to eat. I hear their preferred food is baby bass and that's why many fishermen throw them on the bank when they catch 'em. They give a good fight but are not good to eat.
Later that day while sitting still for the hummingbirds to come back I saw a big gator carrying a big mudfish to his lair. And life goes on in the river. The river is not really a place - the river itself is a series of events.
I continue to paddle upstream - slowly making my way - getting distracted by the many photo ops. Yellow crowned night herons are another species that are not that frightened by humans. very cool birds.
so I continue on my way - slowly taking note of the events around me. Sittin' and watchin' what makes a night heron turn its head. What are they thinking when they look at each other? Some of the sentinals just watch. This great blue heron didn't move for a long time and was still there when I came back downstream.
You don't see pictures of the many boats coming and going but they pass me and wave. I smile, wave back and tell them it's a beautiful day. Often I am thinking, "get a tuneup or get a 4-stroke your exhaust is stinking up the river." Then they are gone and it's quiet again. I always make sure to compliment the people with quiet motors. One guy had a Merc 40 - very quiet.
One of the most active creatures is the prothonotary warbler. I absolutely love these guys. They can really Flit! I stalk them down and wait for them - then they flit just before I press the shutter. It's fun hunting them - kind of like Kingfisher hunting but easier. I didn't see one kingfisher all day.
Soo . . . A prothonotary warbler and a Gator walked into a bar . . . and the gator said let's do shots.
the warbler said something but it came out like a peep and flitted away.
the baby gator said something but it came out as a bark.
So the warbler flitted away. That's how they roll.
Now hummingbirds roll in and entirely different way - they are all business. Hummingbirds have things to do, places to go and flowers to see. They have no time for human activity, if you move a muscle they just come back in 10 minutes.
Actually I saw 2 hummingbirds getting territorial over this big stand of lobelia cardinalis. All the other h-bird pics were a blur. But that's how they roll.
This brown water snake was doing the reptilian thang with its round pupil. I got pretty close. The snake was either desensitized or didn't want to back in the cold springwater.
It was getting late so I started back. I hadn't even made it up to the put-in at Silver River State Park. The sights and sounds kept coming. The hunters hunted and the prey prayed. That's a big bird and a big tree.
The silver always delivers the photo ops and the beauty.
Maybe it's me, . . maybe I am attracting this reality, this reality I am so connected to. I think so. Do other people see the Silver River like I do? I know some do.
It's not just the animals and plants, but the whole ball of wax and the interplay within, that happens as. . . I sit . I wait . I listen . . . I learn. Watching the light, the shadows, the delicate shades as a cloud passes. I listen to the thunder hoping it will rain and all the people will leave for a little while.
Silver Springs is a significant natural wonder that should be revered and protected. It's OK that many boats and people come here. It belongs to them too and I know every visitor get's something special from their visit here. It's these fascinating experiences in nature that connect us to the real, real world and our creator.
