A shot from Noosa Heads Queensland, Australia, by my youngest son CMN. 

These dashes of red punctuate the lushness of the weedpack. 

I promise that this is the only picture you'll see of me on this site! I wanted to show those who have been asking just how clear these spring-fed rivers are. When you are underwater, the feeling is that of great open space with an amazing, alien decor, through which you can slowly (along with the all the other myriad critters) fly! 

About as clear as fresh water gets. As you move toward the head of the Silver River, the water become more and more tranlucent. In the big "boils" (spring-heads) you can often see groups of large gar lazily circling 20 feet below. 

Cormorant hangout... 

Cormorants are clunky flyers, but amazing swimmers. I've seen them catch fish under water with very little effort! 

Cormorants eyes are sapphire blue... Piercing even at a distance 

Silver River classic! This cormorant and a few friends are often sunning or drying on this same log.

Want to see what's on the other end of this? Scroll down to the next image... 

Here's the business end. As much as I've been around aligators (and once even had one swim out beside me, when I was snorkeling, with not even the hint of a threat) getting this close to a big one still speeds up my heart rate. 

Two body styles at opposite ends of the "evolutionary" spectrum. The turtle has been around the longest by far... and with fewer changes. I guess his motto would be when you've found something that works, don't mess with it! (but I think it would be more fun to be the ibis). 

Water can sometimes be a liquid mirror. For more "Silver River" images, scroll to the bottom of the blog and work you way up! (But first check out the neat monkey antics in the next few pictures).

A view going down our farm road after a few plowings, new storms and a windy day or two. 

Hush of Winter.

(Note the miniscule tracks where perhaps a deer mouse scurried along its rounds). 

"Home"

This photo supposedly "won" one of those bogus, vanity contests, where you "win", but still pay a fortune to go to an alledged "awards ceremony" and to get an album with your image featured! I put this up as a warning to unsuspecting photo enthusiasts everywhere. Who needs that when you've got your own blog? (Thank you Blogger!) 

Invitation... 

Early winter dawn creeps over the Mohawk Valley. (Shot from the bedroom window of our farmhouse). 

It's always amazing to me that these should belong with those... (next image) 

Talk about amazing architecture!

This is why you don't want to anger a pelican!

This is what happens when customers from a restaurant on the Banana River regularly start throwing scraps into the water from the dock! The catfish hardly even move around. They just sit there waiting. 

Absense... 

A water oak and a long needle pine. Are they locked in combat or locked in an embrace? Sharing the light or desperately trying to shade each other out? Plant physiology would tend to support the latter hypothesis, but who really knows? 

For a change of pace, here is an image which is definitely not captured in the wild. A friend of mine grows these in Cocoa Beach... with infinite care and love. Not your ordinary hybiscus. 

Beyond words... 

Notice that turtle in the forground is shedding the old plates from its carapace! Turtles on the Silver River usually don't let you get this close... if they are awake. They sleep a lot and are everywhere in the weedpack and on the deadfall, especially on sunny days. Some have limbs and pieces of shell missing from encounters with alligators... and each other... especially when they are small and vulnerable. Only a small percentage of hatchlings make it to maturity. My favorite is the soft-shelled turtle (not shown here). It's neck is amazingly long, longer by far than a snapping turtle's. I almost got a shot of one the other day, but they are skittish and illusive and this one left in a hurry. They rarely spend time above the surface. The day I get a good picture of one, will make me very happy!