Kevin M. invited me to go out photographing with him last weekend, but I begged off since Lynn and I had just returned from Pennsylvania and I was tired. Instead we went out on Friday to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Kevin K. was in town and he tagged along too. It’s been over six months since the three of us have been on a photo excursion together. Much too long!
We met way too early and car-pooled over, stopping at Titusville Marina Park for sunrise. Riding together is great for catching up with friends!
Dawn on the Indian River
Dawn was subdued until the sun actually rose, when the color finally popped. Photoshop and the Topaz Clarity plug-in might’ve helped nature out a little too.
We saw several other photographers (and non-photographers) also out too early.
Early start on a calm, lovely morning
In general, summer isn’t the best time of year to bird in Central Florida – but there are exceptions to every rule-of-thumb. For instance, Kathy B. found a Clapper Rail on Black Point at the end of June, and D. Cunningham enjoyed seeing the Swallow Tail Kites that visit us before heading to South America for the winter.
We didn’t spot any unusual birds on Friday, but we did enjoy photographing a few of the common ones. This “Swamp Chicken” was posing with its reflection in good light;
Common Gallinule
And so was this Tri-colored Heron:
Tri-colored Heron
… and this Green Heron too (although it wasn’t kind enough to include a reflection):
Green Heron
We’ve been having torrential rains nearly every afternoon. and the water is very high around Black Point. The St. Johns river is also high – the area around where it crosses SR 46 is flooded although it doesn’t come all the way up to the road. I hope we don’t get a hurricane any time soon – adding even more water could be dangerous.
And the rain has created a great environment for mosquitos – expect to get bit unless you wear some repellent.
One more (small, kind of sad) story. We saw two pigs at Black Point. The second was along the canal near the exit. I snapped a few photos of it and when I got home and looked at them the poor thing was obviously deformed. I don’t want to post my images, but if you’re curious, look at Kevin K’s photo. It doesn’t look like a recent injury – this little pig is a tough survivor. I wonder if it’s a birth defect or from an encounter with an alligator or other predator?
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!
©2018, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved
Storm clouds linger over the warm water overnight until the sun burns thru. The clouds make for great sunrises. I have to drive up there next weekend. Bringing the kayak. The redfish are feeding early in the morning. I cover myself as much as possible and wear repellent but nothing stops the mosquitos. The no see ums are the worst.
Hi Eduardo.
We do have lovely clouds here in Florida, don’t we?
And we have nasty biting bugs too. I always wear long sleeves / pants and a hat. I don’t like to spray insect repellent near my camera gear, so I often end up getting bitten anyway.
Good luck with the redfish. I’ve never fished for our caught any.
Another nice job Ed. I look forward to your adventures every Sunday…
Thanks, Chip. It’s motivating to know people enjoy the blog!
Always love Merritt Island in all the seasons. You sure captured some great images. Thank you for the Swallowtail Kites comment. I had a great guide show me where they were! They were defiantly fun to see!
Thanks Dorothy. Looks like you had a great trip too!
Well, Ed, I just found your blog and will now be busy reviewing your posts from the past!
Very nice series of images here! Love that first sunrise over the river shot. Lovely! All the bird photos remind me how long it’s been since I trekked across the state to visit Merritt Island. Way too long!
Thank you for sharing the beauty you encountered. I look forward to more.
Wally
Lakeland, FL
Thanks for leaving such a nice comment, Wally.
I hadn’t found your blog either until this morning – I’m going to explore your posts too.
MINWR is a favorite spot for me. I’m lucky that it’s only 35 – 40 minutes away. I really like Circle B Bar Reserve over near you, but that’s a much longer drive and I don’t make it often enough.
Thanks again for stopping by!
Ed
Ed… Great images! I love the Florida coast and try to explore once a year. I’ve done the Kennedy Space Center tour but now I want to explore the Merritt Island Refuge.
Thank you Mike. We have some wonderful photo ops down here!