So . . . I had always heard of the wonders of Merritt Island, Florida . . . and the great birds that I would see there. On a whim, and since my son and daughter-in-law live in Jacksonville, we made a journey south to the Mecca of Birds . . . and it was well worth the trip!! If you don’t believe me just look at the photo of the group of birds . . . the cluster with the Rosetta Spoonbill, the Snowy Egret, the Great White Heron, the White Ibis and the Wood Stork . . . all standing amidst a flock of one hundred birds all like them. For me . . . it was almost Nirvana!!
We spent the entire day driving through miles of wetland, seeing glimpses of individual birds as they shot by (like the Little Green Heron imitating a rocket) and in clusters (like the Snowy Egret experiencing the horrible hair day!)
And I had never experienced Rosetta Spoonbills with such brilliant colors . . . only to learn that this is the mating plumage (which I had never seen because to the best of my knowledge Spoonbills do not breed in South Carolina!) Here is another picture of them.
I am going back soon . . . well at least as soon as the weather allows . . . and I will post more as when I return. Until then have a great day!!