Noticias

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 y 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 y 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 Cohete 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 y 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 Lirio y caimán. Beautiful day for counting manatees!

Wayne y 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 filis con su cría y Agua 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.” caimán was also spotted at the park today. Last but not least, Lirio 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 filis 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, Lirio, Agua preñada, howie, Bruto, caimán, Moo Shoo, y Esmerejón. 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 y 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. Lirio pasó lista y Agua & 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 y 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 filis & 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 Agua & calf with hangers. Good day!

Wayne y 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 y 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 y 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 Agua with her calf. Manatees are traveling now, and so are boats. Please remind friends going out on the water to watch for manatees!

Wayne y 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, filis, y Mella. Nick missed roll call but we were glad to see him.

Wayne y 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 Mella, annie, Ester preñada, filis con ternera, y Agua 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, Felipe, y Agua 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.

Los adoptados hoy fueron filis con su cría, Bruto, howie, Moo Shoo, Ester con su cría, Lirio, Paddy Doyle, y 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 Mella, Bruto, Felipe, filis preñada, howie, y caimán. Lirio y 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 filis con su cría y Agua 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 Felipe 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 caimán, Paddy Doyle, Agua con su cría, y 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.

Margarita 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, Mella y caimán 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, caimán, annie, Mella, y Margarita.

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. Bruto, Doc, howie, y Paddy Doyle were almost snout to snout. Felipe, Mella, Lirio, y Margarita joined them in the lower part of the run with Agua and her calf coming in from the river again. They try hard every day to make the roll call, it seems! caimán was resting a little further up the run; Esmerejón was in a sunny spot close to the bank; and, last but not least, filis 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!

Agua 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—Bruto, howie, Doc, Margarita, Felipe, Paddy Doyle, y Mella 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 Bruto y annie, but Lirio y Paddy Doyle apareció después de que terminó el conteo.

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 Bruto, Esmerejón, howie, Mella, Paddy Doyle, Doc, floyd, Una, Felipe, Ester con su cría, y caimán. Lirio apareció después de que terminó el conteo.

~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! filis con su cría, Esmerejón, Bruto, floyd, caimán, Felipe, howie, Doc, Ester con su cría, Moo Shoo, Agua con ternera, y Mella made roll call. Una, Lirio, y Paddy Doyle apareció después de que terminó el conteo.

~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 y filis con su cría.

~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 filis y Agua 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! filis con su cría y Agua. 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 y 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.

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 Esmerejón 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 y 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 y 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 filis & becerro, Paddy Doyle, floyd, y Una. The birds that are singing along the run make it seem very much like spring!

Wayne y 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, filis & ternero, y Ester & calf. Phyllis and Ester showed up late, but they made the list of adoptees far more impressive.

Wayne y 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 & becerro, Mella, Abolladura profunda, filis & becerro, Doc, Lirio, y caimán. 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 y 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 & becerro, Mella, Doc, howie, Felipe, caimán, y filis & 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 y 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, Abolladura profunda, Doc, Bigotes, filis con su cría, Una, caimán, Lirio, Margarita, Mella, Paddy Doyle, Agua, y 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 Margarita, Paddy Doyle, Abolladura profunda, floyd, Felipe, Lirio, Moo Shoo, caimán, filis & becerro, Bigotes, Agua & calf, and finally, two and a half hours after roll call was finished, Mella. 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 y 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 Agua & becerro, Doc, howie, Margarita, Abolladura profunda, Paddy Doyle, Felipe, Una, caimán, Lirio, filis & becerro, Bigotes, y 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 y 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, Felipe, Doc, floyd, Una, caimán, Agua & becerro, Bigotes, y filis & becerro. howie y Lirio were late. The next two days (Saturday and Sunday) are the Manatee Festival. Come one, come all!

Wayne y 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 Lirio, caimán, filis preñada, Ester preñada, Una, howie, Felipe, floyd, Paddy Doyle, y Bigotes. 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 Abolladura profunda, Mella, y Agua 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, filis preñada, Agua, Felipe, caimán, Lirio, Margarita, y 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 Abolladura profunda y caimán. Paddy Doyle apareció después de que terminó el conteo.

