Pat’s Wildways: Paynes Prairie bison and more

Whenever I go to Gainesville, every few months, I always try to stop at either Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park or Sweetwater Wetlands. These two natural areas are full of visible wildlife and changing conditions over the seasons — there is always something new and interesting for me to check out.

This Gainesville trip, I focused on Paynes Prairie. My first stop was the La Chua trail, the northernmost entrance to the park. If you want to be sure to see alligators, this place is a must-do. I was expecting gators and wading birds all around the Alachua Sink — the body of water fed by groundwater around the area. But wow, where was the water? Gainesville, like much of north Florida, has been suffering from a lengthy drought, with brush fires starting up everywhere, including one long-burning fire in nearby Hawthorne and other fires arising elsewhere, leading to a region-wide burn ban. And the result of the drought was very visible at the Alachua Sink. It was nearly dry! I’ve never seen the water this low in this usually swampy place.

The alligators were forced to relocate a bit further from the sink, where water still remained in a channel. Sure enough, at the end of the short La Chua trail, there were scores of gators lined up together on a bank. If these were “warm-blooded” animals, this crowding together may have been a way to share and conserve body heat. But these “cold-blooded” creatures only get warmth from the sun and not each other. There was plenty of real estate along this particular shoreline, but still the gators were all packed into one place. If it wasn’t shared warmth, then why were these animals all together? Could it be that there is a social context to their gathering? I pondered this idea as I photographed them. There is always something in nature for me to ponder.

But on this visit to Paynes Prairie, I wasn’t looking for gators. I have seen them a bazillion times. This time, I had another goal in mind — I wanted to see bison. Yes, bison! Here in the wild in Florida. Wow! Paynes Prairie State Preserve has an active program that aims to preserve rare animal breeds that once roamed this area. Bison once lived throughout Florida but were hunted out by the 1700s. In 1975, a small herd was imported from Oklahoma and managed in this preserve ever since. In addition, “cracker” horses and cattle that were introduced by the Spanish in the 1500s and had nearly disappeared, have also been imported and managed at the park to preserve the last remnants of these rare breeds. Now bison and horses roam freely in managed groups in the prairie, but they are usually not near public areas where they can easily be seen. The cracker cattle, meanwhile, have been removed to a corral off-site, since they did not fare well in the usually swampy habitat.

Sure enough I did not see any bison or horses at the La Chua trail. But, following a clue from my Gainesville friends, I drove to the nearby Observation Boardwalk off Highway 441 and, there they were! A herd of bison and a smaller group of cracker horses were off in the distance, but viewable from the boardwalk. I didn’t have my binoculars, so I missed the details, but hey, I saw them. Finally!!! I highly recommend a trip to Gainesville to explore Paynes Prairie yourself now, when the low water has opened up more dry foraging areas for the bison and horses near the observation boardwalk. At times, they graze right near the boardwalk, but sadly not the day I was visiting.

Paynes Prairie is about a two-hour drive from Amelia Island, close enough for an interesting day trip. And if you are out there Thursday, Friday or Saturday, you are near The Yearling Restaurant on the days they are open for a real taste of Old Florida food and a restaurant full of Cross Creek/Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings memorabilia. If you still have time, be sure to visit the Rawlings State Park, a mile or so down the road, which preserves the home and yard she made famous in her writings.

Let me know if you head that way and see the bison. Here’s hoping you are as lucky as I was, or even luckier if they are close to the observation point. Have fun!

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. patandbucko@yahoo.com