News

Sighting updates are provided by Save the Manatee Club’s Manatee Specialist, Wayne Hartley, and Director of Multimedia and Manatee Research Associate, Cora Berchem, after the conclusion of the morning “roll call” at the park. These updates start around November and continue until manatee sightings become intermittent, which is roughly around March.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

I have decided the season ended on March 25, as that was the last day we had a significant number of manatees that were never in a rehabilitation facility. The current manatee count for the season (it may change but not much) is 879 seen, 545 returned from last season, 26 returned from prior seasons, and there were 88 calves. We also estimated seven cow calf pairs that had no scars and 30 unscarred juveniles. It would be unfair to leave out these manatees that cannot be counted in the normal way. All the numbers are records, except for calves which dropped from 93 last season. Save the Manatee Club researchers also had a record count for one roll call of 760.

Wayne

Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March 28, 2025

The river continues to warm. Yesterday it was 71.4°F (21.9°C), and today it was 73.2°F (22.9°C). Yesterday, 6 manatees were seen during roll call, and one arrived late. No Save the Manatee adoptees were amongst them. The eagles were out again yesterday. This time in a dead tree on our side of the river where we usually see them, if we see them. The manatees were four recent releases, our cow with the newborn calf, and a juvenile. Just what we would expect with the river barely cooler than the spring run. The tarpon are still in the boil, but we suppose they will leave soon.

Today the count dropped to 1 manatee. The park staff counted 2 from the boardwalk, but one must have left before we started the count. Season may officially be ending.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Launched the canoe and two eagles flew past the mouth of the run and landed in a tree across the river. The river temp was up to 71.8°F (21.8°C). It is Manatee Appreciation Day. We appreciated four manatees. None were Save the Manatee Club adoptees. The count dropped from 51 manatees to four overnight; impressive. Later, a manatee recued earlier at Blue Spring was released after rehabilitation at SeaWorld Orlando. His problems were basically from cold stress. At first we thought it might be Lilpeep, so they named him Hollar as in ‘lil peep’ and ‘loud holler.’ SeaWorld Orlando, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Parks Service, Save the Manatee Club, and Volusia County participated in the release.

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

The river temp was 70.3°F (21.3°C). We had 51 manatees for roll call. They were nearly all in two groups barely inside the spring run. One group at the south side of the spring mouth and one group at the north side. The only Save the Manatee Club adoptee was Rocket to our great surprise. Rocket just is not around most of the season, let alone the tail end of the season. He was in the south group. Two deer, the limpkin, a little blue heron, and a big snapping turtle were seen along the run as well. Had not seen a little blue heron or snapper for a while.

Wayne & Cora

Monday, March 24, 2025

River temp was 69.8°F (21°C). No cool weather in sight, so I guess the counts will continue down. We counted 65 manatees today. Our Save the Manatee Club adoptees were Lily and Gator. Beautiful day for counting manatees!

Wayne & Cora

Sunday, March 23, 2025

It was another chilly morning, but it warmed up very quickly and the manatees could probably feel it. The river temperature was slightly up to 68.9°F (20.5°C), and I counted 182 manatees, a little less than yesterday. Most were congregated by the river. The adoptees in were Phyllis with her calf and Aqua with her calf. I didn’t actually see the calves, but I am sure they were there. Aqua was propped up against the far bank on the other side of the spring run, and the calf was probably around her with many others. Phyllis, I saw coming down the spring run as I was busy IDing manatees on the other side of me. By the time I turned around and looked, Phyllis was already gone to the river. Phyllis, like many other mothers, likes to travel in a big group and usually has about 4-5 other juveniles with her in addition to her own calf. We call it “the entourage.” Gator was also spotted at the park today. Last but not least, Lily rounded up the adoptees for roll call today.

I am not seeing any more cold temperatures in the forecast, so season may really be coming to an end.

~Cora

Saturday, March 22, 2025

It was a very chilly morning and the river temperature dropped to 68.5°F (20.3°C). The manatee count increased to 207! Yesterday we had counted 91. Yesterday, only Phyllis with her calf represented the adoptees during roll call, Lily showed up on the webcam after the count was finished. Today we had a whole parade of adoptees—Annie, Lily, Aqua with calf, Howie, Brutus, Gator, Moo Shoo, and Merlin. Merlin got yet another boat hit. It doesn’t seem severe, so he will be ok, but it is again a reminder to please watch out for manatees when boating. We are seeing many new strikes these days. After the count we assisted FWC and Volusia County with the recovery of a manatee that was found deceased in Lake Beresford. It was one of our big females (not an adoptee) and we don’t know cause of death yet.

On a positive note, a manatee we hadn’t seen all season, “Africa,” (not an adoptee) showed up today with a barnacle on him! Seeing barnacles on manatees at Blue Spring is very rare as they usually only grow on manatees in saltwater, so anyone showing up with barnacles at Blue Spring must have made a very quick swim down the St. Johns River from the coast!

Cora & Wayne

Thursday, March 20, 2025

It was cold or cool all day yesterday, so I was surprised to find the river temp had gone up to 70.7°F (21.5°C) and the manatees at roll call went down to 38. I guess the air temps got into the eighties as predicted especially to our south where the St. Johns River comes from. Here are the Save the Manatee Club adoptees we saw. Lily made roll call and Aqua & calf were up the run on the way back. I paddled to the place Cora spotted Aqua yesterday, and there was Howie!  We had a break, and then released a cow and her calf back to the river. They were picked up near Jacksonville suffering from cold stress some time in December. The cow was one of ours (BS1419) and should have known better than to be up there. The cow’s name is Taffy, so the calf was named Laffy. They are not adoptees! Thanks to all who helped including Sea World, Florida Wildlife Commission, Blue Spring State Park, Volusia County, Save the Manatee Club, and the USFWLS.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The river temp continued slowly down to 70.2°F (21.2°C). We hoped for 100 manatees and got 43! No Save the Manatee Club adoptees for roll call, so when we came back down I circled the crowd just in case and we found Phyllis & calf with her entourage. The extras we call hangers, as they hang around the mother hoping to steal milk. As we went to the beach, Cora spotted another group on the far side of the run from Phyllis, and we found Aqua & calf with hangers. Good day!

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The river temp went down a little, and the manatee count went up a little to 19. Still no Save the Manatee Club adoptees. We did have one of the limpkins back. Across the river from the run, the trees that have been gray and brown for so long are green with leaves. The college single-scull boats are on the river getting ready for their season. I’m told some come down from New England. Many may not be familiar with manatees, so we have to make sure everyone receives education and practices their best manatee behavior, especially the motorboats following the row boats.

Wayne & Cora

Monday, March 17, 2025

The river temp was 72.1°F (22.3°C). A tiny bit cooler than the spring run. Our count for roll call was 12 manatees. None were Save the Manatee Club adoptees. We had seven recently released, two not ID’d, one old timer, and a cow with a one week old calf. I think she has been in every day since the birth. Couple of cool nights coming up, hope for more sightings.

Wayne & Cora

Friday, March 14, 2025

100 Manatees yesterday down to 45 today. The river temp was up to 69.4°F (20.8°C). Our only Save the Manatee Club adoptee was Aqua with her calf. Manatees are traveling now, and so are boats. Please remind friends going out on the water to watch for manatees!

Wayne & Cora

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Well, I have said it before and I will say it again. It looks like manatee season is coming to and end. I’ve been too early every time so far! We found 100 manatees in the spring run today, plus a pair of limpkins working the bank for apple snails. Our Save the Manatee Club adoptees were Howie, Phyllis, and Nick. Nick missed roll call but we were glad to see him.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

It was another chilly morning, but the air is warming up significantly during the day. The river was 67.6°F (19.8°C) and I counted 172 manatees. This may have been a slight overcount. Usually we start at the buoy line and paddle up the boil and consistently count, which takes us anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours on very cold days. Today, I interrupted the count a few times to assist fellow researchers from various other agencies with some of their work. While I didn’t double-count any manatees, some were leaving and others came in, so the ones coming in that could be identified were obviously counted. The adoptees present were Nick, Annie, Ester with calf, Phyllis with calf, and Aqua with calf. The mother with her newborn calf was halfway up the run at first, and then resting under a fallen log later on. Over the past two days, multiple manatees showed interest in the new addition, but today it seemed like mom and baby finally got a little bit of peace to just rest by themselves.

