14 March 2026 Sanford: The Birds of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

 

This area is one of Florida's premier birding locations with 330 recorded species just last year.  There is a seven mile loop that birders can drive, the Black Point Wildlife Drive.  We drove it slowly and then we drove it again.  This is where we saw the "dancing" reddish egrets.  There is also a Wild Bird Trail with elevated hides and a long walkway.  We also drove Gator Creek Road along another driving bird trail.  I got photos of hundreds of birds, including 24 different species.  Of those eight were new to my lifelist.  But first things first, we stopped for some breakfast before heading over to the mainland.  First we had to drive north to New Smyrna Beach and then south to Titusville and then cross back over to the barrier islands.  That took a bit but once we got to the bird trail we started seeing birds immediately.  We had a blast and even picked up a hitch hiker bird that landed on our windshield wiper and rode along with us for a while.  

The wind is still blowing

No baptisms today

The big bridge ahead will  get us out of Titusville

Back over to the barrier islands

Almost there

Oriented 

Tada!

Gators may be the reasoning for making this a drive through bird area

We pulled over multiple times to let those folks that were in a hurry pass

Little blue heron

Reddish Egret lifebird #1

A beautiful bird greeting us

Landing on our car, this boat tailed grackle made us laugh

https://youtube.com/shorts/mOE0w3hGqas

This grackle adopted us

https://youtube.com/shorts/KuOxMRVAMz8

He even hung on while we drove off

https://youtube.com/shorts/CpQ-w6k0KP0

Two birds with one shot.  A pied billed grebe and a great blue heron

Great Blue Heron with an itch

Greater Yellowlegs Lifebird #2

Foster's Tern lifebird #3

Stilt Sandpiper lifebird #4

Least Sandpiper lifebird #5

Willet lifebird #6

Western Cattle Egret lifebird #7

Green Heron checking out the tunnle

No no no no 

Nice reflections

Mudflat baby!

Time to walk a bit

The trail was easy

Anhinga

Northern Harrier lifebird #8

One leg

The blue winged teal are napping

Little egret ready to stab

The old shuttle building

Northern shovelers

Madam heron and her gallinule friends

Mottled ducks

Tricolor and blue herons

Everybody head right!

Rosette spoonbill

Stick Man!

El Gator

Pony tail time

Red bellied woodpecker

Anybody want to guess?

Hundreds of cormorants

Out of town, heading north!

 It has been 3 years and 281 days since we began our Migration

14 March 2026 Sanford: Sail Out of the Mosquito Lagoon

 

We popped up early, 7:30 AM. and since there was a fair wind and sun we decided to bolt for the take out.  We made no real breakfast.  A square or two of chocolate was enough to keep us working through the camp breakdown and boat loading.  The temperature was a delightful low 70's and the breeze was just enough to sail in but not too much to give us any trouble.  We avoided the main channel completely and sailed along behind the smaller islands that lined our way to the boat ramp.  Ken suggested that we try to beef up the paddles with some gorilla tape, but that proved ineffective.  So it was sail and kayak paddle for all the way back to the boat ramp.  We were sailing by 8 and packed up and in the car by 9:30.  Our next destination was the drive through bird trail on Merritt Island

Still very early

Lets try to fix these paddles

All taped up

Still a bit hungry

Cracked nail!

A gull billed tern

The sun is coming up

Snaking our was through these little islands

All smiles!

We will avoid the main channel

Helicopters aloft

Vultures on the ground

Docked and unloaded

As if!

 It has been 3 years and 281 days since we began our Migration