Green Heron

I am going to make this my last post related to my trip to Orlando. This is, I think, the last decent photo in the bunch. I may get some more photos in locally in the next couple of weeks, but the next big thing for me will be the 2007 ABA Convention in Lafayette Louisiana.

Back to this post. About halfway through the Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island NWR, I found this Green Heron perched on a drain looking for his lunch. I got a couple pictures of him before I spooked him to a nearby bush. Once in the bush, he still was very photogenic.

If you look at these pictures and wonder "Why is this bird called a 'Green' Heron?", then it would help you to know that there can be a patch of green on his back which you cannot see in these two pictures. In fact, they are sometimes called "Green Backed Heron". You may also see hints of green in his black cap and in his wings.

Sora

You don't see a Sora everyday.

I am still trudging through the photos that I took two weekends ago in the Orlando area. The last group of photos was actually not in Orlando, but near Titusville and Cape Canaveral, within Merritt Island NWR. If you like seeing wildlife, and you are visiting the eastern coast of Florida near Jacksonville or Orlando, then you should check out Merritt Island NWR. Its primary access to the public is the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, where you drive through the park.

While I was in Merritt Island NWR I saw lots of birds. I pulled my car over at one point so that I could take a look at some distant birds via my spotting scope when I heard an odd noise behind me in the underbrush on the other side of the drive. I left my scope and walked across the road so that I could find the source of that noise, and discovered a Sora creeping about in the bushes.

I was very excited to actually see a Sora. They are usually a bird that you only hear calling because their preferred habitat is wetlands with lots of vegetation. I was even more excited to have my camera in hand with the correct lens. Here are a few photos. Once you can tell his legs apart from the vegetation, be sure to appreciate his long toes.

Merritt Island NWR

Today I drove out to Titusville and visited Merritt Island NWR. Specifically, I drove the Black Point Wildlife Drive. This is a one-way gravel road that winds through the reserve. This is the second time I have visited Merritt Island. Tammy and I visited in January 2006. This is a fantastic bird watching destination. I highly recommend it to anyone in the vicinity.

The refuge was quite active today. There were lots of birds to be seen as well as lots of humans driving their cars on the wildlife loop. I guess it is very nice that the refuge is so accessible (as long as you have a car), but it can get a tad annoying always having to make sure your car is out of the way in the event that you want to stop and look at something (and I stop frequently). It seems like there is always someone behind you who wants to go faster, or get by you. But I can deal with that. The bird watching opportunities are just too many to let the other people bother you. Everyone else seemed to have good manners and I think I was always out of the way when I stopped to gawk at some bird.

I took lots of pictures. There were plenty of options to capture some bird in a picture. Since I have not been able to store any of the pictures I have already taken on this trip (they are all still on my memory card), I actually had to search through the pictures I had already taken to find and delete some garbage pictures (those that were obviously out of focus) to make room. At the end of the day, I had a completely full memory card. I think there are somewhere between 400 and 500 pictures on that card. When I get back home, I will have lots of work to do getting all those pictures stored away in their proper place. And once that is done I will post some of the pictures I like the best to this blog.

Tricolored Heron

This is a Tricolored Heron. Picture taken at Merritt Island NWR.

Creature

This is, I am assuming, some kind of turtle. I do not know the name of the species, but he is quite interesting looking. Especially that nose. This was taken in Merritt Island NWR.