There be MANATEES here!!! (14 Pics)

[A HERETIC I AM]

I've been renting a house on an arm of the St. Johns river in Jacksonville, FL since November. My neighbor told me that Manatees, Alligators and occasionally Dolphins will appear in this waterway in the late Spring and Summer. I've been waiting for proof of that and finally saw two Manatees! I saw a few about 3 days ago but they weren't close enough to the surface or too far out in the channel to get a good shot, but this afternoon, two of them graced me by coming close enough to get some shots.

I apologize for the quality of the photos, as they were taken with my iPhone held away from my body. Most focused fairly well, but others didn't.


Here they are!

First of all, here's a pic of the edge of my backyard that is right on the waterway. This is southwest of downtown Jax;



This was the first glimpse of what looked to be a mother and calf;


They seemed to be cruising about 3 feet below the surface. There's a fair amount of debris in the water as a result of the Storm that passed over a couple days ago.

Heading toward me;



The calf coming up for a breath;


You can barely make out the mommas tail in front of the calf.

Momma surfacing;



They rounded the corner and started heading down the inlet. Behind my next door neighbors place is a branch that had fallen during the passing of the Tropical Storm the other day and they seemed to stop and check it out. I zoomed in a bit and shot away as they surfaced;





Calf surfacing for air over mommas tail;



And back under;



Momma takes a breath;





Now turning and moving further down the channel;








I've lived in Florida on and off for almost 25 years and have never seen a Manatee in the wild. I am frankly THRILLED to be living in a place where they pass by my backyard! It was really cool to see them. Momma looked to be about 12 feet long and the calf about 6' or so, so certainly not a newborn.

This was totally cool!

I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed being able to share them.

[tularetom]

1. Nice work!

Enjoyed the photos.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. Thanks! n/t

[hootinholler]

2. Missed one

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. That happened out of camera range! n/t

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. Awesome pics!

Looks like you have a beautiful place to live along the St. Johns (my favorite river). You've got a lot to cherish there.

I've actually experienced manatees in the wild once. Actually swam with them, over in Blue Springs in Volusia County where they congregate for the winter.

I was swimming in the springs and happened upon a mother and a juvenile. Curious, I started to pet them, until I was very politely reprimanded by a park ranger that that was technically against the law (I promptly stopped). Still, it was an incredible experience I won't ever forget.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Neat!

Yeah...no molesting allowed. Even throwing a head of lettuce in to them is frowned upon.

I'm sure you're aware, the FL Fish and Wildlife folks don't fuck around with that sort of thing. Even getting too close to Dolphins in the intracoastal will get you a ticket, if not a stern talking to if you're caught.

[alsame]

6. How wonderful for you to

see them!! Thanks so much for the pictures

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. You are most welcome! n/t

[Cooley Hurd]

7. Loose Seal!!!!

[livetohike]

8. Thanks for sharing these

Beautiful.....your backyard and all the manatee pictures. I love them...I've only seen them once in the wild. Time for another trip to FL .

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. You're welcome! Come on down! n/t

[MuseRider]

12. That is cool as heck!

I was out photographing fish nests in my pond this morning. Not nearly as cool as this! Thank you for sharing. I would love to go to Florida some day and be in a place where I might spot one. Enjoy enjoy enjoy and thank you for sharing.

[A HERETIC I AM]

33. It was cool! I'm glad you enjoyed the photos.

[life long demo]

13. Oh, that must be awesome to see

Thanks for the pictures. Lovely back yard. You'd find me sitting on the bench just watching and waiting for the manatees and dolphins. Alligators not so much LOL.

[A HERETIC I AM]

34. Thanks, and yes, it was awesome and a lovely surpise!

Last edited Sat Jun 8, 2013, 09:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Haven't seen any Dolphins yet, nor Gators.

Gators don't scare me, as long as no one feeds them. That is a big problem in this state as well as the others where they appear. Feed them and they lose their fear of Humans and as a consequence, they approach people when they see them, thinking food is going to be provided.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. Oh, lucky you.

