Feb. 5, 2023 - Wakulla Springs State Park

Almost three weeks ago, I visited Wakulla Springs State Park. It’s about 65 miles away from where we are staying in Florida.

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Some of the flowering trees at the park were blooming. This is an Azalea.

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I also saw a Camelia tree with a few blossoms on it.

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I only stayed a short time at the park, but I did manage to photograph a few birds. This male Northern Cardinal was checking the ground looking for seeds.

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As I was looking out over the Wakulla River, this immature Bald Eagle flew in and landed in a dead tree. I looked in my Sibley Guide to Birds and found that the amount of white in this birds head, plus the fact that its beak is yellow, probably indicates that it is three years old. It takes four or five years for a Bald Eagle to get the totally white head and tail.

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There were several female Hooded Mergansers swimming in the river. I don’t remember seeing any males there. A male looks quite different from a female. He has a black head and back with large white spots on each side of his head.

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This Merganser caught something for her lunch. It looks like a Crayfish.

MerganserHoodedfemalewithCrawfishWakullaSpringsStatePark20230117