January 31, 2017

FLORIDA BIRDS ~ Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

When I lived in East Central Florida, ten years where spent in Cocoa and ten years were spent living on Merritt Island.  I cannot count the number of times over those years that I drove the Black Point Wildlife Drive at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.  I drove it in all seasons, at all times of day ~ at sunrise, at sunset.  I drove through when it was overflowing and flooded from tropical storms and I drove through during times when the marshes were little but dry mud flats.  It was a changing landscape of plant life, an abundance of water birds, alligator moving slowly from wind swept marsh grass in search of a spot to sun themselves.
Last weekend, before my flight home to Maryland, we enjoyed yet one more drive here.  A brisk, light jacket kind of day under a sun filled blue sky.  The waters were high.  The air to chilled for alligators this day, but the birds were out, everywhere, busy with morning fishing.  If you'd like to read more about the refuge, click here.





26 comments:

  1. Great pictures of the birds. They are all so pretty. I remember seeing all of them in Charleston when I lived there.

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  2. What beautiful birds - at a park that shares the Man's last name . . . .

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  3. Gorgeous birds! Those are ones we would never see up here.

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  4. Beautiful. Glad you got to drive through again

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  5. Merritt Island was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Palm Bay.
    The Egrets were always interesting to watch. Sunday drives along Tropical Trail.
    Will never forget watching the sun rise out of the ocean.
    xo Linda and Astro

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  6. Bet you were glad that you didn't have to run from alligators!

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  7. That seems like a really special plce. We are telling our Aunt Susie (Mom of kitty Lucy In Disguise) who moved to FL to go visit.

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  8. What beautiful birds! These photos are just gorgeous.

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  9. Beautiful ! The biggest bird of that kind we see here is the grey heron. Purrs

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  10. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........

    =^..^=

    ☺☺☺♥♥♥

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  11. So gorgeous!! I love just love the coloring of the Roseate Spoonbill!
    Smileys!
    Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo

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  12. Thank you for showing us these fantastic photos of these beautiful birds

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  13. Crikey, Mum would be there every day if she loved nearby. She LOVES birds. Beautiful photos. Thankyou!!

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  14. Mom flew a corporate jet for a couple of years and her boss had a 115 foot Christensen yacht he kept in FLL. Rather than spend the money flying the jet home without him, Mom and her copilot would just hang out til he was ready to come home, sometimes just a weekend, sometimes a whole week They got to see SO much of Florida. What a beautiful place you live in. Abby Lab

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  15. WOW!
    That Roseate Spoonbill is beautiful!
    They are all lovely birds.

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  16. How beautiful!!! We can see why you enjoy visiting there so much. That spoonbill is gorgeous.

    Woos - Lightning and Misty

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  17. Ghostwriter can't wait to go to Florida next month and see all those birdies! Be sure you check out Flamingo Gardens near Boca Raton where you can feed the spoonbills and egrets and herons and pelicans and flamingos and peacocks right out of your hand.

    http://www.flamingogardens.org/

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  18. LOVE the Roseate Spoonbill!

    the critters in the cottage xo

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  19. I wish we lived somewhere as beautiful as that Ann.

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  20. Awesome captures!

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