Manatee in the canals

I did not take these pictures but a neighbor in another one of the canals was lucky enough to see 4 manatee in their canal.  We saw some last year in our canal, but so far have not seen any this year 

Big Pine Key: Blue Hole 11/17/2018

Blue Hole is the only freshwater lake in The Florida Keys.  It is located on Big Pine Key.  It was formed from a rock quarry used for nearby road fills and Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad.  The water comes from the collection of rainwater only.   It is not connected to any stream or river.  The Blue Hole is part of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge and the National Key Deer Refuge.  I think the endangered Key Deer are only found on Big Pine Key and a few other Keys close by.   Blue Hole is one of the few places in the Keys to see alligators.  Prior to Hurricane Irma we always used to see two alligators near the viewing platform, but so far this year we have only seen one.  I was glad to see the one as we did not see any last year on our visit to the Blue Hole.  I do not know how the deer survived the flooding from Irma, but also glad to see they also survived.

Key Deer seen along road on Big Pine
Alligator observed from viewing platform in Blue Hole
Key Deer, buck