3/5/10 (Friday): We had an outstanding time today! The weather was gloriously sunny, although it was a bit cool. The great thing about cool weather in Florida is that it brings the manatees into the warm water of the springs where we can see them. I had a doctor's appointment this morning, so Wiley and Stian went fishing. When I got back, we went to Blue Springs State Park in Orange City.
There were over 200 manatees in the spring today, and lots of fish! The fish were nesting, which is an interesting thing to see. The male fish (mostly tilapia today) digs a shallow depression in the sandy bottom of the spring. He stays on the nest and attracts a female, who lays eggs for the male to fertilize. Then the male stays and guards the eggs, and eventually the young fish, too. In addition to tilapia, we saw alligator gar and snook. No turtles today, though!

On the way home, we went by the Lyonia Preserve in Deltona. This is one of the few remaining scrub ecosystems left in Florida, and it's home to the endangered Florida scrub jay. These feisty birds are quite unique. They are very territorial, but they live in family groups. The young stay behind and help raise the next generation. Today, three of them were waiting in the parking lot for us! They flew right up to the fence beside where we were staying. Wiley didn't feel up to walking, so he sat down on the curb in the parking lot, and one actually flew onto his head! I wish I had seen that! I have some photos, but blogger is taking too long to load them. Maybe in the next blog.

Tomorrow we're picking up Stian's friend in Orlando. We'll probably walk around Lake Eola (if we can find parking), or maybe just take a scenic route back to New Smyrna Beach. Tomorrow we're planning to go kayaking/canoeing on Juniper Springs. We're having a great time!