Special thanks to Save the Manatee Club staff members Wayne Hartley, Manatee Specialist, and Cora Berchem, Director of Multimedia and Manatee Research Associate, for their work to document manatees during the 2020–2021 season. (All SMC activities conducted under permit # MA791721-5.)
Sightings Update: Blue Spring Adoptees
Annie makes her first visit on November 4, 2020, before the official start of the 2020–2021 Manatee Season at Blue Spring, which began on November 19th. Video © Save the Manatee Club.
Annie in November 2020 at Blue Spring State Park. She has been reported as looking “very pregnant.” Annie usually gives birth every two years and her last calf was in 2018. Her distinctive scars identify Aqua — sighted at Blue Spring on January 10, 2021. She brought in a calf this season!
Pregnant Annie swims by. December 23, 2020. Video © Save the Manatee Club. Here’s a cute clip of adoptee Aqua and her calf under the dock at Blue Spring, enjoying their time in the protected warm-water refuge of Blue Spring. January 25, 2021. Video © Save the Manatee Club.
Brutus appears to have a young friend in this photo. We were happy to see him come in on the first big manatee day at Blue Spring on December 3, 2020. Deep Dent takes a rest at Blue Spring on January 17. Doc often appears to be sleeping in many photos, and here he is snoozing again on January 17th. Floyd is easily identified because he only has half of his tail as well as a series of horizontal scars on his left side. Here’s Gator, another Blue Spring manatee with an obvious scar pattern. He made his first appearance for the season on December 2, 2020. Lenny made his first winter visit to Blue Spring on December 11th. He’s a more sporadic visitor but was in on January 9th for this photo. Lily snuggles in with fellow manatees on a chilly day in January 2021. Her distinctive scars make her easy to identify. Lucille is in most winter days at Blue Spring. Here’s a photo from her first visit on December 3, 2020. Margarito made his first winter visit on December 3rd. He and Rocket were the only manatees present on December 31st to see the old year out. Merlin showed up on the webcam on January 7th to give us this great photo of him. He has visited several days since then.
It’s manatee adoptee Merlin, and he’s posing on our underwater webcam in the protected warm-water sanctuary at Blue Spring State Park on January 7, 2021. Video © Save the Manatee Club.
Moo Shoo was one of the early arrivals to Blue Spring, showing up for the season on December 4, 2020. Here’s Nick, surfacing to breathe on January 13th at Blue Spring. A nice photo of Paddy Doyle on January 8th of this year. He was an early arrival, showing up on December 3rd after the manatee count was over. A great shot of Philip! Here he is at Blue Spring on December 12, 2020. He made his first visit on December 4th. Here’s Phyllis on January 22nd with her sweet little calf born on August 13th at Blue Spring State Park. The calf is a female. Here’s Una (at right) and a friend on January 9th at Blue Spring. She arrived on December 2nd, along with Gator, Phyllis and her calf, and Lily. Whiskers arrived at Blue Spring on December 4, 2020. He had lots of company as 12 other adoptees showed up that day, and 276 manatees total were counted.
Sightings Update: Other Adoptees
East coast manatee Illusion was sighted on January 19th at the Florida Power & Light power plant in Riviera Beach by our partners from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Sightings Update: Other Blue Spring Manatees
A manatee day at Blue Spring! Here’s a sped-up clip of manatees in the warm water refuge at Blue Spring State Park recorded with our above-water webcam in collaboration with explore.org on January 7, 2021. Great mom and calf shots. December 13, 2020. Video © Save the Manatee Club. Big groups of manatees leave the park to forage for vegetation in the river. December 19, 2020. Video © Save the Manatee Club. Mata Hari and her calf on a quiet evening. November 5, 2020. Video © Save the Manatee Club. Mother manatee nurses two calves. December 2, 2020. Video © Save the Manatee Club. A large group of manatees, including JJ and her little calf. December 2, 2020. Video © Save the Manatee Club.
