The Little Nuthatch — american avocet
Black Point Drive.
american avocet hooded merganser little blue heron merritt island nwr roseate spoonbill wood stork
I took a brief ride down Black Point Drive at Merritt Island NWR recently and said hello to some of my Winter (or all year!) favorites. Hooded Mergansers: Wood Stork: The elegant American Avocets: Roseate Spoonbill: Juvenile Little Blue Heron:
A cold and windy morning.
alligator american avocet american white pelican canaveral national seashore gopher tortoise merritt island nwr north carolina raccoon tri-colored heron white ibis
On Wednesday a cold front rolled in, bringing clouds and wind up to 30 mph. I had the day off so I headed out to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for the sunrise. With the cloud cover it was no great sunrise, but it was still incredibly beautiful. The wind!! I often see wild boar in the water, but seeing a raccoon was a first for me.
Winter at MINWR.
american avocet american robin eastern phoebe merritt island nwr north carolina peregrine falcon sora wilson's snipe
Well, I just posted about finishing painting all the birds from the Merritt Island NWR bird checklist. Now I am going to share some photos from my last trip over there. Can you see why I love the place so much? Wilson's Snipe American Avocet Peregrine Falcon Eastern Phoebe American Kestrel Sora American Robin Osprey
Oh, the plumage.
american avocet american white pelican cattle egret eastern kingbird great blue heron merritt island nwr mushrooms roseate spoonbill snowy egret white ibis
From Merritt Island last weekend... Snowy Egret Cattle Egret White Ibis Roseate Spoonbill American White Pelicans American Avocets Great White Heron Great Blue Heron Sora Eastern Kingbird
A "quick" drive on Black Point.
american avocet merritt island nwr northern shoveler roseate spoonbill
The beauty of Merritt Island never fails! I can not tire of it. This week there was a new addition, a very large colony of Avocets. I love them, they are such elegant birds. And then ducks, so many the water seems to be COVERED in feathers from their preening!