Category: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Busy birding during slow summer season

Roger Simmons, July 11, 2026July 10, 2026

Among the locations I visited in June for these photos were Osceola County, Merritt Island, Lake Apopka, UCF and the Orlando Wetlands.

Roger Simmons, July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

At the start of the long Independence Day weekend, I decided to check in on the American Flamingos at Merritt Island.

Roger Simmons, June 14, 2026June 14, 2026

There were 10-12 flamingos the day before until military aircraft scared them and they flew away.

Roger Simmons, June 9, 2026June 9, 2026

While many migratory visitors have moved on, there is still a tremendous variety of birds to photograph across the area.

Roger Simmons, June 8, 2026June 9, 2026

Over the past several weeks, I photographed some Barred Owls, a Burrowing Owl and a red-morph Eastern Screech-Owl.

Roger Simmons, April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

I’ve previously only taken still images of these amazing pink birds, who have been hanging around Merritt Island since 2023.

Roger Simmons, April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

There were just nine American Flamingos when I last visited the refuge on March 27, but there are way more now.

Roger Simmons, April 4, 2026April 4, 2026

It’s not like they actually left, but they seem to be in less remote parts of the 140,000-acre refuge.

Roger Simmons, March 7, 2026March 7, 2026

There’s been a colony of Black Skimmers hanging around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for a while.

Roger Simmons, March 7, 2026March 6, 2026

Brown Pelicans are here all the time, so I rarely bother to photograph them unless I see something special.