~Cora

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

After the storm and tornado passed through yesterday the air temperature got quite chilly. The river temperature dropped to 67.8°F (19.9°C), and the manatee count was up to 117. Paddy Doyle, Philip, and Aqua with calf represented the adoptees. Paddy and Philip were down towards the river, and Aqua with her calf was with a group of 15 others much farther up the spring run. Our new little baby was in, too, and was observed nursing with mom today, which is a good sign. We still have not been able to identify the mother, as she only has very minor scratches and no big marks. This is a good thing because she is definitely of reproductive age with no major scars from boat strikes. It can be “frustrating” for the research, as we can’t identify her to correctly record her with her new calf, but she will be recorded in some way.

~Cora

Monday, March 10, 2025

It warmed up quickly, and this morning it was warm and windy before a major storm hit. I tried to get out early to do the count before the storm!

The river temperature was 68.5°F (20.3°C) and the manatee count dropped to 38. That is quite the steep drop from 335 on Saturday! No adoptees were present, but the exciting news was a newborn calf halfway up the spring run! It must have just been born over the last 24 hours and was still “figuring out” how to swim and surface for air with mom’s help. The mom didn’t have any visible scars on her, so we couldn’t easily say who she is, but maybe over the next days we will be able to get some photos that may show any minor/healed scars that could help us identify her.

~Cora

Saturday, March 8, 2025

The air stayed a bit cool, but kept warming up during the day. The river temperature was very slightly up to 67.1°F (19.5°C), and the manatee count jumped to 335. The park staff even counted 389. The manatees were all packed in the lower transects, making it difficult to get an accurate count from the research canoe. Also, some of them seemed to react to a leaf blower on land which made it hard to keep track. It is interesting how on some days, loud noises don’t seem to bother them at all and on other days much quieter noises seem to provoke a reaction. It may depend on the individuals, too.

The adoptees in today were Phyllis with her calf, Brutus, Howie, Moo Shoo, Ester with her calf, Lily, Paddy Doyle, and Annie. I thought I saw Floyd out of the corner of my eye while paddling, but I could not find him again. Either it wasn’t him or he was hiding!

Unfortunately, we also received the news from our partners at FWC that one of our known Blue Spring manatees, “Chekov” (not an adoptee) was found deceased in St. Augustine. We had last seen him at Blue Spring in late January, so he made quite the trip since then. We do not know yet what caused his death. Another one of our known manatees “Nu,” who had not spent any time at Blue Spring in recent years but was known to spend time at other warm water sites that are monitored by our partners, was found deceased this past week as well. One of our calves was recovered from Lake Monroe just south of Blue Spring this past week, he was hit by a boat. We usually can’t identify calves, but this one had an identifying little scar from an abscess which made him unique. He was our U159/24 (meaning the 159^th manatee this season that we saw but could not ID). He did not have a name yet.

Cora

Friday, March 7, 2025

The air temperature dropped significantly, and the river temp dropped to 66.2°F (19°C). The manatee count was up to 278. The adoptees present were Nick, Brutus, Philip, Phyllis with calf, Howie, and Gator. Lily and Paddy Doyle arrived after the count was finished, and Moo Shoo was seen on the webcam later in the day. We continue seeing manatees come in with new boat strikes that they got during the warmer weather. None are severe, but it shows how they are exposed to danger pretty much every time they leave the warm water sanctuary. Please be careful out there when boating!

~Cora

Thursday, March 6, 2025

It was too windy today to do a good count. The gusts seemed to be worse than yesterday, but hopefully conditions will improve by tomorrow. The river was 68°F (20°C) this morning. The park rangers counted 97 manatees from the boardwalk. I started the count late and got 106 manatees, but IDing any of them was almost impossible due to the wind. I did manage to spot Phyllis with her calf and Aqua with her calf. Both moms like to travel in groups with their respective calves and an “entourage” of juvenile manatees. That alone gives them away!

Other adoptees may have been present, but couldn’t be seen due to the windy conditions. On reviewing the webcams, however, we did see Philip in footage from yesterday afternoon, and Ester and her calf swam by the webcam early this morning before the count.

Cora

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

The forecast predicted 27 mph winds, and it was unfortunately not mistaken. A storm is expected for later today that will bring some cooler air back, and the wind was already picking up during the count.

The river had warmed up to 68.9°F (20.5°C), and the count dropped to 40 manatees. Paddy Doyle was the only one representing the adoptees. At this time of year, the water levels at the spring are very low because we are towards the middle/end of the dry season. Some parts of the spring run are very shallow and when the manatees rest in those spots, their backs are oftentimes poking out of the water, making it look like they are floating high (which would be of concern). We still check on them daily to make sure they are indeed only resting in shallow water. The next days may see some more manatees again with cooler temperatures.

~Cora

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

The river temperature stayed the exact same as yesterday at 67.8°F (19.9°C), but the air had warmed up. The manatee count dropped very slightly to 103. The only adoptee present during the roll call was Floyd, who was napping with the others in the lower transects of the river. However, we did see Annie in our webcam footage from March 2!

A deer was all the way up at the head spring—maybe it was checking out the new boardwalk, which is coming together very nicely!

Cora

Monday, March 3, 2025

It got a bit cooler overnight air-temperature-wise, but the river was at 67.8°F (19.9°C) this morning. The manatee count jumped to 110, which was more than I had expected to see. The adoptees in were Gator, Paddy Doyle, Aqua with her calf, and Floyd.

Every time it warms up and the manatees move out of the protected spring, we see them coming back with new boat strikes. Fortunately, none of the ones we have been observing over the past weeks are severe (we monitor them and if there is concern, we report them to our partners at FWC). This season it seems more manatees than usual arrive at the spring with a hit to their head or shoulder areas. Please keep an extra eye out when boating, as manatees will be sharing the waterways, traveling and feeding.

~Cora

Friday, February 28, 2025

The air temperature is warming up quickly and the river is slowly following. The river temperature was up to 66.9°F (19.4°C) today, and the manatee count dropped to 54.

Margarito was the only one representing the adoptees during roll call. That’s surprising because Margarito usually has a tendency to only show up a few times during season and leaving early. After the count was over, Nick and Gator came in to join Margarito.

~Cora

Thursday, February 27, 2025

The river warmed up to 66.2°F (19°C) and the air temperature is warming up, too. The manatee count dropped to 81. The adoptees making roll call were Una, Gator, Annie, Nick, and Margarito.

Floyd was fashionably late and showed up after the count was over.

~Cora

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

The river temperature was almost the same as yesterday at 64.6°F (18.1°C), but the manatee count was up to 214. A big day for our adoptees again, and they were almost all huddled together in one transect towards the river. Brutus, Doc, Howie, and Paddy Doyle were almost snout to snout. Philip, Nick, Lily, and Margarito joined them in the lower part of the run with Aqua and her calf coming in from the river again. They try hard every day to make the roll call, it seems! Gator was resting a little further up the run; Merlin was in a sunny spot close to the bank; and, last but not least, Phyllis and her calf alongside her entourage of juvenile manatees was the furthest up the run.

~Cora

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

The river was slightly cooler than yesterday, but not by much. It was at 64.9°F (18.3°C). The manatee count stayed almost the same too at 143. No alligators today to startle me or the manatees, but a good day for adoptees!

Aqua and her calf were in the river when I started counting, but they quickly came into the spring run, so they were added to the count. Apart from Aqua—Brutus, Howie, Doc, Margarito, Philip, Paddy Doyle, and Nick made roll call.