~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 Mella, howie, Margarita, Felipe, Paddy Doyle, filis & becerro, caimán, Lirio, y Bigotes. 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 y 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, Mella, howie, Destello, Paddy Doyle, filis & becerro, Felipe, floyd, Doc, caimán, Lirio, Moo Shoo, Agua & ternero, y Bigotes. 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 y 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, Destello, Una, Mella, Abolladura profunda, Margarita, Felipe, Paddy Doyle, Doc, caimán, Moo Shoo, y Agua & calf. Tarpon of all sizes up to four feet are all over the run!

Wayne y 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 Destello, Ester & becerro, Abolladura profunda, Moo Shoo, Paddy Doyle, Felipe, howie, caimán, filis & becerro, Doc, Bigotes, Cohete, y Agua. Flash was with Ester & calf next to the river and Aqua was in the spring.

Wayne y 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, Agua, Una, caimán, filis & becerro, Felipe, Doc, Abolladura profunda, Lirio, Destello, Margarita, y Bigotes, and after roll call we found Ester & becerro.

Wayne y 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 filis preñada, Mella, Felipe, howie, Abolladura profunda, Lirio, Agua preñada, Bruto, caimán, Destello, Una, Doc, Margarita, Moo Shoo, y 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, Abolladura profunda, Lirio, Ester con su cría, Agua, filis con su cría, Una, Destello, Paddy Doyle, Bigotes, Moo Shoo, y caimán. Bruto, Mella, y Felipe 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).

Los adoptados hoy fueron Bruto, floyd, Agua preñada, filis preñada, Moo Shoo, Mella, Lirio, Ester preñada, Felipe, Abolladura profunda, howie, y caimán. 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 Lirio, Mella, caimán, Doc, Abolladura profunda, Bruto, Agua con su cría, Ester con su cría, filis con su cría, Destello, floyd, y Bigotes. 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, Destello, Lirio, Agua preñada, Ester preñada, filis preñada, Moo Shoo, Una, howie, Abolladura profunda, caimán, y Felipe. Paddy Doyle y Bruto apareció después de que terminó el conteo.

~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.

Los adoptados hoy fueron Mella, floyd, Destello, Margarita, Felipe, Paddy Doyle, Una, Agua con su cría, Lirio, Abolladura profunda, Doc, howie, filis con su cría, caimán, y 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 Bruto, Margarita, Lirio, filis con su cría, floyd, Destello, caimán, Paddy Doyle, Felipe, howie, Una, Doc, Bigotes, Abolladura profunda, y Ester with her calf. After the count was over Agua con su cría, Moo Shoo, y Mella apareció.

~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, caimán, y filis & calf. Phyllis was in the spring with her calf. The other two were down the run. After the count was done, Lirio arrived to the park. Next week should be big!

Wayne y 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 y 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 y 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 y 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 Cohete.

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 Abolladura profunda, Agua & ternero, y 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 y Cora

Miércoles, 25 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río bajó ligeramente a 17,2 °C (62,9 °F), pero la temperatura del aire parecía más cálida que ayer. ¡Sobre todo porque no había tanta niebla ni llovizna como ayer! El personal del parque contó 597 manatíes y yo conté 600, ¡estuvo muy cerca! Los manatíes estaban por todo el río y, después de terminar el conteo, algunos se habían ido y muchos otros habían llegado. ¡Parecía que se turnaban para disfrutar de un brunch navideño o de Hanukkah en el río!

Los adoptados que pasaron lista fueron Mella, Margarita, Bruto, Lirio, Agua con su cría, caimán, Moo Shoo, Una, floyd, Doc, Felipe, y Destello. filis Y su cría apareció después de terminar el conteo. Normalmente, los manatíes se encuentran principalmente en la orilla norte de la ribera. Esta mañana, 21 de ellos estaban justo al lado del primer mirador donde los visitantes podían observarlos de cerca. Entre ellos estaba Margarito, nuestro adoptado. Creo que nunca lo había visto por allí. ¡Un regalo navideño extra para los visitantes que llegaron temprano al parque!

¡Felices fiestas a todos!

