This pair of young Roseate Spoonbills looked quite relaxed as they strolled through the marsh at Merritt Island NWR. These unique pink wading birds use their spatula-shaped bills for foraging in the shallow water, catching their prey by tactolocation.Audubon.org calls Roseate Spoonbills “Gorgeous at a distance and bizarre up close.” The young Rosies are distinguished from older […]
Tag Archives: Merritt Island NWR
I was all alone on Black Point Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge one recent chilly morning, when this lone White Pelican suddenly swooped in overhead.As they migrate south over Florida during the winter, these huge Pelicans are most often seen in groups, sometimes filling the sky as massive flocks glide by over the water. With a […]
This charmer was seen wading – and posing – at Merritt Island NWR. Of the world’s six species of Spoonbills, the uniquely beautiful Roseate Spoonbill is the only one found in North America – and the only one that is pink! Like many other wading birds, Roseate Spoonbills were victims of the plume hunting trade in the […]
I recently posted about the heavenly Roseate Spoonbills, and the elusive Florida Scrub Jays we saw at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Now I must include one last post about this natural treasure. We saw Northern Shovelers, Avocets, Greater Yellowlegs, and more – What a visual feast! And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, scores […]
When I first moved to Florida, I thought surely some of the Blue Jays in our local preserves were actually Scrub Jays – they just looked so much gentler and prettier than Blue Jays in New York! But I was wrong . . . This is a post about the REAL Florida Scrub Jays, and […]
Birder's Journey 