"Feeding the Birds" Weeki Wachee Favorite Tip by grandmaR

Favorite thing: I don't remember doing the River Cruise when we visited Weeki Wachee before. But this is definitely a worthwhile attraction to see. The cruise goes by electric boat up the river and then at the end of the cruise, the boat goes by this platform.

When the cruise gets to this point, there was a great blue heron on the platform (last photo), and the wood storks and pelicans were foraging around as they normally do. The wood storks feel around in the bottom and snap their bills on any fish they find (second photo).

I don't know if there would be the same number of these birds here in the summer. They come to Florida in the winter to breed. In north Florida the Wood Stork is more numerous in summer than in winter, indicating a fall migration to South Florida. Spring migration occurs during March and April.

Fondest memory: When the captain starts throwing fish out, the pelicans and wood storks rush the platform and the boat, and the blue heron (top photo) leaves in disgust.

It is cool to see the wood storks up close like that (although if any bird can be called ugly, the wood stork would certainly qualify). The wood stork is the only stork native to North America.