~Cora

Monday, February 24, 2025

The river warmed up to 66°F (18.9°C), and the manatee count dropped to 148. It was a drizzly morning, but luckily the rain held off until after the count was over. The manatees were congregated in the lower transects of the spring run. The only adoptees making roll call were Brutus and Annie, but Lily and Paddy Doyle showed up after the count was over.

As I launched the research canoe, I saw an alligator swimming away from the canoe beach. That is unusual as I usually see them on the other side of the run. It startled the manatees. Manatees and alligators peacefully co-exist at Blue Spring, but when an alligator is startled and swims into an aggregation of manatees, it may startle the manatees. On my way back down the spring run, I saw the alligator by the buoy line on the surface. What I did not see was a second alligator close by. The second one got startled by the canoe and sprinted into the large aggregation of manatees, in turn startling them. I decided it was time to end the roll call and get off the water.

~Cora

Sunday, February 23, 2025

The river temperature dropped to 64°F (17.8°C), so I expected the manatee count to go up accordingly, but it went down! The manatees never seem to do what you expect. I counted 283 manatees, but the park counted over 300. They were all together in the lower transects of the river in a big huddle, which made counting from the research canoe more difficult. The adoptees in were Brutus, Merlin, Howie, Nick, Paddy Doyle, Doc, Floyd, Una, Philip, Ester with her calf, and Gator. Lily showed up after the count was over.

~Cora

Saturday, February 22, 2025

It got cold for a couple of nights and that brought the manatees back!

Yesterday, the park staff counted 179 manatees. SMC did not do a count as we were assisting our partners with a manatee rescue at De Leon Springs just north of us.

This morning the river temperature was 66.5°F (19.2°C), and a whopping 411 manatees were at the park, which was way more than I expected! Most were congregating in the lower transects, side by side and snout to tail, so it was difficult to get an accurate count and ID everyone without causing disturbance. It was a big day for SMC adoptees! Phyllis with her calf, Merlin, Brutus, Floyd, Gator, Philip, Howie, Doc, Ester with her calf, Moo Shoo, Aqua with calf, and Nick made roll call. Una, Lily, and Paddy Doyle showed up after the count was over.

~Cora

Thursday, February 20, 2025

The river temperature was pretty similar to yesterday with 69.8°F (21°C) and the manatee count remained exactly the same as yesterday: 38.

No adoptees made the roll call, but Annie showed up shortly after the count was over. Many manatees coming in from the river right now after the warm spell are covered in algae and looking “dirty,” which makes it difficult to identify them. I filmed a couple for ID pictures, only to realize those are known animals we have plenty of pictures of! More manatees should be there over the next few days as we are looking at some cooler temperatures. 

~Cora

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

It warmed up a bit before a storm, and then another cold front is expected later today/tomorrow. The river temperature this morning was 69.6°F (20.89°C) in the river right at the park. The online temperature gauge in Deland (which is not too far from the park) read 70.7°F (21.5°C). We usually get our temperatures from the online gauge, as it’s close enough and usually very similar to the river temperature right at Blue Spring. Once a week, we go out with the St. Johns River Management District to measure temperatures right at the park and record data on dark water intrusion, so on those days we get an accurate reading right at the park.

The park staff counted 34 manatees this morning and I counted 38—very close! The adoptees present today were Annie and Phyllis with her calf.

~Cora

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

The river temperature dropped slightly to 71°F (21.7°C) and the manatee count went up to 36! The most exciting news: adoptee Annie returned to Blue Spring! She had spent the entire winter at another warm water site but was seen on the Blue Spring webcam on February 15^th and made roll call today. She was the only adoptee making roll call, but Phyllis and Aqua with their respective calves showed up after the count was over.

After this warm weather, we unfortunately see manatees arriving back at the spring with new scars from boat strikes. Please keep an extra eye out for manatees while boating, especially around warm-water refuges!

Cora

Monday, February 17, 2025

Yesterday the air temperature dipped from 87°F to 59°F within a few hours, as a cold front is moving in. The river always takes longer to cool down, so this morning it was at 72.8°F (22.7°C) and I counted 8 manatees.

There is a fallen palm tree by the buoy line where the spring run meets the river, and 6 manatees were munching on the palm fronds. Exciting to see that 2 of those 6 were adoptees! Phyllis with her calf and Aqua. Aqua’s calf was most likely there too, but it was hard to see who all was under and behind the tree. There may have even been more than 6. Two additional manatees (not adoptees) were at the spring head.

We may be seeing more manatees as the week progresses!

Cora

Friday, February 14, 2025

The river temperature is now warmer than the spring with 74.3°F (23.5°C). We always record the dark water intrusion from the river into the spring run. In the winter, the colder, darker river water will be on the bottom. In the summer, the cooler, clear spring water will be on the bottom with the darker river water on the top. Today was the first day that the darker, warmer river water was on top. It only slightly reached into the spring, but interesting to note nonetheless.

The park staff counted 3 manatees and I counted 3 too. They were at the springhead. None were Save the Manatee Club adoptees. The forecast for next week looks a bit cooler, so maybe that will bring some manatees back.

~Cora

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

The river temperature was 72.86°F (22.72°C). While I was out with the St. Johns River Water Management District collecting weekly temperatures and measurements, three of the released manatees were milling around in the lower part of the spring run. When the official count started, I saw one manatee mouthing a fallen palm tree that had made its way down towards the river. The manatee was technically in the river, but very close to the buoy line so I decided it made the count. It was a manatee we helped release a few years ago. The three released manatees from yesterday had made their way further up the run, with one sleeping midway up the run and two checking out the head spring. So the total count today was 4. A deer came down to drink some water midway up the run. The banks are pretty steep at the moment, so making it down didn’t seem a big deal, but the deer looked like it was trying to figure out the best way to get back up the bank. I am sure it figured it out at some point.

~Cora

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

The river temp was 72.5°F (22.5°C). The run and the river were matched. Two manatees were in for roll call, and a third manatee came in later in the morning. None were Save the Manatee Club adoptees. Four manatees were released during the day. Participating were Sea World, Zoo Tampa, Brevard Zoo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, Florida Wildlife Commission, USFWLS, Columbus Zoo, Florida State Parks, Volusia County, and Save the Manatee Club.

Wayne & Cora

Monday, February 10, 2025

The river temp was 71.2°F (21.8°C). We launched the canoe at 8:05 a.m., and as we paddled across to check the river intrusion into the run, we soon observed two deer grazing on the bank. The smaller one ran off, but a large doe seemed as interested in us as we were in her. We reached the boil (spring head) at 8:25 a.m. I said, “The count is zero,” just as a manatee swam under the canoe. It was not a Save the Manatee Club adoptee, nor were the two we found waiting for us near the river when we paddled back to our starting place. So the count was one! There is a chance the manatee season was over several days ago when the longtime winter residents stopped showing up.

Wayne & Cora

Friday, February 7, 2025

The river has warmed up to 71.06°F (21.7°C) and SMC counted 4 manatees this morning. The park staff counted 3. It was extremely foggy, so it was hard to see the manatees from the boardwalk and they were all located close to the river on the opposite side of the boardwalk.

1 manatee was tagged, 3 were “past tagged manatees.” No adoptees were present. We learned from our partners at Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute that manatee “Tink Tink” successfully completed her monitoring period as part of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership and “graduated” with A-levels! This is great news. Tink Tink was rescued as a small orphan in December of 2021 at Blue Spring and rehabilitated at SeaWorld and the Georgia Aquarium before being released at Blue Spring exactly one year ago today. She was in the spring run this morning. We hope to continue seeing her in years to come. Success stories like Tink Tink show how much work and dedication go into the rescue, rehabilitation, release, and post-release monitoring of every manatee. It takes an army of dedicated people to make this happen, and we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped, including park staff and volunteers who assisted with monitoring Tink Tink prior to rescue and while she was at Blue Spring.

We also learned that the orphaned female calf we helped rescue on Monday started to eat, so this is good news and the first step on her way to recovery.

