Bobcats and more…

I thought that the view of the bobcat in his den was all we would see of him at Homosassa Springs yesterday, but he fooled me. The day was hot and if not for the plentiful shade at the park it wouldn’t have been as nice of a day. So who could blame him for retreating to his den before we could get a shot? But then someone else showed up.

I shot this through a fence, but with the magic of modern camera technology the fence disappeared, with no help from me.

Not only did the bobcat emerge from the den to greet the new arrival, he suddenly went on the hunt and caught himself a tidbit for lunch.

Other photographers have been lucky enough to spot bobcats when they hike at Circle B, but I haven’t been that lucky. And it was fun to see the rest of the animals there too.

Again the black crowned night herons were in attendance at this park also. Free to come and go as they please they stick around, especially at feeding time. And they land in the perfect spot for a portrait.

This is the only place I’ve ever seen a Crested Cara Cara, so of course I took many pictures of this one.

This key deer was on high alert. A ranger had invaded his territory, but he was putting out dinner so all was well.

Lu, the resident hippo was lazing around his pool, staying cool. He is a holdover from the days before this was a state park and there were exotic animals here. The locals objected to Lu being sent away and so he was granted asylum, of sorts. He is now 60 years old and dependent on caretakers for his quality of life. A fitting end for an old movie star from the 60s, who has many TV and movie credits to his name, including Daktari.

The only manatees we saw were in the treatment pool. This one was snagging a piece of greenery for lunch. I didn’t know they had whiskers.

This pretty little fox stopped and posed for me.

As much as I’d prefer to find Spoonies in the wild, this one will do. Roseate Spoonbills, not the most common bird to see here in my area of FL.

Yuma the Puma had the right idea as the sun got hotter.

The boat ride to the park from the parking lot wasn’t running at his moment. Which is a shame because I always enjoy that since it sort of sets the stage for your enjoyment of the park. But the tram was running to take you into the woods to this little gem of a place to spend an afternoon.