Merritt Island, 12/26/2011

Great Egret

Yesterday I went to Merritt Island with my son, and we went to the Pumphouse Loop, Blackpoint Dr., and Biolab Rd.  We first went to the Pumphouse Loop. Things were pretty slow here. Highlights for me were 11 Bufflehead off in the distance, 20 American Avocet, and numerous Willet, Dunlin, Short-Billed Dowitchers, and Laughing Gulls.  We also saw flyovers of Reddish Egrets and Hooded Mergensers.  On a sadder note, we saw one dead coot and one dead vulture on the ground, uneaten.  I have no idea what happened to them.

Laughing Gulls

Next we went to Blackpoint Drive.  Things picked up significantly here.  We saw a hundreds of American Widgeon and Northern Pintail in flight, though they were too far away for me to see if there were any Eurasion Widgeons in the mix.  At the first parking lot there were hundreds of shorebirds, mostly Dunlin, but there were many Black-Bellied Plover, American Avocet, Willet, with a few Dowitchers, at least 5 Lesser Yellowlegs and 1 Ruddy Turnstone in the mix.  We also saw several Northern Shoveler up close.  We saw 5 Reddish Egrets, 1 of which was a white morph, the first I've ever seen.

Black-Bellied Plover

Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret (white morph)

We then went to Biolab Rd.  We drove much faster than I would have liked, since we didn't have much time.  Accordingly, we didn't see a whole lot, other than a smattering of shorebirds and pelicans.  However, I did see a rail, and I'm pretty sure it was a Sora.  I noticed it as the noise from another truck spooked it, and it flew under the brush, never to be seen again.  I did hear its call, though, and it sounded like a Sora.

Kildeer

Here's a list of of species we saw yesterday:

Pumphouse Loop
Blue-winged Teal 3
Lesser Scaup 5
Bufflehead 11
Hooded Merganser 3
Pied-billed Grebe X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Anhinga X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Little Blue Heron X
Tricolored Heron X
Reddish Egret 3
Green Heron 1
White Ibis X
Glossy Ibis X
Roseate Spoonbill 1
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey 3
American Coot X
American Avocet 20
Willet X
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Dunlin X
Short-billed Dowitcher X
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Common Tern 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Tree Swallow X
Northern Mockingbird 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Red-winged Blackbird X

Boat-tailed Grackle X 

Blackpoint Dr
American Wigeon X
Blue-winged Teal X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Ring-necked Duck X
Lesser Scaup X
Hooded Merganser X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Wood Stork X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Anhinga X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Little Blue Heron X
Tricolored Heron X
Reddish Egret 5
Green Heron 1
White Ibis X
Glossy Ibis X
Roseate Spoonbill 1
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey 3
Northern Harrier 1
American Coot X
Black-bellied Plover X
Killdeer 1
American Avocet 5
Willet X
Lesser Yellowlegs X
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Dunlin X
Short-billed Dowitcher X 

Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon 1
Fish Crow X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Boat-tailed Grackle X

Biolab Rd
Pied-billed Grebe X
Wood Stork X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Anhinga X
American White Pelican 3
Brown Pelican 4
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Sora 1
Killdeer X
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Willet X
Sanderling X
Dunlin X
Short-billed Dowitcher X
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Red-winged Blackbird X