~Cora

Thursday, February 6, 2025

The river temp was 70.5°F (21.4°C). The park counted one manatee, and it was not one of the four I saw. I went out a little after nine o’clock. I could see a tagged manatee across the run and I found two more tagged manatees coming into the run. The first manatee I saw had a companion so that made the four. No tag left. No Save the Manatee Club adoptees were present today, but Merlin was caught on the webcam Sunday, February 2!

Wayne

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The river temp was 68.3°F (20.2°C). We counted 6 manatees. All were orphaned manatees raised in human care and released at Blue Spring. One pair was Amelia and Irma (not adoptees). They were raised together and released together. They stuck together for an amazingly long time. They began coming in separately after the summer, but stay together most of the time in the run. This season, they have been as tight as ever after their release. After the roll call, we came back to the mouth of the run and found only two manatees still in. They lived together at Columbus Zoo and today they had their heads together as if they were conspiring on some action. There were no Save The Manatee Club adoptees in.

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The river temperature keeps rising and was at 66.2°F (19°C) this morning. Accordingly, the manatee count keeps dropping. I counted 27 manatees, with most of them close to the river. 12 of them were manatees we helped release either last year or in years past. None were Save the Manatee Club adoptees.

Yesterday after the count was over, we assisted with the rescue of a small orphaned manatee calf. We had been monitoring the calf for several weeks, hoping they would find enough mothers to nurse from or associate with a mother. Unfortunately, the calf’s body condition declined to the point that we and our partners felt the calf needed to be rescued. Yesterday, a team from FWC, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, and Volusia County successfully rescued the female calf and she was brought in for rehabilitation. We want to thank everyone who helped with the effort!

~Cora

Monday, February 3, 2025

The river temp today was 64.4°F (18°C). That has manatees hanging around, coming and going, but not hundreds of them. We counted 118 manatees and none were Save the Manatee Club adoptees. The long-range forecast is for more warm weather with a possibility of a cool dip or so.

Wayne & Cora

Saturday, February 1, 2025

The weather continues to warm up and the river temperature was up to 61.8°F (16.6°C). The park staff counted 105 manatees from the boardwalk, and I counted 103 from the research canoe—very close!

All the manatees except for 4 were located in the lower transects of the spring run. The only adoptee making roll call today was Paddy Doyle. Una showed up on the webcam in the afternoon.

With the warming weather, the manatees are going out to feed and boaters are eager to get on the water too. Please keep an extra eye out for manatees while boating, especially near warm-water sites. We are seeing some come in with fresh (luckily superficial) boat strikes, indicating that they most likely got hit during a recent feeding trip.

~Cora

Friday, January 31, 2025

The river temp continues to climb. It was 60.2°F (15.7°C) this morning. We counted 271 manatees at roll call, and the Save the Manatee Club adoptees present were Phyllis & calf, Paddy Doyle, Floyd, and Una. The birds that are singing along the run make it seem very much like spring!

Wayne & Cora

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Sure enough, the river temp was down, and the manatee count for roll call was down as well. We counted 366 manatees. The river temp was 58.6°F (14.8°C). The Save the Manatee Club adoptees we saw were Howie, Paddy Doyle, Floyd, Phyllis & calf, and Ester & calf. Phyllis and Ester showed up late, but they made the list of adoptees far more impressive.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

The river temp went up to 57.9°F (14.4°C), and the manatee count went up to 547. The manatees got it backwards again. They are supposed to go down in numbers as the river gets warmer! They pay no attention to our research. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees in were Howie, Ester & calf, Nick, Deep Dent, Phyllis & calf, Doc, Lily, and Gator. Ester & calf were first sighted barreling out of the run, but they came back. There is to be more warming weather coming our way, and I do not think the manatee counts will continue to increase.

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

The river temp went up a little bit with the warmer weather yesterday to 56.3°F (13.5°C), and our total count today was 476. The majority of the manatees were again near the river, jammed together so it was hard to ID them. We had to pause the canoe beside the group and ID as best we can. We managed to ID 231 of the manatees. Among the ID’d were Save the Manatee Club adoptees Ester & calf, Nick, Doc, Howie, Philip, Gator, and Phyllis & calf. The weather today was supposed to be sunny and sixty-eight. Maybe it will be, but while we were out on the run, it got colder and the mist on the run thickened!

Wayne & Cora

Monday, January 27, 2025

The river temperature went up slightly to 55.7°F (13.2°C), and the manatees were heading towards the river to take advantage of the warmer weather to feed. Although the river is still pretty cold, they are breathing the warmer air and are probably feeling that it’s warming up for a bit after a long cold spell last week.

I counted 483 manatees with most of them congregating in the lower transects of the spring run. The adoptees in were Howie, Deep Dent, Doc, Whiskers, Phyllis with her calf, Una, Gator, Lily, Margarito, Nick, Paddy Doyle, Aqua, and Ester. Aqua’s and Ester’s calves were most likely around, but the mothers were so far over to the other side of the spring run with many animals around that I had a hard time seeing everyone. Oftentimes, the calves will go off to play and only reunite with mom when it’s time to go feed in the river, which is probably what Aqua’s and Ester’s calves were doing today!

We sometimes get asked who is the “least” adopted manatee. At the moment, it looks like Nick, Deep Dent, and Merlin are on the bottom of the list, so over the weekend we encouraged festival goers and people online to adopt them. Deep Dent got quite a few new “parents!”

~Cora

Sunday, January 26, 2025

This was the second day of the Manatee Festival, and we got a record count for the Save the Manatee Club of 760 manatees present! The river temp was 55°F (12.8°C). Up from yesterday, but still plenty cold! The Save the Manatee adoptees present were Margarito, Paddy Doyle, Deep Dent, Floyd, Philip, Lily, Moo Shoo, Gator, Phyllis & calf, Whiskers, Aqua & calf, and finally, two and a half hours after roll call was finished, Nick. The air temperature reached the high sixties at least, and people who do not like to come out in the cold to view manatees were pleased.

Wayne & Cora

Saturday, January 25, 2025

First day of the Blue Spring Manatee Festival. It was cold! But the sun was out and warmed things nicely. The manatees were packing the run and the people were packing the park! We counted 638 manatees. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees in were Aqua & calf, Doc, Howie, Margarito, Deep Dent, Paddy Doyle, Philip, Una, Gator, Lily, Phyllis & calf, Whiskers, and Moo Shoo. Floyd wandered in about two hours after the roll call was over. Then Ester came in and nursed her calf in front of the webcam at 2:30 pm!

The river temp was 53.4°F (11.9°C). Come on out tomorrow, park at Valentine Park, check out the activities there, then ride the bus to Blue Spring State Park and see the manatees and other exhibits.

Wayne & Cora

Friday, January 24, 2025

The river temp was at 55°F (12.8°C) and we counted a Save the Manatee Club record number of manatees present during roll call of 735 for this season. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees at roll call were Paddy Doyle, Philip, Doc, Floyd, Una, Gator, Aqua & calf, Whiskers, and Phyllis & calf. Howie and Lily were late. The next two days (Saturday and Sunday) are the Manatee Festival. Come one, come all!

Wayne & Cora

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Although it didn’t snow at Blue Spring (it did in the Florida Panhandle!), the weather yesterday was too bad to do a count with rain and high winds.

Today there was only a 25% chance of rain forecasted for 9 a.m., but the wind was still pretty bad. Usually, we have mist rising from the spring run early in the morning and it eventually lifts. Today, it seemed to get worse as I was going along with the count.

The river temperature that we look up online from a gauge in Deland (which is close enough for us to use pretty reliably) showed 56.1°F (13.4°C). We also got some temperatures with the St. Johns River Water Management District right outside Blue Spring this morning. The bottom of the river showed 54.4°F (12.4°C) and the surface water read 71.1°F (21.7°C)—now that is some intense thermocline! They believe the river temperature was influenced by a strong spring flow pushing the warm water into the river.

Despite the mist, fog, and wind, I was able to count 610 manatees. The rain picked up at exactly 9 a.m. when I was luckily almost done counting and it was only a drizzle. The adoptees seen were Lily, Gator, Phyllis with calf, Ester with calf, Una, Howie, Philip, Floyd, Paddy Doyle, and Whiskers. I feel many more were hiding in the mist where I could not see them!

