Paddling with an American Bittern, Purple Gallinule and a few Manatees... life is good

We were all bundled up on the St Johns River this morning. It’s March 15th; the temp is in the 40’s with a strong North wind but Hey at least we’re not shoveling snow! Hanging close to the tree line we found some calm water and so did the wildlife. It was a banner day for the birds! We saw Limpkins, Purple Gallinules, nesting Sandhill Cranes, American Bittern, Snowy and Great Egrets, Bald Eagles, Great and Little Blue Herons just to name a few. We found a large Alligator out sunning and a few Turtles as well. A Red-shouldered Hawk tried to rob a Limpkin of his Apple Snail and that caused quite the ruckus. It’s always fun to watch the movie Mother Nature has put together for us. The Manatees had come back to the river due to the cold front and we had a few good encounters. Today was nature at its best!