Cora

Martes, 24 de diciembre de 2024

El río subió dos décimas de grado a 17,6 °C (63,7 °F) y nuestro conteo bajó a 650 manatíes. Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí presentes fueron Felipe, Paddy Doyle, Mella, Moo Shoo, Lirio, caimán, Agua, y filis Y cría. ¡El parque estaba repleto de visitantes para ver a los manatíes! Probablemente seguirá así hasta febrero. Ven temprano y ten paciencia si decides visitar el Parque Estatal Blue Spring.

Wayne y Cora

Lunes, 23 de diciembre de 2024

Un buen día para los manatíes. ¡Contamos 733! Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí fueron... Bruto, Margarita, howie, Mella, Paddy Doyle, Felipe, floyd, Una, Esmerejón, Lirio, caimán, Moo Shoo, Destello, Cohete, filis & becerro, Agua & ternero, y Abolladura profunda¡A Deep Dent se le vio en la cámara web más de una hora después de pasar lista! La temperatura del río bajó rápidamente a 17,5 °C (63,5 °F) en los últimos días y, como los manatíes estaban cerca, debimos haber visto a casi todos los manatíes del curso superior del río St. Johns en la carrera. Sabemos dónde está Annie. Doc y Whiskers han estado allí. Eso deja a Lenny como el único adoptado desaparecido. Esperemos que llegue pronto.

Wayne y Cora

Domingo 22 de diciembre de 2024

Hizo frío durante el fin de semana y la temperatura del río bajó a 18,5 °C (65,3 °F). Conté 348 manatíes dispersos por toda la zona de primavera. Los adoptados hoy fueron... Lirio, caimán, Una, Bigotes, filis con su cría, Bruto, y Esmerejón. floyd y Mella Aparecieron después de terminar el conteo. Seguimos viendo nuevos manatíes que conocemos de temporadas anteriores todos los días, ¡lo cual es emocionante!

~Cora

Viernes 20 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río hoy fue de 20.4 °C (68.7 °F). ¡Esta temperatura es superior a la que empieza a atraer a los manatíes al inicio de la temporada! El recuento fue de 29 manatíes. No había ningún manatí adoptado por Save the Manatee Club. Buscamos a nuestro manatí estresado por el frío mientras subíamos, pero no se presentó a la lista. ¡Lo encontramos bajando! El equipo de rescate llegó justo cuando decidió regresar al río. Afortunadamente, pronto regresó a la zona de avistamiento e incluso subió a donde queríamos. El rescate fue una maravilla. Pronto estaba camino a Sea World. No era el manatí que pensábamos, pero aun así necesitaba ayuda y ahora la recibirá. Cooperaron en el rescate la Comisión de Vida Silvestre de Florida, el Instituto de Investigación del Acuario Marino de Clearwater, el Zoológico de Brevard, el Condado de Volusia, el Parque Estatal Blue Spring y Save the Manatee Club.

Precaución:Ayer se vio un mono en el parque estatal Blue Spring. ¿Lindo? ¡¡¡No tanto!!! Los primates salvajes pueden ser agresivos y transmitir enfermedades a los humanos. Si visita el parque y ve un mono, déjelo tranquilo y notifique al personal. Anime a otros visitantes a hacer lo mismo. ¿Preguntas? Llame a la línea directa de FWC: (888) 404-3922.

Wayne y Cora

Jueves, 19 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río era de 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) y solo contábamos con 39 manatíes. Nuestro manatí de especial preocupación por el estrés por frío no apareció. Quizás mañana. Al menos tres ciervos estaban comiendo hojas de los árboles en la orilla donde el arroyo se une al río. ¡Excelente trabajo!

Wayne y Cora

Miércoles, 18 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río era de 19 °C. Contamos 87 manatíes y el parque contó 78; intercambio de números. El único manatí adoptado por el Club Salva al Manatí fue... Cohete. A un cuarto de camino del cauce, comentábamos lo tranquilo que estaba y lo clara que estaba el agua, ¡cuando el viento arreció con entusiasmo! Intentábamos vigilar a un manatí que parecía estar un poco indispuesto, y el viento no ayudó. Se espera que baje la temperatura poco a poco durante la próxima semana y que regresen más manatíes.