~Cora

Afternoon Update: As we worked on webcam maintenance, we saw Deep Dent, Nick, and Aqua with her calf!

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

The weather forecast kept changing every 5 minutes today, and it seemed like there may be a short window to do a count. Almost immediately after I launched the research canoe, it started to rain, but it stopped after about a minute, just to pick up again after about a minute. It kept going like that for roughly the next 1.5 hours, with beautiful windows of time in between rain showers that allowed for crystal clear waters and perfect conditions, only to get ruined by the next rain shower. The river temperature was 59°F (15°C), and I managed to count 385 manatees. I IDed most of them after the count was actually over. The adoptees in today were Moo Shoo, Phyllis with calf, Aqua, Philip, Gator, Lily, Margarito, and Doc.

We still see new arrivals during almost every roll call. Today we saw a female who had not been visiting Blue Spring since 2020 (although she had been seen at another site by our fellow researchers).

~Cora

Monday, January 20, 2025

It was very warm over the weekend, and the river had warmed up to 61°F (16.1°C), which gave the manatees a chance to leave the spring and go feed in the river. The air temperature dropped dramatically overnight to a cold 40 degrees this morning (from a high of 75 degrees yesterday!).

I counted 322 manatees during the roll call, but more came in after the count and, looking at the webcam right now, that count may have already doubled. The only adoptees making roll call today were Deep Dent and Gator. Paddy Doyle showed up after the count was over.

~Cora

Friday, January 17, 2025

The river temp was the same as yesterday: 57.4°F (14.1°C). That rarely happens. During roll call we counted 577 manatees, and the Save the Manatee Club adoptees were Nick, Howie, Margarito, Philip, Paddy Doyle, Phyllis & calf, Gator, Lily, and Whiskers. It was good to see Floyd yesterday. He had been away a few days. I arrived at the park at 7:15 a.m., while Cora was out with the St Johns Water Management District getting water temperatures. The sun was behind me as I waited for them to finish, and I could watch the light of the rising sun hit the tops of the trees across the river and work its was down. It was a pleasant time well spent.

Wayne & Cora

Thursday, January 16, 2025

The river temp went down to 57.4°F (14.1°C), and the number of manatees seeking the warm water of the spring went up to 618. Save the Manatee Club adoptees in were Una, Nick, Howie, Flash, Paddy Doyle, Phyllis & calf, Philip, Floyd, Doc, Gator, Lily, Moo Shoo, Aqua & calf, and Whiskers. Other researchers were at the park with their own projects. It was good to talk with them. Otherwise it was damp, cold, and the beach was muddy!

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

The river temp went up a little bit again to 57.9°F (14.4°C). The number of manatees went up as well. With the warmer river, the number of manatees should have gone down. Sometimes there is no accounting for manatee behavior. We saw 577 manatees during the roll call. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees present were Howie, Flash, Una, Nick, Deep Dent, Margarito, Philip, Paddy Doyle, Doc, Gator, Moo Shoo, and Aqua & calf. Tarpon of all sizes up to four feet are all over the run!

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

The river was only a tiny bit cooler than yesterday, but the manatee count went up by just over 70 manatees to 595 manatees. The wind was bad, and got worse as the roll call went on. It is hard to count in the wind and harder to identify manatees. Identification is the heart of our research. I spent too much time today being blown toward the manatees and then having to paddle away from them against the wind. It is not good to be on top of a manatee coming up to breathe when you are in a canoe. You could end up swimming with the manatees, and that is illegal in most places. The river temp was 57.6°F (14.2°C). The Save the Manatee Club adoptees present were Flash, Ester & calf, Deep Dent, Moo Shoo, Paddy Doyle, Philip, Howie, Gator, Phyllis & calf, Doc, Whiskers, Rocket, and Aqua. Flash was with Ester & calf next to the river and Aqua was in the spring.

Wayne & Cora

Monday, January 13, 2025

The river temp was up a bit to 57.7°F (14.3°C), so the manatee count was down a bit to 521. The manatees are still primarily to be found near the river. Very few are up the run toward the spring head. The manatees were amusing themselves by swimming around quickly now, and usually for no known reason. They do not do this all at once but groups of 20 to 30 at random times and locations. So much harder to count and identify with the silt stirred up and the rapid movement! The adoptees in today were Moo Shoo, Aqua, Una, Gator, Phyllis & calf, Philip, Doc, Deep Dent, Lily, Flash, Margarito, and Whiskers, and after roll call we found Ester & calf.

Wayne & Cora

Saturday, January 11, 2025

The weather was warmer yesterday and today, but the river only warmed slightly to 57.2°F (14°C). Conditions were good today with little wind, but the manatees were all milling in the lower 4 transects—barely anyone above that! I counted 540 manatees. The adoptees in were Phyllis with calf, Nick, Philip, Howie, Deep Dent, Lily, Aqua with calf, Brutus, Gator, Flash, Una, Doc, Margarito, Moo Shoo, and Floyd. Phyllis was hanging out right by Overlook 2 where the visitors could get a great look at her!

~Cora

Friday, January 10, 2025

The river temperature today was 56.8°F (13.8°C), and conditions were finally good for a count with less wind. However, the manatees were on the move, probably feeling the warming air mid-day and eager to get a bite to eat out in the river. I counted 669 manatees. The adoptees seen today were Howie, Deep Dent, Lily, Ester with her calf, Aqua, Phyllis with her calf, Una, Flash, Paddy Doyle, Whiskers, Moo Shoo, and Gator. Brutus, Nick, and Philip were late and showed up after the count was over.

~Cora

Thursday, January 9, 2025

I started the day early assisting the St. Johns River Water Management staff with some temperature probes that we do about every 2 weeks. It was very cold, but the wind wasn’t bad. Once we were done and I started the actual count, right on cue, the wind picked up to at least 25 mph gusts, making counting and IDing almost impossible. I tried my best from the research canoe, but only came up with 566 manatees. The park staff had counted 768 from the boardwalk earlier, which was most likely a much more accurate count today. They counted before the wind started blowing this bad. The river temperature was down to 58.1°F (14.5°C).

The adoptees in today were Brutus, Floyd, Aqua with calf, Phyllis with calf, Moo Shoo, Nick, Lily, Ester with calf, Philip, Deep Dent, Howie, and Gator. I suspect more may have been in that I missed due to the high winds.

~Cora

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

It sure is getting colder. The river temperature this morning had dropped to 59.3°F (15.2°C), and I counted 612 manatees in the spring. The conditions were much better than yesterday with lower winds, but large aggregations of manatees clustered together, which still made some areas hard to count. I was informed by a park ranger before I started the count that a low-flying airplane had spooked the manatees further up the run, and it was evident as many of them were rather restlessly swimming around in the lower transects.

The adoptees who made the count today were Lily, Nick, Gator, Doc, Deep Dent, Brutus, Aqua with her calf, Ester with her calf, Phyllis with her calf, Flash, Floyd, and Whiskers. Moo Shoo was late for the count. I suspect others may have been there that I did not see because they were tucked away in the large aggregations.

~Cora

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

The forecast called for 9 mph winds and gusts of 19 mph. Today they were right. The gusty winds were my constant companion while doing the count and it was extremely difficult to count, let alone identify the manatees. The wind tried to push the research canoe into the middle of them the entire time.

The river temperature this morning was 61.5°F (16.4°C) so a tad warmer than yesterday since the air temperature had been very high yesterday. Now I think we will see a continuous drop.

I counted 598 manatees and the park staff counted 610 from the boardwalk. Very close. They had a hard time seeing from the boardwalk as well.

The adoptees seen this morning were Doc, Flash, Lily, Aqua with calf, Ester with calf, Phyllis with calf, Moo Shoo, Una, Howie, Deep Dent, Gator, and Philip. Paddy Doyle and Brutus showed up after the count was over.

