One of the volunteers at Merritt Island encouraged me to make the 2-hour trip again today, only to visit the Lake Woodruff NWR instead. She said that the both the pileated woodpeckers and swallowtail kites were abundant and that babies had been spotted. Despite being tired from yesterday and not looking forward to another long drive, I loaded up and headed out. When I arrived at the Visitor’s Center, there was my friend from Merritt. She and her husband just moved onto the property. She gave me the scoop and also let me know that even the alligators were hatching early. Excited to see what was in store, I hopped back in the car and drove the next 1-2 miles to the first parking lot, for the Mayaka Loop. As I was unloading, I was pleasantly surprised by the sounds and sights of my beloved pileated woodpecker! There were two of them right at the edge of the parking lot. The lighting really wasn’t working with me and to be honest, I could barely see them against the trees. Fortunately, the Sony saw a lot better than I did. I was surprised when I got home and could actually make […]
Or maybe Space Coast. Faced with a long, holiday weekend, I decided it would be good to rent a supertelephoto lens. I got my hands on the Sony 200-600 and I have to say that it’s a beast. I hopped in the car, pointed it south, and drove for two hours until I reached the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The NWR borders Kennedy Space Center and the Canaveral National Seashore. I stopped at the makeshift Visitor’s Center (the real one is undergoing construction) and the ladies were very helpful. They told me which areas to visit for certain animals and gave me a great route to take. I was surprised that most of the trails are hard-packed road so you drive most of the time. I turned left right out of the parking lot onto my first loop, Gator Creek. While I didn’t see any gators, I did see some birds right off the bat. They didn’t seem too bothered by my presence. I left Gator Creek and headed towards the Seashore, turning off onto Black Point Wildlife Drive. This is a very nice, 7-mile drive with a nice brochure and numbered stops to tell you about the area. […]
