Newspaper Article

Sunshine State's nature is bold, bright and wild

KAREN FELDMAN SMITH and G. STUART SMITH

1992

Overview

The subtropical region south of Tampa is a bird-watcher's paradise. Roseate spoonbills, herons and ibises, wood storks and pelicans winter in such places as Sanibel Island's J.N. (Ding) Darling Wildlife Refuge. There, visitors can walk or drive along a dirt trail and see the avian equivalents of the crowds at the local restaurants. The shallow waters nearby are filled with dinner. Some of Florida's non-avian species invite even closer acquaintance. Bottlenose dolphins live year-round in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean and are common sights throughout the state. In the Florida Keys, there are places where you can swim and play with them. And then there are the manatees, huge grass-eating sea cows that gather at natural warm springs and in the warm outflows from power plants in places like the Orange River in Fort Myers, Crystal River north of Tampa and Blue Spring State Park north of Orlando. The best days to swim with the manatees are the coldest ones, when more of the creatures gather around the warm springs. Although officially in residence from mid- November through the end of March, Jan. 20 through Feb. 20 is the peak season for manatees. As the Gulf of Mexico warms, the manatees generally head out.

• Publisher: Journal Sentinel Inc