~Cora

Monday, January 6, 2025

The forecast predicted very warm temperatures today at 18 mph gusty winds. Luckily the gusts didn’t start until I was almost done with the count, and even then they weren’t as bad as predicted. The wind has certainly now picked up by mid afternoon.

Although the air is significantly warmer today, the river was slightly colder than yesterday at 61.3°F (16.3°C). I counted 620 manatees in the spring run. A large portion was concentrated in the lower parts of the run, most likely breathing in the warmer air temperature and hopefully seizing the opportunity for a trip into the St. Johns River to feed before it gets really cold.

The adoptees in today were Nick, Floyd, Flash, Margarito, Philip, Paddy Doyle, Una, Aqua with her calf, Lily, Deep Dent, Doc, Howie, Phyllis with her calf, Gator, and Ester with her calf. Annie has yet to make a visit to Blue Spring this winter season, but we are hearing from fellow researchers that she is at another site.

~Cora

Sunday, January 5, 2025

The river temperature dropped to 62.2°F (16.8°C) and the manatee count is rising! I counted 694 manatees this morning and the park staff counted even more from the boardwalk. On big days like this, it is oftentimes easier to see and count from the boardwalk than from the research canoe, which is why the park may come up with a higher count. In addition to counting, we also identify the individuals which takes a bit more time.

The adoptees making roll call today were Brutus, Margarito, Lily, Phyllis with her calf, Floyd, Flash, Gator, Paddy Doyle, Philip, Howie, Una, Doc, Whiskers, Deep Dent, and Ester with her calf. After the count was over Aqua with her calf, Moo Shoo, and Nick showed up.

~Cora

Friday, January 3, 2025

The river temp went down to 66.2°F (19°C) and manatees are coming back in. We saw Save the Manatee Club adoptees Howie, Gator, and Phyllis & calf. Phyllis was in the spring with her calf. The other two were down the run. After the count was done, Lily arrived to the park. Next week should be big!

Wayne & Cora

Thursday, January 2, 2025

No Save the Manatee Club adoptees in again today. Not surprising as the river temp was 68°F (20°C). With the front coming and the manatees breathing the cooler air this morning we did get 75 manatees for our count. Also had the pleasure of seeing a very fat doe feeding on the bank near the boil. Our calf count so far is 73. Far from a record but more are to come.

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

The river temp was 68°F (20°C). That is the temp that really gets the manatees coming into the 72°F degree water of Blue Spring. We counted 31 manatees and no Save the Manatee Club adoptees. A cold front is moving in so the numbers should increase. Happy New Year!

Wayne & Cora

Monday, December 30, 2024

There were only a few manatees in the run of Blue Spring today as the river temp was up to 67.3°F (19.6°C). No Save the Manatee Club adoptees were, in but we still did good work. The animal we thought we were rescuing on December 20 showed up looking good. It found some place warm to stay other than Blue Spring. The one we did rescue appears to be doing well. It is very interested in the manatees in the neighboring pool. We have seen 507 manatees return from last season and we have 14 from previous seasons we did not see last season.

Wayne & Cora

Saturday, December 28, 2024

It is warming up for a little bit, and the manatees can surely feel it. Most were in the lower transects towards the river today. The river temperature had come up to 65.1°F (18.4°C) and I counted 120 manatees. Shortly after I launched the canoe, there was a big frenzy. I couldn’t identify the reason why all the manatees spooked, as it didn’t seem to be related to me and the research canoe. I waited for them to settle down a little bit, but the water was completely stirred up and almost all manatees were covered in clay and sand, making identification almost impossible. When reviewing webcam footage after the count, I saw there had been more surprising movement shortly after 7 a.m. (before I even got to the park), so the manatees may have been a bit spooked today to begin with. Sometimes, one will touch another one funny and it startles them, other times a noise may spook them. The only adoptee today was Rocket.

Unfortunately, even at 8 a.m. there were already boats in the river going too fast. It is the weekend and after the holidays the boaters are out and so are the manatees—please keep an extra eye out for them while on the water! While we haven’t seen any severe new boat strikes on the Blue Spring manatees since the season began, we are recording multiple bad healing boat strikes that make us cringe when looking at them.

~Cora

Friday, December 27, 2024

A slight rise in the river temp and we are down to 305 manatees counted. The river was 64°F (17.8°C). The Save the Manatee Club adoptees at roll call were Deep Dent, Aqua & calf, and Moo Shoo. We have had a red-breasted merganser swimming and feeding in the run the past few days. Perks of the job! Kind of wet and rainy today, but we did not melt.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

The river temperature was slightly down to 62.9°F (17.2°C), but the air temperature seemed warmer than yesterday. Especially because it wasn’t as foggy and drizzly as yesterday! The park staff counted 597 manatees and I counted 600—that was extremely close! The manatees were all over the run and, after I finished the count, some had left and many others had come in. It seemed like they were taking turns on a Christmas/Hanukkah brunch out in the river!

The adoptees making roll call were Nick, Margarito, Brutus, Lily, Aqua with her calf, Gator, Moo Shoo, Una, Floyd, Doc, Philip, and Flash. Phyllis and her calf showed up after the count was over. Usually, the manatees are mostly on the north side of the bank. This morning, 21 of them were right by the first overlook where the visitors could get a prime look at them. That included adoptee Margarito. I don’t think I have ever seen him over there. An extra holiday present for the visitors who arrived early at the park!

Happy holidays everyone!

Cora

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The river was up two tenths of a degree to 63.7°F (17.6°C) and our count was down to 650 manatees. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees present were Philip, Paddy Doyle, Nick, Moo Shoo, Lily, Gator, Aqua, and Phyllis & calf. The park was jammed with visitors to see the manatees! It will likely be that way until sometime in February. Come early and be patient if you chose to visit Blue Spring State Park.

Wayne & Cora

Monday, December 23, 2024

A nice day for manatees. We counted 733 manatees! The Save the Manatee Club adoptees were Brutus, Margarito, Howie, Nick, Paddy Doyle, Philip, Floyd, Una, Merlin, Lily, Gator, Moo Shoo, Flash, Rocket, Phyllis & calf, Aqua & calf, and Deep Dent! Deep Dent was seen on the web cam over an hour after roll call. The river went down quickly to 63.5°F (17.5°C) in the last couple of days and, as the manatees were nearby, we must have had almost every manatee in the upper St Johns River in the run. We know where Annie is. Doc and Whiskers have been in. That leaves Lenny as the only missing adoptee. Hopefully he will be in soon.

Wayne & Cora

Sunday, December 22, 2024

It got cold for the weekend and the river temperature dropped to 65.3°F (18.5°C). I counted 348 manatees spread out all over the spring run. The adoptees in today were Lily, Gator, Una, Whiskers, Phyllis with her calf, Brutus, and Merlin. Floyd and Nick showed up after the count was over. We are still seeing new manatees that we know from previous seasons coming in every day, which is exciting!

~Cora

Friday, December 20, 2024

The river temp today was 68.7°F (20.4°C). This is over the temp that starts bringing in the manatees at season beginning! The count was 29 manatees. No Save the Manatee Club adoptees were in. We watched for our cold stressed manatee on the way up, but he did not show up for roll call. We found him on the way down! The rescue team arrived just as he decided to return to the river. Fortunately he soon came back in the run, and even went up where we wanted him. The rescue was a thing of beauty. He was soon on the way to Sea World. He was not the manatee we thought, but he still needed help and now he will get it. Cooperating in the rescue were Florida Wildlife Commission, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, Brevard Zoo, Volusia County, Blue Spring State Park, and Save the Manatee Club.

Caution:  A monkey was seen yesterday at Blue Spring State Park. Cute? Not so!! Feral primates can be aggressive and carry diseases that can be passed to humans. If you come to the park and see a monkey, leave him be and notify the park staff. Encourage other visitors to do the same. Questions? Call the FWC Hotline (888) 404-3922.

Wayne & Cora

Thursday, December 19, 2024

The river temp was 67.6°F (19.8°C) and we were down to a count of 39 manatees. Our cold stress manatee of special concern did not show up. Maybe tomorrow. At least three deer were browsing leaves off the trees on the bank where the run meets the river. What a great job!

