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I drove over to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last Friday to scout for new places to launch my kayak. I’d never been to the Beacon 42, boat ramp before, so I stopped there first.
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Weekend with Wilson
Kevin M. has been using the Audubon Birds of North America app, which has links to bird sightings on eBird. With this, you can search for nearby birds, activity at birding hotspots, and even see reports of recent notable and rare bird sightings. Using the app, he discovered that Wilson’s Pharalopes were on Bio-lab road at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge last week, so we decided to try to spot them.
Central Florida Bird update
The spring migration has made the last few weeks an intense time for birding in Central Florida. There was a fall out in Fort Desoto in late April where my friend Kevin M. sighted 110 different bird species in one day! As those migrants moved on, other locations have also seen quite a few visitors, especially smaller birds.
The activity at Blackpoint Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Orlando Wetlands Park, and Viera Wetlands is slowing down from the peak nesting and breeding season. Most of the young ones are hatched, grown, and fledged, although you can still find some amazing sights such as a White Eyed Vireo nest next to the boardwalk at the MINWR visitors center.
MINWR is a big place!
The more I learn about Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the bigger and better it seems. I’ve been visiting Blackpoint Wildlife Drive for several years, but only recently started exploring other locations in the Refuge . If you only have a short time to visit, Blackpoint’s a great place to see – but there’s so much more. If you have time, visit East Gator Creek Road, Shiloh Marsh Road, Bio-Lab Road, Scrub Ridge Trail and other areas.
A summertime visit to MINWR – Black Point and Scrub Ridge Trail
A few of us visited Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge yesterday for the first time in a while. We wanted to see what’s going on at Blackpoint Wildlife Drive and Scrub Ridge Trail.
Fewer Birds – Follow-up
An update on American Avocet numbers
Fewer birds?
I was browsing through my photo archives last week and came across an unprocessed RAW image of an American Avocet and its reflection. I thought it had potential so I went ahead and worked on it. American Avocet I made this in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on March 3, 2015. It got me thinking … Continue reading Fewer birds?
So long IR, and thanks for all the memories
I’ve been interested in infrared photography for a long time. I first attempted it sometime in the 1980s using black and white IR film. The results weren’t very good. Focus and exposure using IR film was a challenge back in ancient times. One of my first digital cameras was a Minolta DiMage 7Hi and in … Continue reading So long IR, and thanks for all the memories
My Favorite Bridge
The A. Max Brewer Bridge over the Indian River is my favorite. Not for how it looks (it does look nice!) but because it leads to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. My favorite bridge Here are a few things I was fortunate to see the last time I crossed over. This flock flying over … Continue reading My Favorite Bridge
A Few More Photos
I really enjoyed my first visit of the year to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge a few weeks ago. Here are some more of those photos that haven’t been on the blog before. The view that morning looking south east from under the Max Brewer Memorial Causeway bridge was lovely. I made several frames – … Continue reading A Few More Photos