nature coast

Nature Coast of Florida

Surprise on the Dock

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We returned home yesterday to discover that otters had turned the kayak dock into their personal sunning platform.

Since otters are a lot more photogenic than manatees, Terry and I headed down to check it out.  At first we only saw one but then spotted two more.  The third quickly slipped down the kayak ramp into the water before I could get a picture, but it stayed close by under the dock noisily chomping on fish.

Otter
Caught a glimpse of something on the dock
Otter
On closer inspection, two otters!
Otters
What are you looking at?
Otters
I smell papparazzi!
Otter
What?

 

 

 

Maggie and Manatees

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You might think this is a picture of my sweet Maggie, but not true.  While she was on the seawall looking adorable and I grabbed my camera, it wasn’t for a photo of her, but what was going on behind her.  Look closely and you will see small ripples.  That is a manatee.

 We’ve had many manatees in the canal this spring.  But, as I’ve posted before, manatees do not photo well, they just look like big gray rocks.

I usually notice them first because of the small ripples, a snout sticking out, or a large figure eight shape just under the water.

Snout sticking out of the water
This is actually a picture of two manatees!
The canal is a very popular manatee place. They come back here to have babies and make babies!

Still look like an odd gray rock formation!