It seems that every time I visit the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, be it summer or winter, hot or cold, rain or shine, I am greeted by a great egret at the beginning of the Black Point Wildlife Drive. Photographers love this place because the wading birds, for the most part, seem nonplussed by the passing of cars.
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This great egret, busy with the task of hunting its breakfast just before sunrise, walks right on by with barely a quick turn of its head.
Around the first curve in the dirt road, a tri-colored heron busily stalks its morning meal.
Reflected in the calm shallows of the marsh, this tri-colored appears to be bracing himself against the cold.
Not far from the herons, a group of white and glossy ibis busily hunt the shallows, just as the sun rises above the horizon and begins to light the grasses of the marsh.
A snowy egret lands alongside a glossy ibis, who quickens his pace. The sun highlights the translucence of the egret's flight feathers.
Several great blue herons live in the marshes; they are, however, not as approachable as some of the other large wading birds.
In January, a flock of white pelicans inhabits the marshland along Black Point Drive.
This link will take you to more pictures (p. 2) from January of 2006 on Merritt Island:
alligators, turnstones, vultures, cranes, and more!
