Unique Things on the Rainbow River

March 7 – March 11, 2025                                Most Recent Posts:
Rainbow Springs State Park                            Rainbow River Head Spring
Dunnellon, Florida                                             Luck at Rainbow Springs 

I’ve already done a post on my first week on the water here (see second link of Most Recent Posts above), but I do want to keep a record of some of the daily and unique things I saw on the river during my second week. 

Seeing this Flicker was a unique experience.  Not sure when was the last time I’ve seen one or one that stayed around and let me take so many pictures.

I sure would like to be able to turn my head all the way around to the back and see what’s behind me.  No mirror needed.

The tell tale red on the back of his head.

Ready for take off.

And I got him or at least most of him.  This is definitely unique for me.

Not unique but a multi times a day, daily occurrence is seeing the Wood Duck on this river and from every angle.

Clear spring waters are about the only places I can ever actually see fish.  I know nothing about fish.  Someone mentioned perch.  Do you agree?

I wondered if people feed them because in this one side area of the river in the no fishing area, they all came up to my boat multiple times.

Also a daily occurrence is the sight of the houses lining the opposite side of the river from the park.

I just have to laugh every time when this guy stretches up to see something.

Wish I had gotten his whole neck.  It’s hard to be precise when the river is moving you along.

Not a unique sight but a very unique picture.  I can never get my camera set soon enough to get the many many turtles I see swimming just like this on the river.  Only their noses up.   Sometimes see alligators this way too but they don’t look quite as cute.  More stealthy.   Somehow I don’t feel the turtle is trying to sneak up on me.

I think this little man on the river bank is wonderful and I want to remember the house that set him out.

This has to be the sight of this week.  A cormorant has caught a fish.  And not a small one either.

I try not to float away while I watch him try to deal with his catch.  Is the fish’s head bigger than the bird’s?

He lost him.

Trying to find him again.

Success but how in the world…….

Yes that’s right, he got the fish head side down in his throat and that tiny little neck has accommodated that big fish.

I have seen this before and can never quite believe it.

Unique to this time of year are the breeding plumage and colors of the waterfowl.
The great egret has the breeding feathers down his back and the green patch of skin.

This Common Moorhen always has the candy corn bill but I’d never noticed his colorful legs before.

The Pied-Billed Grebe only has this black band on his bill during breeding season.

These green legs and blue bill make me think this is a juvenile Little Blue Heron but he sure looks big.

I seldom get a good look at these two together.  Female and Male wood ducks.

What a pose as the Anhinga’s wings are drying.  Is the bird napping?

I’m  back at the spot where I dropped my camera.  It’s not with me today.  I love the color of the water at the spring head.

There’s the building with the not so great Cafe I talked about previously on my walking trip around the headspring. (link also above)

Just to make sure I remember they are everywhere on this river and pay no attention to their neighbors.

As I showed last week, there are dive boats dropping off divers every single day.  I’m only out in the mornings so I don’t know if they do it all day long but there are many divers in the water as you can see.

One day this week I saw a different kind of dive boat dropping people off.  This appeared to be students who would be snorkeling.   They were not as sure and willing as the scuba folks to jump in the water with fins on their feet.

And of course, also every day were the canoe races.   Coming toward me.

And shortly going back.

But this time was different.  Somehow these twp managed to find themselves in the river.  I didn’t see it happen and was really surprised because this group seems to be quite experienced.  Maybe these are newbeis.

But they seemed to know what to do and in short order had dumped the boat and were back in paddling away.  I didn’t stay for all of that but as they were making their way to the river side, I heard one ask the other if they had to dump the water out and the answer was yes.  So perhaps there is only one newbie.

And of course, dogs on the river.  I saw many more than this but they are so common now I’ve pretty much stopped taking pictures of them. 

And on my last day, here is where I found my kayak.  Now the hard part, getting it on the wheels and pulling it back to the car and getting it on the roof.  

                                                  Fun’s Over for Now
                                                                 But
                                 Next stop is a 2nd visit to Silver Springs.

And a 2nd visit to Silver Springs is what I did but I’m thinking seriously of either not posting about those two weeks since I was just there or doing it some time  later in the style of a much better blogger, Laurel. 

I am currently at Falling Waters State Park for two nights starting my spring trip West.  I would like to post about that in as much real time as I can.   

Let me know what you think about my omitting or delaying Silver Springs which will put me, for the first time in 15 years “out of order”.  

Omit?  Delay?  Do Silver Springs next to stay in order?   What do you think?