BIRDING TO THE EDG

One northern boy would think that wintertime in Florida would be warm. Well, think again! Despite the normal WARMER weather that would occur at this time of year today was gusting with wind. I was joined by fellow Nikon prostaffer, Tom Dunkerton of Titusville, Florida on this difficult day of birding. We started out the day with a trip to Marl Bed Flats. The birding was rather slow despite a flock of 350 American Pipits in the barren field adjacent to Lake Jessup. After visiting this area we opted for birding on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in hopes of easier viewing through the gusts of wind. Above I had photographed one of many Bald Eagles seen throughout the day. Given the fact that adults have white heads and tails this seems to be a young bird. Bald eagles go through successional stages to reach maturity with more white being present each year of life. This is a very dark bird and seems to be first-year bird. Notice the white under the armpits (axillaries)! Second and third-year birds would exhibit more white on the chest.

Little Blue Herons are some of the many waders that can be seen through out the marshy refuge. Most of us are used to seeing the bluish/purple bodies the adults show with a bicolored bill. This is what an immature Little Blue Heron looks like. Completely white body with the same bicolored bill that the adults show. The lores are paler and the legs were a greenish color despite the photo not showing that detail very well.

Joining Little Blue Herons in the wader category are Wood Storks. These beauties have a bald black head, long flesh-colored bill, and contrasting black and white wings. These birds have a spotty range throughout the southeast United States though their highest breeding density resides right here in sunny Florida.

This one could barely stay on it's perch due to the winds! He was trying to balance as well as he could, but certainly was entertaining watching the stork sway back and forth.


We caught this guy peeking his head out of the wind as a result of some light pishing. This Savannah Sparrow is a small, dark sparrow with a short squared tail. Usually seen while flushed off the road in open areas. Fairly common around most of the United States in summer we would usually see a yellow lore that is missing in this guy. Notice the streaking limited to his chest and flanks.

We spent some good time hiking around the Scrub Palmetto habitat searching for various sparrows, but the windy atmosphere wasn't helping much. Winds like this cause birds to sit still and can really hurt the use of your auditory skills to locate the birds your looking for.


The areas surrounding these marshes at Merritt Island are thick with Wilson's Snipe. There is no other shorebird like it. They are thick bodied with long pointed wings. We can see here the long slightly curved bill and streaking on the head/back. While breeding, these birds can be very elusive, but can be flushed when your nearby. Their cryptic coloration helps with their hiding!

All photos were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens! Thanks for reading the post and we hope to see you back here.