Merritt Island NWR

Since the beginning of the trip, Merritt Island loomed in my imagination as the real "magic kingdom," possibly the best birding spot on the East Coast. My extremely perceptive and gracious wife allowed me to drag the whole family along on the last day of our vacation (my argument--it was kind of on the way to the airport, in a very roundabout way).

We started out on the famous Black Point Drive, a kind of safari for birds. Immediately, something felt wrong. There was no water, the ground was parched. It hadn't rained in some time (good for Disney World, bad for marsh birding). End of April is also off-season. The winter spectacular was over. So it took a few stops to actually see something. And then I did--a good one.

This tri-colored heron (in breeding plumage) was stalking small fish along a narrow stream, crouching down to water-level and then springing forward to catch its prey.



And then around the corner, a standing pond, which had attracted a host of dunlin, a roseate spoonbill (swinging its bill from side to side in the water),

and a little upsteam, an elegant black-necked stilt.

And there was a young little blue heron (they start out white and get darker and darker).

Capping off the safari feel, a gopher tortoise, strolling slowly down the road. We stopped, rolled down the window, took the picture, and moved on.


At this point, the rest of the family abandoned me to search for sustenance (in sad little Titusville) and to check out the beach. I was left alone for a couple of hours to roam the woods. Specifically, the palm and oak hummock trails. Brown anoles (the invasive competitor of the native green anole) were everywhere. And not a lot else. I decided just to soak in the environment, which, in the palm area particularly, was quite impressive.


The oak hummock trail is a short, well-maintained "interpretive" trail equipped with many benches for relaxation. I sat for a little bit. I heard some rustling, turned around, and there was an armadillo.

And then I heard a warbler trill, looked up and spotted this--a northern parula. (Bad photo but a definite positive ID).

I know I just scratched the surface of this wonderful place but I'm grateful to have had even that chance. Thanks, family. Let's do this again, soon!