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The river temp was 66.2°F (19°C). We counted 87 manatees and the park counted 78 manatees; number swap. The only Save the Manatee Club adoptee in was Rocket. A quarter of the way up the run, we were discussing how calm it was and how clear the water was, when the wind came with enthusiasm! We were trying to keep an eye on a manatee that appeared a little under the weather and the wind did not help. It is supposed to cool back down slowly over the next week and more manatees will return.

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

It continued to warm up and the count showed it. The river temperature was up to 64.5°F (18.1°C) and I counted 162 manatees; most of them in two big clusters close to the river, some ready to go out, others coming in after the count finished. The adoptees during roll call were once again represented by Philip and Gator, just like yesterday. I saw Rocket after the count, but chances are he was there all along and I didn’t spot him at first. Rocket is not all that easy to recognize especially when he is in a big group of manatees. He likes to hang out in the upper part of the spring run, but today he was with all the others close to the river.

~Cora

Monday, December 16, 2024

We are getting a few days of warm weather before the next cold front will hit. The manatees seemed to be ready to go out and feed in the river—most of them were clustered together in the lower transects close to the river. As I started the count, a slight drizzle started as well. I turned towards the river and saw the most beautiful rainbow spanning across it.

The river temperature today was 62.9°F (17.2°C) and I counted 216 manatees. The park staff had counted 299 before I started my count, so chances are some had already left for the river when I started counting. The adoptees were represented by Philip and Gator today.

~Cora

Friday, December 13, 2024

Yesterday, it was awfully windy, making the count and IDing manatees very difficult. Today the forecast was ambiguous but turned out well with barely any wind during the count (it picked up after).

The river temperature was 60.8°F (16°C) and I counted 534 manatees. The park staff counted 531 – so close! The adoptees in today were Lily, Gator, Aqua with calf, Phyllis with her calf, Philip, Merlin, Una, Howie, Doc, and Flash. I saw Whiskers after the count was over, but I am not sure if he was really “late” or if he had been there all along. Whiskers is not easy to ID when he is in a crowd because he doesn’t have as significant scaring as some of the other adoptees like Phyllis, Merlin, or Lily who you can see “from a mile away.”

Most manatees were moving towards the river. The fallen palm tree further up the run is still getting quite the attention, but whereas before many  juvenile and adult manatees munched and played with it, today several calves got their turn—they may have waited for the bigger ones to move on to have it all for themselves!

~Cora

Thursday, December 12, 2024

The river dropped eight-tenths of a degree to 62.2°F (16.8°C), and the count was up 147 manatees to 385. The tarpon that were so scarce last year have been in from the beginning this season and today were at the boil. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees in for roll call today were Brutus, Una, Lily, and Phyllis & calf. Aqua & calf missed roll call and we saw them coming in. That was nice because the calf didn’t have time to wander off.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

The forecast called for warm weather with an air temperature in the 70s early in the morning, 20mph gusty winds, and rain mid-day. It did not sound like a good morning to count manatees, but it was eerily calm at the park—until after the count, when the wind picked up, massively blowing the research canoe back onto the beach. The rain held off.

The river temperature was up to 62.9°F (17.2°C) and I counted 238 manatees. Most were in a huge cluster in the lower transects close to the river. One mother with her calf, trailing two additional calves, was rather erratically swimming around, stirring everybody up. I couldn’t tell if she was annoyed by the additional calves following her or just eager to go out and feed, but it made the count and identification of the other manatees so much harder. We haven’t tallied up the calves yet, but there are a lot. Many of them swim off and play when they enter the run and will reunite with mom when it is time to leave for the river to feed—similar to kids on a playground. We don’t like seeing small calves already hit by boats and showing scars, but we have to admit it does help with the photo-ID research. I saw a recognizable mom with the other manatees in the lower transect, but her recognizable calf was nowhere to be found. I paddled almost all the way up the spring run and there was the calf, now heading down towards the river to find mom.

The adoptees in today were Gator, Lily, and Flash.

~Cora

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

The river temp was 61.3°F (16.3°C). Almost two degrees warmer than yesterday. The count showed it. We counted 348 manatees today about 120 down from yesterday. Park staff observed many manatees heading into the river between dawn and eight o’clock when we got started. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees present for roll call were Aqua (we saw her calf further up the run), Flash, Gator, Deep Dent, Floyd, Rocket, and Lily. Fifteen minutes later, Philip, followed by a comrade, came speeding up the run like they were late for a major appointment.

Yesterday, we saw a long skinny alligator resting on the bottom well up the run. All the animals have become very comfortable in the park with the swimming closed and the visitation down. If there is an alligator-manatee interaction, it is usually the manatee annoying the alligator!

Wayne & Cora

Monday, December 9, 2024

Best day we have had for roll call this season. The water was calm with no wind, and it was the clearest it has been this season. The river temp was 59.5°F (15.3°C). Just a tad warmer than yesterday, but the manatees, knowing it will be warmer for a day or so, were carpeting the run from bank to bank near the river. They were ready to get out where the food is. The Save the Manatee Club adoptees in were Brutus, Philip, Howie, Flash, Aqua, Gator, Margarito, Floyd, Paddy Doyle, Doc, and Lily. As we came back down the run after roll call, we counted 464 manatees, as much as two thirds of the manatees seen earlier were gone from the run, already in the river.

Wayne & Cora

Saturday, December 7, 2024

It got cold overnight, and the river temperature was 59.1°F (15.1°C) this morning, so slightly cooler than yesterday. The manatee count was slightly up. I counted 511 manatees. Large groups were still in the lower transect of the spring run, but many were in the upper part of the run too, and a large group was cavorting around the fallen palm tree again.

It was a good day for SMC adoptees! Lily, Gator, Howie, Philip, Paddy Doyle, Phyllis with calf, Floyd, Flash, Brutus, Merlin, Moo Shoo, Rocket, Margarito, Deep Dent, and Doc made roll call. Aqua and her calf were late for the count, but there is also a good chance I didn’t see them at first as they were in the middle of a large group.

~Cora

Friday, December 6, 2024

With a river temp of 59.9°F (15.5°C), I counted 502 manatees. Nine less than yesterday. I suppose that could be from the water warming a bit. The big crowd was in the lower run near the river, so their internal barometers are telling them there are a few warm days ahead and they are ready to get out and feed! The Save the Manatee Club adoptees in today were Una, Margarito, Paddy Doyle, Howie, Philip, Floyd, Doc, Phyllis & calf, Aqua & calf, and Gator. A good turnout.

Wayne

Thursday, December 5, 2024

The river temp was 58.8°F (14.9°C), and the manatees reacted accordingly. We counted 512. Our Save the Manatee Club adoptees present were Brutus, Paddy Doyle, Una, Howie, Merlin, Flash, Lily, Aqua, Doc, Phyllis & calf, and Floyd. Floyd missed roll call! Now that Merlin is here, we only need Lenny since we  know where Annie is.

Every year we complain about the murky run in the early season, and believe it clears as the manatees settle down. I have a new idea. I do not have as many of those as I used to. All summer the silt and algae accumulate on the bottom of the lower run. Then the manatees and the tilapia come in and stir it into suspension in the formerly clear water of the spring run. So murky water. As time passes, the spring flow sweeps the silt into the river and the lower run clears. I like it.

Wayne & Cora

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

The river dropped a little more and was at 59.1°F (15.1°C) today. I counted 481 manatees, but the park counted even more – 617! It may have been easier for them to see the manatees from up above on the boardwalk than for me on the canoe carefully moving around the manatees without causing disturbance and identifying in addition to counting. I may have missed some in the process. Although the total count is important for us, even more important for the research is recognizing the individuals, matching them to known individuals from years past, as well as looking for any manatees who may have health issues to pass that information on to our partners. Adoptee Flash made his first season visit today! The other adoptees in were Aqua with calf, Lily, Una, Rocket, Gator, Brutus, Floyd, Doc, Deep Dent, Nick, and Phyllis with her calf in the boil. Phyllis was literally sitting on top of the boil where the spring water comes out. At first, I did not see the calf, but then I saw it being “swirled up” by the strong flow of water coming out from the boil. It was quite the sight to see. Philip showed up after the count was over.

