Titusville, FL, Nature Viewing Boat Ride

Don and I went over to the Canaveral Port, near Cape Canaveral, for lunch one day and watched the tug boats going up and down the waterway. There is something relaxing about watching this.




After lunch we drove around and I spotted a pink bird on a sand bar. This, of course, required jumping out of the car and running across the beach to get a closer view, and hopefully a picture.


I was sure it was a flamingo. He stood there on one red leg next to a sea gull and a little blue heron. Don honked the horn of the car trying to get him to raise his head so I could get a better view.


However, he totally ignored us, so we are just guessing he is a rather shy flamingo or he could be a roseate spoonbill, another pink bird. Personally, I was impressed with finding any pink bird, no matter what his name is.




Unfortunately, as I am standing in the sand in my sandals taking pictures, I began feeling some pain on the top of my foot. I ignored it, focusing on the pink bird.


Finally, due to the escalating level of pain I checked my foot and found a small ant…a fire ant lighting up my foot with some sort of heavy-duty flame-thrower. I didn’t see it, but will swear that he had to have had one to cause that level of burning to my foot.


I quickly dispatched the ant and was glad that he hadn’t brought friends. I can’t imagine stepping on a nest of these little monsters. It is now a week later and I still have sizeable red welts on my foot. I have always heard of fire ants, but this was my first run-in with them. Once is quite enough, thank you.


Then we took a Nature Viewing Boat Tour on the Banana River with the hope of seeing Manatees.


The Banana River is an intercostal waterway along the east coast of Florida. Unfortunately, Manatees are lovers of warm water and it is again rather chilly so for the moment, at least we are seeing White Pelicans.


White Pelicans are not native to Florida and are much larger than brown pelicans. They also herd the fish together and chase them into their mouths, rather than catching them one at a time like the brown ones do.

Brown Pelicans

White Pelicans, Brown Pelicans gulls, and Cormorants.

Graceful White Pelicans.

Riding around looking for wildlife, we found a small island covered with brush and the brush covered with birds, egrets, herons, pelicans and others.

A Bird in a bush...

Blue Heron

In the distance, across the bay, we could see a cruise ship waiting to go out to sea.




An Ibis displaying his long curved bill.


There were lots of birds which I enjoy, but we were really hoping to see manatees which we have never before seen. I would like to tell you I took the picture of this beautiful sea cow…(Isn’t she cute?) but actually, I clipped it from the web so you would know what I am going to show you next is supposed to look like.

We did see a few manatees, but the water was murky and they are very hard to photograph, so here they are…somewhere…at least according to the sign…




Yes, there is one there. That tan colored spot above the words…they are very hard to see. They do leave what is called “foot prints” when they are swimming. Manatee footprints look like this…

Their footprints are much easier to see than the actual animals are in the water.


We saw a few alligators when we were out there…




…this guy was huge!! Just check out the length of his tail!

There were also dolphins, in this case a mom and baby swimming together. Dolphins are also hard to photograph.

Egrets are always picture perfect and usually hold still when I am taking pictures.

This is an Anhinga. They like to spread their wings to dry them and are really pretty when they do that.


They are also known as “Snake Birds” because when they swim only their head and long neck are above water, making them look like a swimming snake. They look totally creepy in the water.


Next blog: Mobile, Alabama