[A HERETIC I AM]

35. It was a bit of luck, actually. Timing, anyway.

If I had walked out there 5 minutes later, I would have missed them.

[Lucinda]

15. Very cool!

I live next to a national park and love it when one of the park deer or bears wanders through our yard. It's always exciting!
Great shot, and what a cool place to sit and hang out!

[A HERETIC I AM]

36. Thanks.

I'll keep my gentle, lumbering, natural submarines.


You keep your bears!

[Scuba]

16. Congratulations on your exciting experience. I'd rather see a manatee ....

... in the wild than all the Star Wars movies ever made.

[A HERETIC I AM]

37. Now THAT'S a stretch!

How about seeing all the Star Wars movies with a Manatee?


And make him hold the popcorn?

[cherokeeprogressive]

17. OH! the huge manatees...

That is AWESOME my friend. Lucky man you are. I hope you had someone there to share it with you.

My Wife and I were at a place called Loon Lake between Sacramento and Reno a few years ago. We went Sun-Fri so we pretty much had the whole lake and campground to ourselves. One of the days we put the fishing poles away and went for a walk around the lake... there was a WHOOOOSH right over our heads so loud we both ducked. When we stood up, a Bald Eagle swooped on a trout not far from the water's edge. He snatched up a trout TWICE as big as any we'd caught, turned back over our heads, and landed in a pine tree right above us and started eating it. We thought we were just about the luckiest people alive to have seen that with our own eyes.

I've since that exact thing twice here at Big Bear Lake. It's an awesome sight.

[A HERETIC I AM]

38. Your story sounds cool! I've seen a few Bald Eagles in Florida.....

Quite a few down south, actually, but have yet to see any up here, though I'm sure they are around. I've seen an Osprey or two and there are plenty of Owls around. I hear them almost every night and one flew right over my head about two weeks ago.

One cool Raptor that comes to Florida is the Swallow Tailed Kite. My brother gets nesting pairs on his property near Ft. Myers. I don't think they come this far north.

They look like this;





AMAZING flyers.

[kdmorris]

18. Damn you and your backyard manatees!!! I want backyard manatees!!!!

No, seriously, those are incredibly cool pictures. We don't live on a water way down here in South Florida, so the only time I get to see them is when we travel north to Homosassa Springs or some other National Park or Zoo (we saw a bunch of captive manatees at the Tampa Zoo, for example)

[catzies]

19. I've seen them in the Riviera canal in Coral Gables

So those lucky folks have backyard manatees.

[kdmorris]

22. Well, I have a "lake"... also known as a mud puddle here

Unfortunately, there's no way for manatees to get into the lake so I'll not get to see them here. But it's very cool to know that I might be able to find some down here - maybe out in a canal somewhere. Manatees are just so beautiful!

[A HERETIC I AM]

39. The only one I had ever seen before was at the Miami Seaquarium when I was a little kid.

They had it in a round, concrete pool that was maybe 30 or 40' across and 6' deep.

This was the early 1960's, before the Zookeepers woke up to the fact that tiny habitats, pools and cages sucked for the well being of the animals.

The problem with backyard Manatees is, if you invite them in, all they do is lounge around, eat all your produce and watch TV. They SUCK as conversationalists!

[kdmorris]

44. On the plus side, that means they don't argue with you, either :)

Like other people do

I used to have a rabbit that would "lounge around, eat all your produce and watch TV". He was great for eating the stem part of broccoli, etc. He passed away at the ripe old age of 13 a few years ago. The vet said that was a LONG time for a rabbit to live, but it felt like he was with us just a short time. He was GREAT to talk to because he never judged (or at least never told me he did... he could have been sitting there thinking "why does this woman continue to pester me with all this minutia of human life?&quot

[A HERETIC I AM]

50. LOL

I've got a bunch of bunnies that hang around, doing a terrible job of mowing the lawn.