Wayne y Cora

Martes 17 de diciembre de 2024

Continuó calentándose y el conteo lo demostró. La temperatura del río alcanzó los 18.1 °C (64.5 °F) y conté 162 manatíes; la mayoría en dos grandes grupos cerca del río, algunos listos para salir, otros llegando después del conteo. Los adoptados durante el pase de lista estuvieron representados una vez más por Felipe y caimán, igual que ayer. Vi Cohete Después del conteo, pero lo más probable es que estuviera allí todo el tiempo y no lo vi al principio. Rocket no es tan fácil de reconocer, sobre todo cuando está en un grupo grande de manatíes. Le gusta rondar en la parte alta del arroyo, pero hoy estaba con los demás cerca del río.

~Cora

Lunes 16 de diciembre de 2024

Estamos disfrutando de unos días de clima cálido antes de que llegue el próximo frente frío. Los manatíes parecían estar listos para salir a alimentarse en el río; la mayoría estaban agrupados en los transectos inferiores, cerca del río. Al comenzar el conteo, también comenzó a lloviznar ligeramente. Me giré hacia el río y vi un hermoso arcoíris que se extendía sobre él.

La temperatura del río hoy fue de 17.2 °C (62.9 °F) y conté 216 manatíes. El personal del parque había contado 299 antes de que yo comenzara el conteo, así que es probable que algunos ya se hubieran ido al río cuando comencé el conteo. Los adoptados estuvieron representados por Felipe y caimán hoy.

~Cora

Viernes 13 de diciembre de 2024

Ayer hizo muchísimo viento, lo que dificultó mucho el conteo y la identificación de los manatíes. Hoy el pronóstico fue ambiguo, pero resultó favorable, con apenas viento durante el conteo (aunque arreció después).

La temperatura del río era de 16 °C y conté 534 manatíes. El personal del parque contó 531, ¡tan cerca! Los adoptados de hoy fueron... Lirio, caimán, Agua preñada, filis con su cría, Felipe, Esmerejón, Una, howie, Doc, y Destello. Yo vi Bigotes Después del conteo, pero no estoy seguro de si realmente llegó tarde o si había estado allí todo el tiempo. No es fácil identificar a Whiskers entre la multitud porque no tiene cicatrices tan visibles como las de otros adoptados, como Phyllis, Merlín o Lily, a quienes se pueden ver a kilómetros de distancia.“

La mayoría de los manatíes se dirigían hacia el río. La palmera caída más adelante en el cauce sigue llamando la atención, pero mientras que antes muchos manatíes jóvenes y adultos la mordisqueaban y jugaban con ella, hoy varias crías tuvieron su turno. ¡Quizás esperaron a que los más grandes se fueran para tenerlo todo para ellos!

~Cora

Jueves, 12 de diciembre de 2024

El río bajó ocho décimas de grado a 16,8 °C (62,2 °F), y el recuento aumentó en 147 manatíes, a 385. Los sábalos, que escasearon el año pasado, han estado aquí desde el principio de esta temporada y hoy estaban en plena ebullición. Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí que pasaron lista hoy fueron... Bruto, Una, Lirio, y filis & becerro. Agua Y el ternero no pasó lista y los vimos entrar. Eso fue agradable porque el ternero no tuvo tiempo de alejarse.

Wayne y Cora

Miércoles 11 de diciembre de 2024

El pronóstico anunciaba clima cálido con una temperatura ambiente de alrededor de 21 °C a primera hora de la mañana, vientos racheados de 32 km/h y lluvia al mediodía. No parecía una buena mañana para contar manatíes, pero reinaba una calma inquietante en el parque, hasta después del conteo, cuando el viento arreció y arrastró la canoa de investigación de vuelta a la playa. La lluvia se detuvo.

