It was great to see Caspian Terns again along the Black Point Wildlife Drive at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
I love to watch these largest members of the tern family dive into the water, hoping to make a big catch. What was really interesting during my Sunday Nov. 16 visit was a different behavior one of the juvenile terns exhibited.
It was acting more like a Black Skimmer — skimming across the top of the water with its beak in the water hoping to grab a fish. It didn’t work — as best I can tell. So it went back to its traditional form of fishing, which was a success.
Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.Black Skimmer, Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island, February 2024.Caspian Tern, Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, November 2025.
It was a windy, cloudy Saturday when my wife Lisa and I decided to visit the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, but we had a goal in mind: Try to see a Painted Bunting.