[onethatcares]

20. on the left coast

you can find them in Tampa Bay, just about any where at any time. Or in the winter you can go to the TECO power plant in Ruskin that has a manatee viewing center. It's a free admission place and the snack bar actually has reality priced snacks.

sometimes there are close to a hundred there. Along with some monster snook, real monster snook.

[A HERETIC I AM]

51. A hundred?!

All crowded together?


That must make for quite a sight.

[hopemountain]

21. exciting! nice pics.

thank you for sharing them. have never seen a manatee, myself, but if you felt anywhere near what it is like to be up close to a whale - i share your excitement

[A HERETIC I AM]

40. Never seen a Whale, but plenty of Dolphins.

Glad you enjoyed the photos.

[Jamastiene]

23. K&R

I love the excitement of seeing a new (to that particular spot) species in the backyard. You have a great "backyard" and a great species you got to see. Congratulations!!!

[A HERETIC I AM]

41. Thanks very much!

Glad you liked the shots.

[A HERETIC I AM]

42. You're welcome! n/t

[colorado_ufo]

25. Absolutely wonderful!

This was a real treat - thank you! Felt like I was right there with you.

[A HERETIC I AM]

43. You are very welcome! n/t

[Mockingjay]

26. Oh hell...

This makes me home sick..seeing the manatee's.....and your back yard. I lived on Sarasota bay and saw them all the time. I miss florida so much!!

[A HERETIC I AM]

45. Come on back!

It has yet to close due to stupidity!

[eggplant]

27. In that first photo, those are actually patio furniture.

It's easy to mistake them, though.

[A HERETIC I AM]

46. You have NO IDEA how hard it is to catch a herd like that sitting still!

They're quick and ornery.

Getting them to stay still, especially during storm season is a real trick!

[RebelOne]

28. An ex-boyfriend had a seafood restaurant in Miami on Biscayne Blvd.

and 79th Street. In back of the restaurant was a canal leading from Biscayne Bay. The manatees would swim under the back boat dock, and we would throw lettuce and other greens from the kitchen to them. I was amazed at the size of those creatures.

[A HERETIC I AM]

47. Yup. Big submarines! n/t

[hue]

29. Soo lovely, thanks for sharing!!!

[A HERETIC I AM]

48. You are very welcome! n/t

[mnhtnbb]

30. Totally cool! Have you ever had an alligator in your backyard?

[A HERETIC I AM]

49. Not yet!

Though it will not surprise me when I do.





Ok...it will surprise me a little!

[ErikJ]

31. MANATEE CRISIS: Record Deaths Reported 2013

MANATEE CRISIS: Record Deaths Reported

More than 582 Florida manatees have died so far in 2013 — that’s around 10 percent of the world's population of Florida manatees.

While the latest surge in manatee deaths was caused by toxic blooms of algae (known as red tide) and a local dieoff of a food source, in the long term, the biggest threats to these gentle giants are from boat strikes and development of their habitat.

Sadly, the worst could be yet to come. The highest number of manatees killed each year occurs in the summer due to boat strikes and habitat development. This year, these threats will reach their peak AFTER a record number of manatees have already been killed — adding to the alarming mortality.

Manatees are dying in record numbers — won’t you please donate to help save them and other endangered wildlife?

www.defenders.org/florida-manatee/basic-facts

[No Vested Interest]

32. I'm envious.

[Liberal_in_LA]

52. nice pics

[A HERETIC I AM]

57. Thanks! n/t

[liberal N proud]

53. Manatees are so cool

We snorkeled with them in Crystal River a few years ago. The come right up to you and are so gentle.

[A HERETIC I AM]

56. They are cool.

They seem to have all the time in the world.

Luckily, neither of these two had any scars on their backs, as so many apparently do. Here's hoping they are able to avoid boat props for as long as they live.

[Texasgal]

54. How cool is that?

I love your backyard area, I'd love to enjoy a glass of wine out there!