La temperatura del río llegó a los 17,2 °C (62,9 °F) y conté 238 manatíes. La mayoría formaban un gran grupo en los transectos inferiores, cerca del río. Una madre con su cría, siguiendo a otras dos, nadaba de forma bastante errática, alborotando a todos. No pude distinguir si estaba molesta por las crías que la seguían o si simplemente estaba ansiosa por salir a alimentarse, pero eso dificultó mucho el conteo y la identificación de los demás manatíes. Aún no hemos contado las crías, pero hay muchas. Muchas se alejan nadando y juegan al entrar en el río y se reúnen con su madre cuando llega el momento de salir al río a alimentarse, como los niños en un parque infantil. No nos gusta ver crías pequeñas ya golpeadas por barcos y con cicatrices, pero debemos admitir que ayuda con la investigación de la identificación fotográfica. Vi a una madre reconocible con los demás manatíes en el transecto inferior, pero su cría, también reconocible, no estaba por ningún lado. Remé casi todo el camino del arroyo y allí estaba la cría, que ahora se dirigía río abajo para encontrar a su madre.

Los adoptados hoy fueron caimán, Lirio, y Destello.

~Cora

Martes 10 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río era de 16.3 °C (61.3 °F). Casi dos grados más alta que ayer. El conteo lo demostró. Hoy contamos 348 manatíes, unos 120 menos que ayer. El personal del parque observó muchos manatíes dirigiéndose al río entre el amanecer y las ocho de la mañana, cuando comenzamos. Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí presentes en el pase de lista fueron Agua (vimos su cría más adelante en la carrera), Destello, caimán, Abolladura profunda, floyd, Cohete, y Lirio.Quince minutos después, Felipe, seguido de un camarada, llegó acelerando la carrera como si llegaran tarde a una cita importante.

Ayer vimos un caimán largo y delgado descansando en el fondo, bastante arriba del arroyo. Todos los animales se han adaptado muy bien al parque con el cierre de la piscina y la disminución de las visitas. Si hay interacción entre un caimán y un manatí, ¡normalmente es el manatí el que molesta al caimán!

Wayne y Cora

Lunes 9 de diciembre de 2024

El mejor día que hemos tenido para pasar lista esta temporada. El agua estaba tranquila, sin viento, y era la más clara de la temporada. La temperatura del río era de 15.3 °C (59.5 °F). Un poco más cálida que ayer, pero los manatíes, sabiendo que haría más calor durante un día o dos, recorrían el cauce de orilla a orilla cerca del río. Estaban listos para salir a buscar comida. Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí estaban... Bruto, Felipe, howie, Destello, Agua, caimán, Margarita, floyd, Paddy Doyle, Doc, y Lirio. Cuando regresamos al paso después del recuento, contamos 464 manatíes, dos tercios de los manatíes vistos antes habían desaparecido del paso y ya estaban en el río.

Wayne y Cora

Sábado 7 de diciembre de 2024

Hizo frío durante la noche, y la temperatura del río era de 15,1 °C (59,1 °F) esta mañana, un poco más baja que ayer. El conteo de manatíes aumentó ligeramente. Conté 511. Todavía había grupos grandes en el transecto inferior del paso de primavera, pero muchos también estaban en la parte superior, y un grupo grande retozaba de nuevo alrededor de la palmera caída.

¡Fue un buen día para los adoptados de SMC! Lirio, caimán, howie, Felipe, Paddy Doyle, filis preñada, floyd, Destello, Bruto, Esmerejón, Moo Shoo, Cohete, Margarita, Abolladura profunda, y Doc made roll call. Agua y su cría llegaron tarde al recuento, pero también hay una buena posibilidad de que no los viera al principio, ya que estaban en medio de un grupo grande.

~Cora

Viernes 6 de diciembre de 2024

Con una temperatura del río de 15,5 °C (59,9 °F), conté 502 manatíes. Nueve menos que ayer. Supongo que podría deberse al aumento de la temperatura del agua. La gran multitud se encontraba en la parte baja del río, así que sus barómetros internos les indican que se avecinan algunos días cálidos y están listos para salir a alimentarse. Los manatíes adoptados hoy por el Club Salva al Manatí fueron... Una, Margarita, Paddy Doyle, howie, Felipe, floyd, Doc, filis & becerro, Agua & ternero, y caimán. Una buena participación.

Wayne

Jueves, 5 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río era de 14,9 °C (58,8 °F) y los manatíes reaccionaron en consecuencia. Contamos 512. Nuestros adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí presentes fueron Bruto, Paddy Doyle, Una, howie, Esmerejón, Destello, Lirio, Agua, Doc, filis & ternero, y floyd.¡Floyd no pasó lista! Ahora que Merlín está aquí, solo necesitamos a Lenny, ya que sabemos dónde está Annie.

