In the past Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge has had good activity during the months of Jan-March, but this year it started early. The ducks started to arrive, then the roseate spoonbills, avocets, reddish egrets and the like.
Also, a local favorite gave us some really nice photo ops by staying in the same place, with predictable perches, a male belted kingfisher. Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 and consists of 140,000 acres of water and marshes adjacent to Cape Canaveral. Today the northern half of the refuge, about 20 miles of the 35 mile long refuge is open to the public.
It is well worth a visit for anyone interested in viewing some of Florida’s precious wildlife! Most all of the areas are accessible by car. The most popular road is Black Point Drive. For more information about the refuge, and a map, just click on this link http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/Index.html. Here are just a few of the species that can be found now around the refuge.
Nancy Elwood
Nancy Elwood is a Florida based professional nature and wildlife photographer. Her interest in the natural world started as a child reading and watching National Geographic. After graduating from Florida State University School of Nursing, she developed her interest in photography travelling with several National Geographic photographers to Africa, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. With them she started to hone her skills in capturing natures wonders through a camera lens. Nancy now, when not in the field, shows her work in juried art shows and runs photography workshops.
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