The pictures are amazing! Thank you!

[A HERETIC I AM]

55. Glad you liked em'!

You're welcome over for a glass of wine any time! I always have something or other hanging about.

[Rhiannon12866]

58. K&R! This is so very cool and these are wonderful photos!

Thanks so much for sharing! I've never seen one of these unusual creatures in person...

[A HERETIC I AM]

60. I appreciate the compliment.

I very glad you liked the photos!

[Rhiannon12866]

62. You really are a great photographer, but you're lucky to have such an amazing subject

I'd love to see one in real life!

[Greybnk48]

59. You are one lucky duck!

I hope you see many more, and be sure to share! What a treat!

[A HERETIC I AM]

61. That is very flattering.....

And if I see more, I'll be sure to post the pics.

[Historic NY]

63. Sp whats on the Barbie...hell they there for dinner.

[renate]

64. thank you!

Manatees are my favorite animal. If people were more like manatees, what a wonderful world it would be.

Those pictures were such a treat! Thanks!

[A HERETIC I AM]

75. You're welcome! n/t

[aquart]

65. THANK YOU!!!!

[A HERETIC I AM]

76. Glad you liked it! n/t

[tardybar]

66. great love the pics enjoy them

[A HERETIC I AM]

77. Glad you liked em'!

Welcome to DU!

[nashville_brook]

67. if you want to attract them, run a hose down there with fresh water

they love that. also, if you want to feed them, they'll eat lettuce.

[A HERETIC I AM]

78. This is a fresh water creek......

though it is tidally effected, so it is brackish, anyway. They seem to hang around in season, so no need to attract them! As far as feeding them is concerned, that's a no-no in this state. The Fish and Wildlife folks can ticket you for "molesting". I've thought about tossing a head of lettuce or two, but I don't really think its a good idea.

[amuse bouche]

68. Magnificent

Thank You

[A HERETIC I AM]

79. You are very welcome! n/t

[MadrasT]

69. That is so cool. I love when local critters come in my backyard, too.

But being in PA, my local critters are sure different than yours!

[A HERETIC I AM]

80. Not too many living submarines in your neighborhood, eh? lol. n/t

[oldandhappy]

70. fantastic!!

How cool. You live in a magical place. Thanks for the pics. I am amazed! Smile.

[A HERETIC I AM]

81. I don't know about "magical".....

but I was really kind of lucky to fins this house, honestly. It is a little slice of nice!

Glad you liked the thread.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

71. what a wonderful picture story. thank you for sharing it. K&R

[A HERETIC I AM]

82. Glad you liked it! n/t

[protect our future]

72. Thank you so much for posting your pics!

And you are truly fortunate to live in such a beautiful and serene place. It must make you happy each morning when you awaken and just look out a window.

[A HERETIC I AM]

83. LOL...It beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

It is lovely, I admit. First time I have ever lived right on the water like this.

I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos.

[BrotherIvan]

73. YAY for Manatees!!

What a gorgeous backyard you have! I'm drooling with jealousy at such a lovely spot. But add manatees, one of my favorite creatures of all time? Now I'm so jealous! Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos!

[A HERETIC I AM]

84. Glad you liked em'! n/t

[MoonRiver]

74. Cool! I LOVE Manatees!

Is the state doing something about motorboats in water inhabited by manatees?

[A HERETIC I AM]

85. They have signs requiring "Idle Speed Only"......

in areas they frequent, but it is a very difficult thing to eliminate completely (propeller strikes).


From what I understand, particularly in a river location like this, they do learn to avoid boats. As I mentioned in another post and is clear from the photos, Momma does not appear to have any scars, so it is possible for them to go years and years without being struck by a boat propeller. Most of the boaters in this waterway run at idle, but on occasion someone will come screaming up the channel. There isn't too much further to go to the left of my first pic in the OP, as it gets narrower and narrower, so those types of boaters are infrequent and are throttling back by the time they get to my place.