Hiking in Manatee Springs State Park

We spent the afternoon hiking the trails at Manatee Springs Park that is adjacent to the Suwannee River. During the winter months, the manatees leave the ocean and the river and come to the warmer springs (The springs stay 72 degrees all year round) that bubble up from the aquifer underground. The manatees stay under water but come up for air every few minutes. Because of the cold weather, there are many more manatees that have come into the warmer waters of the springs – however; the ranger said they’ve already lost about 180 manatees due to cold weather. Surrounding the springs were trees that were perching places for hundreds of buzzards.