Pelicans, terns mark change of seasons on Merritt Island

As I near the end of my second year of birding, I’m noticing how birds are part of seasonal changes. Like the return of American White Pelicans, Forster’s Terns and Caspian Terns to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for the start of winter.

I took trip along Black Point Wildlife Drive and Shiloh Marsh Road a few days before Christmas, and they were packed with so many birds who have arrived for the winter. The pelicans and terns stood out to me, but there were also snipes and an incredible number of ducks who have joined the year-round residents.

Hundreds of birds were all fishing or resting in one big pond at Black Point when something startled them — and they all took off flying at the same time. It was an incredible sight to see so many different birds in the air at once.