12 Oaks - Wildlife



Wildlife We are in the Wekiva basin, home to the gorgeous wilderness of the Lower Wekiva River State Reserve. Black bears migrate between the Wekiva area and the Ocala National Forest via the banks of the nearby St. Johns River. The Great Florida Birding Trail is also nearby. And you may see fox, possum, raccoon, wild turkey, alligators, armadillos, otters, and lots more. This is deer crossing territory. There is hiking in the state reserve, and outside of the reserve you can launch your canoe on the river. Other wilderness areas in Central Florida are easy day trips: Cape Canaveral National Seashore Reserve and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.						Raptors Hawks perch in the oaks, watching intently for the next meal to make a move. At twilight if you hear a rustle in a tree and you see a very large shadow swoop onto a branch, it will probably be a barred owl, taking over as night shift predator, as the hawks retire.

Cranes Sandhill cranes are huge, peaceful creatures. They mate for life and there is usually at least one elegant sandhill family sharing our home, wading in the water or strolling through the park. They carefully raise their chicks till they reach the near-pterodactyl size of mom and dad.						Night Animals Speaking of creatures of long-ago ages, come down to the water at night after a rain, and you'll find yourself listening to what the Age of Amphibians must have sounded like. Try, if you like, to count the different species singing one of those all-night symphonies.
Ibises Ibises, like the cranes, will leave the water and parade through the park.						When on the move, they appear to know where they are going, which is usually the sand ten inches in front of them, into which they probe with their specialized beaks for their food.
We have a "bird's-eye view" of Florida's great fishing birds. Egrets and herons wade in the shallows. A skillful egret will fly into a tree with its large catch, which it would appear it could not possibly swallow. But after several minutes of gulping, the fish will go down whole.						To everything there is a season. Sometimes the water at the park is a freshwater marsh. After some of our tropical weather, the lake will fill and stay full till the fish grow large and ospreys come to snatch them.
This story of the wildlife here is just getting started.						We'll have to continue on with the rest when you get here.
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