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. This was a nice, slow ride and the birds cooperated for the most part.

There was an abundance of herons, egrets, and ibis of different varieties. I always love to see red-winged blackbirds as well. After constantly confusing them, I think I’ve finally figured out the difference between the cormorant and anhinga. Here’s a cormorant.

As I approached stop 9, the trailhead for the Cruikshank Trail, I spotted what would become my favorite moment…a large heron trying to figure out how he was going to eat his massive catfish. I watched for several minutes before leaving him to his adventure. I wonder if he ever figured it out.

Be aware that this is one of the only places you’ll find a restroom as well. So plan wisely. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much activity around here. I did walk out to the observation tower but there wasn’t a thing to look at aside from the nice landscape. It was incredibly hot as well so I made it a quick stop and headed back to the car to crank up the AC.

After leaving the first drive, I headed to the manatee overlook at Haulover Canal. It was a great time! There were 4-5 manatees crowded into a small area where they were playing and using a downed tree to scratch themselves. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to get a good picture. They were having such a good time that the water was very churned up. I was hoping to capture their faces but they’d only expose the very tip with their nostrils. This is about as good as it gets. But at least they were having fun. Most of them were relatively young, including this one. It’s sad to see the marks from boat propellers already.

The manatees all headed out into the canal so I hopped back in the car for Bio Lab Rd. They told me at the Visitor’s Center they call this “reptile road”. I had high hopes, but the only reptiles I saw were a couple of black racer snakes. It’s a pretty slow drive. It’s all rough with a lot of holes to avoid. Unfortunately, there were some vehicles in front of me at the end and I realized we were locked in. The rangers had locked the gate because the beach had reached capacity. I called the Visitor’s Center and they told me there was no telling when it would be unlocked so I should drive back. I wasn’t looking forward to it. So close, yet so far away.

Aside from being Memorial Day weekend, it turns out there was a Starlink launch as well. I had no idea until I was driving down the road and saw something in the air trailing a long flame. It was pretty cool to watch.

I had planned to hike two trails, the Oak and Pine Hammock trails, but there were storms brewing. I looked at the threatening skies and decided to head home. All in all, it was a great day. I didn’t quite see as much as I would’ve liked but it was a nice change. The lens did great, even though I don’t think that’s represented here. I think the images are getting compressed.

I stopped for gas and before I made it, the bottom fell out. The rain was heavy and the lightning was way too close for comfort. I definitely made the right choice. I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the trail. When I came out of the station, it was starting to hail. I faced more heavy rain a couple more times on the way home and it turns out I was surrounded by severe cells.

If you ever find yourself on the Space Coast with some time to kill, check out this great natural resource.