Weekend on the Withlacoochie

The Withlacoochee is one of the typical small Florida rivers (as if typical is ever an adequate term for any Florida river), that is part flow, part swamp, part tropical wildlife refuge, and part recreational retreat for residents and visitors. We spent yesterday along her banks about 5 miles west of the town of Dunnelllon at the Will McLean Music Festival, where, as previously reported here, my band was part of the lineup. While it was a day fill with music and the renewal of old and not-so-old friendships, I probably spent more time at the riverbank than around the festival stages. It was close enough that the sounds of the main stage drifted over on the strong breezes of the day, but not so close as to be drowned out by the music and the crowds. So it would seem appropriate that my first photo posted from the weekend is this mother osprey returning to her nest to feed the chick nestled inside (I only observed a single chick, thought there may have been more). The nest sits atop a man made roost support about twenty yards off-shore, constructed by driving a tall piling with a platform on top into the riverbed. Mom and Pop Osprey take care of the rest. The cloud cover along with the low eastern mid-morning light put the subject of this shot into partial silhouette and gives it an overall yellow cast -- but it is still one of my favorite shots from the weekend. More images and discussion of both the people and the wildlife from the weekend to come. Stay tuned!