Todos los años nos quejamos de la turbidez del cauce al principio de la temporada, y creemos que se aclara a medida que los manatíes se asientan. Tengo una idea nueva. Ya no tengo tantos como antes. Durante todo el verano, el limo y las algas se acumulan en el fondo del cauce inferior. Luego, los manatíes y las tilapias llegan y lo revuelven hasta suspenderlo en el agua, antes clara, del cauce de primavera. Así que el agua está turbia. Con el tiempo, la corriente de primavera arrastra el limo al río y el cauce inferior se aclara. Me gusta.

Wayne y Cora

Miércoles 4 de diciembre de 2024

El río bajó un poco más y llegó a 15,1 °C (59,1 °F) hoy. Conté 481 manatíes, pero el parque contó aún más: ¡617! Quizás les haya resultado más fácil verlos desde arriba, en el paseo marítimo, que a mí, en la canoa, rodeándolos con cuidado sin molestarlos, identificándolos además de contarlos. Es posible que se me hayan escapado algunos en el proceso. Si bien el recuento total es importante para nosotros, aún más importante para la investigación es reconocer a los individuos, compararlos con ejemplares conocidos de años anteriores y buscar manatíes con problemas de salud para compartir esa información con nuestros colaboradores. Adoptado. Destello ¡Hizo su primera visita de temporada hoy! Los otros adoptados fueron... Agua preñada, Lirio, Una, Cohete, caimán, Bruto, floyd, Doc, Abolladura profunda, Mella, y filis Con su ternero en el hervor. Phyllis estaba literalmente sentada sobre el hervor, donde brota el agua del manantial. Al principio, no vi al ternero, pero luego vi cómo el fuerte flujo de agua que salía del hervor lo removía. Fue todo un espectáculo. Felipe apareció después de que terminó el conteo.

Este verano, nuestros socios de FWC nos llamaron para una manada de apareamiento en el lago Monroe, al sur de Blue Spring. Resultó ser una oportunidad perfecta para la identificación con foto y, además de la hembra principal, "Stena", pudimos identificar a más de 20 manatíes machos, incluyendo a muchos de nuestros adoptados. La hembra principal de la manada, Stena, realizó ayer su primera visita de la temporada a Blue Spring. ¡Esperamos que esté preñada!

~Cora

Martes 3 de diciembre de 2024

Se olvidó mencionar Lirio Domingo. Llegó tarde al pase de lista y la pasaron por alto en la página dos. Lily también estuvo hoy, luciendo de maravilla. Se ha limpiado la piel de suciedad y limo y parece estar en muy buena forma.

Otros adoptados del Save the Manatee Club que se unieron a ella hoy fueron Margarita, floyd, Abolladura profunda, caimán, Moo Shoo, Cohete, filis & becerro, Doc, y Bruto.Deep Dent, Floyd, Doc y Brutus hicieron su primera aparición de la temporada. Deep Dent y Floyd estaban en la lista. Doc y Brutus llegaron tarde. Esperamos a Annie, que ha sido avistada al norte. Además, Merlín, Flash y Lenny aún no han llegado. Merlín y Flash no han sido muy confiables en los últimos años, pero Lenny debería llegar pronto. La temperatura del río hoy fue de 16 °C (60.8 °F). Nuestro conteo fue de 458, ¡pero creo que nos perdimos algunos! Mañana hará más frío y luego más cálido durante uno o dos días, y luego más fresco, si no más frío.

Wayne y Cora

Lunes 2 de diciembre de 2024

¡Fue un día muy ajetreado en el parque! Con la temperatura del río bajando a 16,8 °C (62,2 °F), conté 352 manatíes. Calculo que había más, ya que todos se movían, jugaban y removían la arcilla, y yo ayudaba a mis compañeros investigadores con algo que me distrajo un poco del conteo.

