Merlin rests at Blue Spring State Park on February 22, 2025.
Blue Spring Sightings
Manatee season was very busy at Blue Spring in December and January, but then it warmed up in early February and we thought the season might be over! Late February and early March saw more cold weather and we counted over 400 manatees on February 22 and over 300 on March 8, which might be a record for March. Many of the adoptees returned as well!
We caught this nice video of Merlin on February 2 on our underwater camera.
Phyllis and Aqua, with their respective calves, were seen hanging out with some of the newly released manatees on February 17.Annie had been spending her winter at another warm-water site and made no appearances between October and February. She finally graced us with her presence on February 18.Doc was seen snoozing on February 22.
Phyllis may be the attendance champion this year. Since she has a calf, she has been in the spring a lot. Here she is with her calf and an ‘entourage’ of juvenile manatees on February 21, heading towards the St. Johns River in the evening sun.
On February 22, Phyllis also made a quick swim-by on the underwater camera.
Brutus was spotted napping on our underwater camera on February 24 until bothered by some pesky catfish. He went straight back to napping.Easily recognizable by half his tail missing, Floyd was resting in a large aggregation on February 27.Margarito can be elusive when we try to take pictures of him, so we were happy to get him on camera on February 28.
Gator was part of a large aggregation on March 3. Can you spot him?
Philip made an appearance on our underwater webcam on March 5 but was photo-bombed by a pacu fish!Paddy Doyle was seen resting in a group of friends on March 5.Nick hasn’t always been the most photogenic of adoptees, but he posed for us on March 7!
Ester, our newest adoptee, made a quick appearance on the underwater webcam on March 6 early in the morning before roll call started.
Floyd also swam by our underwater webcam on March 8!On March 8 we took this cute photo of Annie napping on a fallen log.Moo Shoo was spotted with her friend ‘Mitsu’ (not an adoptee) on March 8.
On March 10 we had a nice surprise: a newborn manatee calf at Blue Spring! Since the mother doesn’t have any visible scars, our research team has not been able to identify her.Lily made a late season visit on March 20!
Blue Spring Rescues and Releases
We assisted with the release of four manatees at the park on February 11, then participated in the rescue of an orphaned calf on February 3, followed by the rescue of manatee “Churro” on February 4. Churro had been having difficulties adapting to her very first cold winter and had lost a lot of weight. She is being cared for at SeaWorld Orlando and the calf, named “Mandalore,” is being rehabilitated alongside four others at the Myakka facility run by the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.
Researchers attach a satellite tracking device to Carditee prior to release.Ashley prior to release.Calliope is carried to the water in a customized stretcher.With a splash Azalea joins the Blue Spring manatees.In early February, we assisted with the rescue of a small orphaned calf at Blue Spring.
April is the perfect time to come together and make a meaningful impact on manatee conservation and their habitat.
Sightings Update: February 2025
February 4, 2025
Manatee Season at Blue Spring started in full force in late November and we have had many exciting adoptee sightings since!
Volunteers Make a Difference for Manatees!
February 4, 2025
Our volunteers, who dedicate their time and energy to protecting manatees and inspiring others to take action, have made our 2025 events so far a success!
