Merritt Island NWR, 2/18/2012

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American Avocet
It was a pretty good day at Merritt Island this morning.  I thought it was going to be dreary and cloudy all day, but by the time I arrived on the island, the lighting was pretty good, and there was no wind, so the reflections were nearly perfect.  For me, there's nothing better than a good bird photo with its own reflection. I first went to the Max Brewer Causeway and found some Ruddy Turnstones and plenty of gulls (almost all Ring-billed).  I then went to Pumphouse Rd and found many more gulls, and I think there was a competition for who could make the most noise.  Several Black Skimmers were there too.  It was also fun to see a few Savannah Sparrows and a Swamp Sparrow there.  From there I went to Blackpoint Dr.  It was nice to see ducks relatively close to shore--I took my best Redhead Duck photos this morning, and there were also several Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Ducks close to shore.  Then the American Avocet came out to play, and they were very fun to watch.  From there I went to Scrub Ridge Trail, where I saw one Florida Scrub Jay, found a nice Gray Catbird eating and heard a couple Eastern Towhee, though sadly none posed for a photograph.

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Tricolored Heron
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White Ibis
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Redhead Duck
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American Avocet
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Eastern Meadowlark

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Gray Catbird
Throughout the day, I also found several other animals and plants that were interesting.  I found a Florida Box Turtle, four River Otters, and a very pretty flower that I think is a Saltmarsh Mallow (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong).  All in all, it was a pretty good morning.

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River Otter
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Saltmarsh Mallow?
Here's a list of species I found on the island:

Non-Birds
River Otters 4
Florida Box Turtle 1
American Alligator X
Gulf-Fritillary Butterfly 1

Birds
Blue-winged Teal X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Redhead 1
Ring-necked Duck 3
Lesser Scaup 15
Hooded Merganser 3
Pied-billed Grebe 7
Wood Stork 5
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Anhinga 2
American White Pelican 2
Brown Pelican 1
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 11
Snowy Egret 7
Little Blue Heron 1
Tricolored Heron 11
Reddish Egret 5
Green Heron 1
White Ibis 5
Glossy Ibis 1
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey 9
Bald Eagle 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Kestrel 5
Common Gallinule 2
American Coot 100
Black-bellied Plover 5
Killdeer 1
American Avocet 100
Willet 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 3
Ruddy Turnstone 7
Dunlin 45
Laughing Gull 25
Ring-billed Gull 300
Herring Gull 10
Forster's Tern 1
Black Skimmer 13
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 3
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Loggerhead Shrike 2
Florida Scrub-Jay 1
Fish Crow X
Tree Swallow X
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 3
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Palm Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
Eastern Towhee 2
Savannah Sparrow 13
Swamp Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird X
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Common Grackle X
Boat-tailed Grackle X

Comments

  1. Every photo is great, but the first Avocets & the heron w/ the beautiful water on its beak are breathtaking! Also love the Ibis in the mirror!

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  2. Fantastic! What a super day of birding, and as always you've captured so many of its wonderful aspects so well.

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  3. Looks like an outstanding day! The Tricolored Heron and Ibis reflection photos are perfect! The Avocets are beautiful, I hope to catch them on one of my visits!

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    1. Thanks, Tammy! I'm sure you'll catch them there soon.

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  4. Can I ask where exactly you saw the otters? I have yet to see any apart from the pair that ran across the road one morning last year as I drove my daughter to school!

    Can I also ask what lens you use? Your photos are so crisp and that's something I never am able to achieve with my telephoto lens. I'm thinking it's me and not my lens though, LoL.

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    1. Kathy, thanks so much for the compliments! I saw otters in two places. This photo comes from near the end of Blackpoint Drive, shortly before the dirt road turns to paved. I saw three earlier by the right hand side of the road between the two parking lots. Hope that helps!

      I use a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 lens. With wildlife photography, sometimes it really is "the lens" and not you, especially when shooting at a significant distance.

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  5. That is the most beautiful pic I have seen featuring an Ibis. Amazing!!!!

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  6. Darn, I go there quite often, guess I'll have to just keep my eyes peeled. Took a drive over to Orlando yesterday to check out Mead & Leu Gardens. So a cute little pair of wood ducks at Mead so it was worth the trip! Thanks for the reply and the suggestions!

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    1. I love Mead Gardens. There's a pair of wood ducks there almost every time, and they always make it worth the trip.

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  7. Scott,

    Thanks for your wonderful posts with such great information. I was able to see the Redhead duck yesterday and I knew to watch for it because I read about it here.

    Ed

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  8. EXCELLENT work! Some of those birds look like they are almost ready to fly off the image and through my computer!

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