Category: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Bald Eagles are returning to Florida, and so are other birds

Roger Simmons, October 2, 2026October 2, 2026

Yes, they live in Florida year-round, but during the summer Bald Eagles seem to be scarce across our region.

Roger Simmons, September 30, 2026September 30, 2026

Development has destroyed many areas of Scrub-Jays’ habitat, and that’s the primary reason they’re listed as a threatened species.

Roger Simmons, September 23, 2026September 23, 2026

Whether it’s the slow season or time for migration, the expansive national wildlife refuge offers a lot of birds to photograph.

Roger Simmons, September 21, 2026September 21, 2026

Lately I’ve noticed that some of my pictures look better when I am not too zoomed in on the birds I was photographing.

Roger Simmons, September 16, 2026September 15, 2026

Great Blue Herons are notorious omnivores, eating mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish — and, yes, stingrays.

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.