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Perfect day for discovery

A clear, cool morning of nature loving caps off National Wildlife Refuge Week.

By JOHN FRANK
Published October 15, 2006

	[Times photo: M. N. Golden]
	Jack Casselberry of Inveness looks for birds during a sunrise tour of Kings Bay on Saturday as part of the Discover Your Wildlife Refuge Festival. He was the pontoon boat's bird guide, pointing out egrets, pelicans and osprey throughout the morning. He and his wife, Pat, travel the world to bird watch.

CRYSTAL RIVER- The orange sun rising from the horizon of seagrass marshes. Dolphins chasing schools of mullet in the channel. Manatees lounging in shallow waters around the islands. And a bald eagle soaring in the blue sky above.

It's a typical morning on the water of Kings Bay.

And it was a perfect setting for Saturday's Discover Your Wildlife Refuge Festival at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Crystal River. The event featured wildlife exhibits, boat rides and live music.

The occasion commemorated National Wildlife Refuge Week, celebrating the 540 refuges nationwide that span more than 100-million acres.

It was the clear morning for bird watching that nature lovers Jack and Pat Casselberry of Inverness liked most.

The Citrus County Audubon members rose early, braving the brisk breeze and one of the coolest mornings of the year for the 7 a.m. sunrise birding tour.

A dozen people on three boats scanned the marshes and skyline as they cruised slowly through the bay.

Jack Casselberry counted at least 30 species including an American coot, a white-billed, ducklike bird; its cousin, the red-beaked common moorhen; an osprey, the hawk of the sea; and possibly even a sharp-shinned hawk.

The Casselberrys, who are originally from Pennsylvania, travel the world - Brazil, Peru, Trinidad, Costa Rica - to watch wildlife.

"We love it," Jack Casselberry said, holding up his $1,400 binoculars to prove it.

But they didn't see the prized bald eagle.

"It's sort of like fishing; it's always, 'You should have gone yesterday,' " he said.

The treat of seeing the nation's bird was enjoyed by the folks in the jon boat guided by Ivan Vicente, the refuge's public use specialist.

The riders saw a female eagle soar by their boat before perching on Banana Island. They also saw a half-dozen manatees swim near the boat and two dolphins surface as they searched the bay for food.

On these special tours for bird lovers, it was all about the details, like the magnificent emerald green eye of the black anhinga and the bright yellow feet of the snowy egret.

Lori Remick of Homosassa enjoyed the cool weather. The most unique bird she saw was a pileated woodpecker with its trademark red head and mustache. The bird is normally found in the forests of the Northeast and Canada.

But all the nature aside, Remick most wanted her own refuge from people. "The best part for me was the sunrise," she said.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 860-7312.

[Last modified October 15, 2006, 07:18:19]