This summer we had been called by our partners from FWC for a mating herd in Lake Monroe, south of Blue Spring. It ended up being a perfect opportunity for photo ID for us and, in addition to the focal female “Stena”, we were able to identify over 20 male manatees including many of our adoptees. The focal female from the herd, Stena, made her first season visit to Blue Spring yesterday. We expect her to be pregnant!

~Cora

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Missed mentioning Lily Sunday. She was late for roll call and was overlooked on page two. Lily was in today as well, looking as good as a beat-up old lady can. She has cleaned off the dirt and silt from her skin and seems very fit.

Other Save the Manatee Club adoptees joining her today were Margarito, Floyd, Deep Dent, Gator, Moo Shoo, Rocket, Phyllis & calf, Doc, and Brutus. Deep Dent, Floyd, Doc, and Brutus made their first season appearances. Deep Dent and Floyd were at roll call. Doc and Brutus were late. We are waiting for Annie, who has been spotted to our north. Also, Merlin, Flash, and Lenny have not come in yet. Merlin and Flash have not been too dependable in recent years, but Lenny should be along soon. The river temp today was 60.8°F (16°C). Our count was 458, but I think we missed a few! Colder tomorrow and then warmer for a day or two, then cooler if not colder.

Wayne & Cora

Monday, December 2, 2024

It was a very busy day at the park! With the river temperature dropping to 62.2°F (16.8°C), I counted 352 manatees. I estimate there were more as they were all moving around, playing, and stirring up the clay, and I was helping fellow researchers with something that distracted me from the count for a little bit.

Anyhow, adoptees Margarito, Nick, and Paddy Doyle made their first season visit today! Other adoptees in were Una, Moo Shoo, Philip, Gator, Aqua, Rocket, Whiskers, and Lily. It is nice to see so many “old-timers” return (including non-adoptees). We are also seeing many, many new calves, which is promising. The wind picked up quite a bit on the way back down from the springhead, not allowing us to linger much for any further IDs. The whole week looks like cold weather!

~Cora

Sunday, December 1, 2024

The river was down to 63.7°F (17.6°C). That’s 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit and one degree Celsius colder than yesterday. The count was 299, but there were more, I am sure. Save the Manatee Club adoptees were Gator, Una, Whiskers, and Aqua. It was the first season appearance for Una and Whiskers and perhaps Gator. Cora might have seen him earlier, but she was not sure.

It was not as windy today or quite so cold as yesterday, which made the roll call easier. What made it difficult was the activity of the manatees. They were stirring around and cavorting in small groups. I got a tail of water thrown over me. Now that was cold! Yesterday it was worse. Every fifty yards or so there would be a small group of cavorters we had to avoid yet try and ID. I consider it unfair that Cora did not get wet!

Wayne & Cora

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Not as cold a couple of days this season, but the wind made up for it. In spite of the wind, we counted 172 manatees. Save the Manatee Club adoptee Lily made her first appearance! She was the only adoptee in. The river was the same as our last count at Thanksgiving, 65.5°F (18.6°C) but the count was up by two to 172! More manatees ahead!

Wayne and Cora

Thursday, November 28, 2024

It warmed up a bit, and the river temperature was 65.6°F (18.7°C). Most of the manatees were closer to the river this morning, feeling the warmer air and eager to go out and feed on some Thanksgiving dinner in the river before the next cold front. The rest were playing with a fallen palm tree further up the run and making the water so murky it was almost impossible to see or identify anyone. The only adoptee seen was Rocket.

Of note is that Amelia and Irma who were released together a few years ago and stuck together for quite a while before going separate ways still seem to link up in the spring during the winter months. We have seen them several days in different areas of the spring run these past days—together. It is interesting, and rather unusual! We also suspect Amelia might be pregnant, which would be wonderful news.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Cora

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

The small warming trend we have had the past couple of days is peaking tomorrow on Thanksgiving Day. Then a cooler trend will set in. Not very cold, but enough to keep manatees around even though no records will be set. The river temp today was 64.9°F (18.5°C). We counted 195 manatees. This included Save the Manatee Club adoptees Rocket and Phyllis with her calf. The weekend should bring in a bunch!

Wayne & Cora

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

It is warming up slightly, and the manatees can feel it! The river temperature was 64.5°F (18.1°C), so ½ a degree warmer than yesterday, and I counted 225 manatees. Many were moving around, eager to leave the spring for a bit to go out and feed. People oftentimes ask if there is food in the spring run for them. There is not, but there is plenty of good vegetation nearby for the manatees to feed on.

The adoptees in today were Phyllis with her calf, Rocket, and Aqua! This is Aqua’s first season visit, and she seems to have a calf, too! Many more manatees that we haven’t seen yet this season keep coming in every day, so we are keeping an eye out for all the other adoptees. Last year we were surprised to not see a lot of alligators until very late in the season. Right now we have an alligator hanging out by the river every morning!

~Cora

Monday, November 25, 2024

The river temp was 64.04°F (17.8°C). Just a tiny bit lower than yesterday. The count was 249 manatees. Counts may be a bit strange until the spring run clears a little more. We still must be missing many that are hidden by the murky water. Save the Manatee Club adoptees were Howie, Moo Shoo, and Phyllis with calf. The river is going down fast. I can smell the rotting vegetation. At the boil, I smelled fresh-cut wood from the boardwalk replacement project.

Afternoon update: Rocket was also seen at Blue Spring today, and we got a report of adoptee Annie at another spring.

Wayne & Cora

Sunday, November 24, 2024

The temperature of the air was a little warmer today, but the river went down to 64.4°F (18°C). All I can say is that I counted at least 300 manatees. Best of all, Howie, Philip, Moo Shoo, and Phyllis from among the Save the Manatee Club adoptees were in, and Phyllis appears to have a calf! I saw a tricolored heron perched on what is left of the diver entry during the new construction. They used to be called Louisiana herons. I have seen very few on the river and none near the spring boil.

Wayne

Saturday, November 23, 2024

We went from unseasonably warm to ice on the windshield in two days. The river temperature was 66.3°F (19.1°C). We counted 130 manatees today, but it should have been many more. Half the run was full of silt in suspension, and it was hard to see manatees, let alone scar patterns for identification. We did see one Save the Manatee Club adoptee, Moo Shoo! One is better than none! More calves are in every day. Always a good thing!

Wayne & Cora

Friday, November 22, 2024

It got quite a bit colder overnight, and the river temperature dropped to 69°F (20.6°C). 68° is usually our “magic number” that brings the manatees in!

We counted 43 manatees this morning. It was still a bit too windy, making identification difficult, but it was better than yesterday! No SMC adoptees yet, but we saw numerous known manatees, including several that we helped release in years past and who seem to be doing well. At least 7 new calves were in today too with their moms. Mom-calf pairs and juveniles usually come in first, as they need the warmth of the spring even more than the large adults, and the moms will show their little ones where the warm water is. They certainly enjoyed a fallen palm tree under which they were playing, rubbing their backs, and checking out the palm fronds. More manatees should be arriving over the next few days!

Cora & Wayne

Thursday, November 21, 2024

It has been unseasonably warm, so the manatee season at Blue Spring has not quite started yet. However, we are expecting the first significant cold front over the next few days, so a few manatees have started to arrive.

The river temperature today was 71.7°F (22.1°C), just slightly cooler than the spring temperature. The park staff saw 9 manatees on November 18, 5 on November 19, and 5 today. Save the Manatee Club counted 7 this morning, with a few more arriving afterwards. It was extremely windy, so a good count from the canoe was not possible. No Save the Manatee Club adoptees yet, but we saw some manatees we recognize from seasons past. More should be coming in soon!

Cora & Wayne