It’s one of my most un-favorite times of the year – when the temperatures start soaring and the number of migrating birds starts dropping.
Fortunately, I live in a great spot for year-round birding with places such as the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge nearby.
A recent trip to MINWR turned up only one straggler for migration season – a Solitary Sandpiper (how appropriate!). The other birds were “regulars” who hang around the refuge all year – and I am thankful for that.
But even with these very familiar birds, I do find entertaining moments photographing them, as you will see below.
Juvenile Little Blue Heron, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Juvenile Little Blue Heron, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Green Heron with a shrimp, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Green Heron loses its shrimp – which flies over the bird’s head, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Juvenile White Ibis with a catch, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Tricolored Heron with a catch, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.A very disheveled looking Tricolored Heron, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Roseate Spoonbill, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Roseate Spoonbill, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Northern Flicker, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Northern Flicker, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Solitary Sandpiper, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Solitary Sandpiper, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Solitary Sandpiper, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.When there aren’t birds, how about butterflies? Southern White Butterfly, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.
My most recent trip to the Orlando Wetlands on Sunday, August 6, started by spotting a group of 16 (!) baby Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and ended with photographs of an elusive Belted Kingfisher.
The small part that I did see was impressive – a great pond with lots of wading birds and a rookery for egrets and other birds. An adult and juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron flew overhead, and a pair of Roseate Spoonbills were hanging around.
