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.
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.