De todos modos, los adoptados Margarita, Mella, y Paddy Doyle ¡Hoy hicieron su primera visita de temporada! Otros adoptados fueron... Una, Moo Shoo, Felipe, caimán, Agua, Cohete, Bigotes, y Lirio. Es agradable ver el regreso de tantos ejemplares veteranos (incluidos los que no fueron adoptados). También estamos viendo muchísimos terneros nuevos, lo cual es prometedor. El viento arreció bastante al bajar del manantial, lo que no nos permitió quedarnos mucho tiempo para realizar más identificaciones. ¡Parece que hará frío toda la semana!

~Cora

Domingo 1 de diciembre de 2024

La temperatura del río bajó a 17,6 °C (63,7 °F). Eso es 1,8 grados Fahrenheit y un grado Celsius más frío que ayer. El recuento fue de 299, pero estoy seguro de que había más. Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí fueron... caimán, Una, Bigotes, y Agua. Fue la primera aparición de Una y Whiskers en la temporada, y quizás Gator. Cora podría haberlo visto antes, pero no estaba segura.

Hoy no hizo tanto viento ni tanto frío como ayer, lo que facilitó el pase de lista. Lo que lo dificultó fue la actividad de los manatíes. Se movían y retozaban en pequeños grupos. Me cayó un chorro de agua encima. ¡Qué frío! Ayer fue peor. Cada cincuenta metros aproximadamente había un pequeño grupo de retozadores que teníamos que evitar, pero que aún así intentábamos identificar. ¡Me parece injusto que Cora no se mojara!

Wayne y Cora

Sábado 30 de noviembre de 2024

No hubo tanto frío esta temporada, pero el viento lo compensó. A pesar del viento, contabilizamos 172 manatíes. Adoptado por el Club Salva al Manatí. Lirio ¡Hizo su primera aparición! Fue la única persona adoptada. El río estaba a la misma temperatura que en nuestro último conteo de Acción de Gracias: 18.6 °C (65.5 °F), ¡pero el conteo aumentó en dos, a 172! ¡Más manatíes por delante!

Wayne y Cora

Jueves, 28 de noviembre de 2024

Subió un poco la temperatura y el río alcanzó los 18,7 °C (65,6 °F). La mayoría de los manatíes estaban más cerca del río esta mañana, sintiendo el aire más cálido y ansiosos por salir a comer algo para la cena de Acción de Gracias antes del próximo frente frío. El resto jugaba con una palmera caída más adelante, enturbiando el agua tanto que era casi imposible ver o identificar a alguien. El único manatí adoptado que se vio fue Cohete.

Cabe destacar que Amelia e Irma, quienes fueron liberadas juntas hace unos años y permanecieron juntas durante un buen tiempo antes de separarse, todavía parecen reunirse en primavera durante los meses de invierno. Las hemos visto juntas varios días en diferentes zonas de la zona de primavera estos últimos días. ¡Es interesante y bastante inusual! También sospechamos que Amelia podría estar embarazada, lo cual sería una noticia maravillosa.

¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias a todos!

Cora

Miércoles 27 de noviembre de 2024

La ligera tendencia al calentamiento que hemos tenido en los últimos días alcanzará su punto máximo mañana, Día de Acción de Gracias. Luego, se establecerá una tendencia más fría. No muy fría, pero suficiente para mantener a los manatíes cerca, aunque no se batirán récords. La temperatura del río hoy fue de 18,5 °C (64,9 °F). Contamos 195 manatíes, incluidos los adoptados por el Club Save the Manatee. Cohete y filis Con su cría. ¡El fin de semana seguro que trae un montón!

Wayne y Cora

Martes 26 de noviembre de 2024

Está subiendo un poco la temperatura, ¡y los manatíes lo notan! La temperatura del río era de 18.1 °C (64.5 °F), medio grado más alta que ayer, y conté 225 manatíes. Muchos se movían, ansiosos por alejarse un poco del manantial para alimentarse. La gente suele preguntar si hay comida en la zona de manantial para ellos. No la hay, pero hay mucha vegetación buena cerca para que los manatíes se alimenten.

