27px, we want 27. Please register or login . The Native population dwindled after Spanish exploration began in the early 1500s. Timbered swamps line the water and comprise about one-fourth of the refuge.
Ducks account for over half the migratory birds.
Ospreys abound, and on no other refuge can the weird cry of the limpkin be heard more often, a sound that reminds me of an utterly desolate cat in heat. Black bears, armadillos, otters and alligators of unusual length are common sights. Manatees move into the refuge in May and June, and into nearby Blue Springs. Fishing for bass, bream and crappie brings most human visitors to the refuge. Roughly 1,000 acres of Wilderness has been established along the western refuge boundary, between Honey Creek and the Saint Johns River, and across the river lies Alexander Springs Wilderness.