I am behind in posting photos from some of my birding adventures, including these from back in May on Merritt Island.
They include photos of some of my favorite birds, including Reddish Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and Killdeers. I also saw — at a very far distance — a white morph of a Reddish Egret in Gator Creek. I wish it had been closer!
Most of these photos were taken at Black Point Wildlife Drive or Bio Lab Road, two of my go-to spots for birding at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Reddish Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Reddish Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Reddish Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Reddish Egret White Morph, Gator Creek on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Reddish Egret White Morph, Gator Creek on 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.Killdeer, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Killdeer, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Semipalmated Plovers, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Semipalmated Plover, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Snowy Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Snowy Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Snowy Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.Juvenile Little Blue Heron, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, May 2025.
The variety of birds and other wildlife that you can see at Lake Apopka is pretty amazing, especially considering its sorry state just a few years ago.
I visited near sunset on Tuesday and ended up seeing three sets of youngsters – baby Roseate Spoonbills, baby Great Egrets and, of course, Sandhill Crane colts.