Los adoptados hoy fueron filis con su cría, Cohete, y AguaEsta es la primera visita de Aqua en la temporada, ¡y parece que también tiene una cría! Cada día llegan muchos más manatíes que aún no hemos visto esta temporada, así que estamos atentos a los demás adoptados. El año pasado nos sorprendió no ver muchos caimanes hasta muy tarde en la temporada. ¡Ahora mismo tenemos un caimán junto al río todas las mañanas!

~Cora

Lunes 25 de noviembre de 2024

La temperatura del río era de 17.8 °C (64.04 °F). Un poco más baja que ayer. El conteo fue de 249 manatíes. Los conteos podrían ser un poco extraños hasta que la temporada de primavera se aclare un poco. Aún debemos estar perdiendo muchos que están ocultos por las aguas turbias. Los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí fueron... howie, Moo Shoo, y filis Con un ternero. El río baja rápidamente. Puedo oler la vegetación podrida. Al hervir, olía a madera recién cortada del proyecto de reemplazo del paseo marítimo.

Actualización de la tarde: Cohete También fue visto en Blue Spring hoy y recibimos un informe de adopción. annie en otra primavera.

Wayne y Cora

Domingo 24 de noviembre de 2024

La temperatura del aire era un poco más cálida hoy, pero el río bajó a 18 °C (64,4 °F). Solo puedo decir que conté al menos 300 manatíes. Lo mejor de todo, howie, Felipe, Moo Shoo, y filis Entre los adoptados del Club Salva al Manatí se encontraban, ¡y Phyllis parece tener una cría! Vi una garza tricolor posada en lo que queda de la entrada de buzos durante la nueva construcción. Antes se llamaban garzas de Luisiana. He visto muy pocas en el río y ninguna cerca del manantial.

Wayne

Sábado 23 de noviembre de 2024

Pasamos de un calor inusual a hielo en el parabrisas en dos días. La temperatura del río era de 19.1 °C (66.3 °F). Hoy contamos 130 manatíes, pero deberían haber sido muchos más. La mitad del recorrido estaba lleno de sedimentos en suspensión, y era difícil verlos, y mucho menos ver las cicatrices para identificarlos. Vimos a un manatí adoptado por el Club de Salvación del Manatí., Moo Shoo¡Uno es mejor que ninguno! Cada día llegan más terneros. ¡Siempre es bueno!

Wayne y Cora

Viernes 22 de noviembre de 2024

Durante la noche hizo bastante más frío y la temperatura del río bajó a 20,6 °C (69 °F). ¡68 °C suele ser nuestro “número mágico” que atrae a los manatíes!

Esta mañana contamos 43 manatíes. Todavía hacía un poco de viento, lo que dificultaba la identificación, ¡pero estuvo mejor que ayer! Todavía no hay adoptados de SMC, pero vimos numerosos manatíes conocidos, incluyendo varios que ayudamos a liberar en años anteriores y que parecen estar bien. Hoy también llegaron al menos 7 crías nuevas con sus madres. Las parejas de madre y cría y los ejemplares jóvenes suelen ser los primeros en llegar, ya que necesitan el calor del manantial aún más que los adultos grandes, y las madres les mostrarán a sus pequeños dónde está el agua tibia. Sin duda, disfrutaron de una palmera caída bajo la cual jugaron, se frotaron el lomo y observaron las hojas de palma. ¡Deberían llegar más manatíes en los próximos días!

Cora y Wayne

Jueves, 21 de noviembre de 2024

Ha hecho un calor inusualmente cálido, por lo que la temporada de manatíes en Blue Spring aún no ha comenzado. Sin embargo, se espera el primer frente frío significativo en los próximos días, por lo que algunos manatíes ya han comenzado a llegar.

La temperatura del río hoy fue de 22.1 °C (71.7 °F), ligeramente más baja que la temperatura de primavera. El personal del parque vio 9 manatíes el 18 de noviembre, 5 el 19 de noviembre y 5 hoy. El Club Salva al Manatí contó 7 esta mañana, y algunos más llegaron después. Hacía mucho viento, así que no fue posible realizar un buen conteo desde la canoa. Todavía no hay ejemplares adoptados por el Club Salva al Manatí, pero vimos algunos manatíes que reconocemos de temporadas pasadas. ¡Pronto llegarán más!

Cora y Wayne