Saturday, September 15, 2012

MINWR 9/15/12

I had a hard time deciding where to go this morning...a nice sunrise at Jetty Park or Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, but we decided on the refuge. As we approached our exit on the highway, some large storm clouds appeared along with some rain. I had a feeling it wasn't going to last, and thankfully it didn't.


Luckily for us, with the rain, comes rainbows. And we saw a bunch of rainbows this morning!


We headed out to the shore first, but things were pretty quiet there. I had hoped to see some Black-bellied Plovers, but once again, they were not there.

Ruddy Turnstone

But there were several Ruddy Turnstones foraging in the sand.

Sanderling

And this sweet little Sanderling preening in the sand.

Dragonhunter

This dragonfly was resting along the sea grape plants. After the beach, we decided to make a loop through Black Point Drive. It was pretty quiet there as well. We saw plenty of herons and egrets. We saw 2 Reddish Egrets which are always fun to watch.


Finally, from quite a distance, we saw some of the plovers we were looking for. In this area, we saw the largest number of birds. There were Black-bellied Plovers, Willets, a Caspian Tern, Black Skimmers, Forster's Terns, Laughing Gulls, some Blue-winged Teals, and probably a few others that we missed.

Turkey Vulture

On the way home, we drove along the edge of the causeway where there were numerous Turkey and Black Vultures scuffling over a small dead fish.

Turkey & Black Vulture

I loved the look on the Turkey Vulture's face when the Black Vulture took its food. It looked as if to say..."hey, I had that first!!!".

juvenile Black Vulture

Little did they know, this juvenile Black Vulture was sitting on a jackpot just up the shore.

Dowitcher

We also saw two Dowitchers, which I think were Long-billed....We made one more stop at another small park on the way home.

Northern Mockingbird

We saw some interesting interactions between this Mockingbird and a Brown Thrasher.


The two were attempting to occupy the same tree, but the Mockingbird was not pleased about that.


The moment the thrasher would come out of the brush, the mocker would attack him.


The Thrasher didn't give up though. It kept trying to claim an upper branch. This is about as far as it got.

Loggerhead Shrike 

This shrike was observing the action from the next tree over, wondering what all the fuss was about...

Hope you're having a great weekend:)

47 comments:

  1. Hi Tammy!!!.. Stunning pictures.. Beautiful landscape and birds.. Cheers!!!

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  2. all great shots, once again! really like the juvenile black vulture. had one here yesterday and just marveled at how dark his head was. :)

    the dowitcher is really pretty, too, as are the black-bellied plovers (even from further away).

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  3. Just wonderful shots! Love the vulture with the fish. I wonder how long he kept that find quiet.

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  4. Oh, Tammy, as usual your photos are all of supreme quality. That sanderling, especially, is a show stopper!

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  5. What a neat variety of birds today. Love the little vulture. and the Sanderling.

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  6. Gorgeous photos Tammy. I love Merrit Island! Gorgeous Photography as always!

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  7. Loggerhead Shrike!!!! Love these birds....I've only seen one once and it was last year. I hope to see more again in winter. Your photos are so beautiful. I think you have a different lighting there than here. The sun here washes everything out. Have a good weekend.

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  8. Thanks for all these shots from Merritt Island. I'm also about to go there soon. They are all great!

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  9. Bellas y lindas imagenes.
    Saludos y abrazos.

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  10. That first photo is beautiful! Love the sky! The sanderling shot is definitely my favorite. The white sand and composition are really nice! The vulture shots are awesome, particularly the one with the dead fish. It's cool seeing the turkey and black vultures together. Black Vultures aren't as common here and I've never seen them together.

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  11. Hi Tammy,
    Decisions, decisions, looks like you made the right choice in where to go. I would love to have that dilemma! Love the Sanderling shot, my Mum's favourite bird, she calls them 'windy-up birds'!
    J
    Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES

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  12. Wonderful bird shots as usual,
    but i love that first shot very much.....it is really FANTASTIC,
    the depth and colors are beautiful.

    Greetings, Joop

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  13. What a beautiful troop of waders, and there was other birds. Brilliant to have on your blog.

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  14. Preciosas fotos del Arcoiris,las demas fotos fantasticas.Saludos

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  15. Great photos Tammy, as always.
    Photo 9 is fantastic, compliments
    The colors are beautiful.
    Nice Sunday.
    Greetings Irma

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  16. ¡Qué maravilla de fotos Tammy! los paisajes con arcoiris y sobre todo las limícolas y la de la libélula son geniales.
    Saludos!!

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  17. Great set Tammy, it always seems to be sunny!

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  18. These are all great captures.. but your shot of the sweet little Sanderling is breathing, Tammy.

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  19. Muy buena entrada, bonitos paisajes y diferentes aves muy bien resultas, saludos.

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  20. Wonderful post, Tammy!
    Nice to see you're back to the picture business!
    I love to discover nature through your eyes!
    I wish I could come and photograph the dragonflies you've got, this one does not look like any I have seen in France!
    The juvenile Black Vulture has this big fish to himself, what a shot!
    But they all are great!
    Take care!

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  21. So many fantastic pictures, I never know which one to comment on! I love the second photo where the rainbow fills the shot, great unusual perspective! Then, the Sanderling has picked a most delicate pose for your photo, to go with its soft sandy colouring. Your dragonfly shot is fantastic in its composition and the position of the dragonfly! And finally your words perfectly capture the Turkey Vulture's sense of injustice at having lost his right to the food :)

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  22. Ooh awesome bird action. That Black Vulture has one hell of a catch! I think that coy little Sanderling might be favorite (which I never thought I would say about a post that contains stellar thrasher shots!).

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  23. Wow Tammy! Super super shots, it looks like you got almost all the different groups represented here, what a fabulous spot!

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  24. hallo Tammy!!
    How many different beautiful birds you saw this morning!!! I adore rainbows, dragonflies are similar here (just photographed one today, resting in the same posing like yours). Your pictures are always so beautiful and sharp, I really admire you.
    Have a beautiful week, hallo from Sciarpy my black cat!! :-)

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  25. Impresionantes imagenes Tammy todas ellas son magnificas y con un repertorio de lujo.Un abrazo.

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  26. Hi Tammy,glad i dropped by,love your photography,stunning work.
    I also wish to thank you for your kind comments on our blog,Sue and I,are both on the mend.
    Many thanks John.

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  27. Hello Tammy,
    Wonderful to see all these different birds.
    The shots of the Ruddy Turnstone and the Sanderling are so beautiful. Great how you captured them.

    Many greetings,
    Marco

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  28. I love all the photos! The first one is so majestic, with the horizon, reflections on the water, and the rainbow :)

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  29. Bellos cielos en las dos tomas primeras, y buenos disparos a las aves en el resto.

    Saludos.

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  30. Sehr schöne Fotoserie der verschiedenen Vögel
    auch das erste Bild ist klasse.

    Gruß
    Noke

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  31. Gosh - so many terrific shots! And I love that dark blue sky amd rainbow! Fantastic!
    xo Catherine

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  32. Another terrific post Tammy with such gorgeous photos! I esp love the shrike pic, a bird I haven't been able to get a good photo of yet.

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  33. Hi Tammy
    Great pictures and story. I love the Ruddy Tumstone, shot from low angel and the Black Vulture with catch.
    Greeting / Kenny

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  34. I come from the blog the blog of Fernando Santos.
    I love your blog, full of magic and color.
    Hugs and kisses.

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  35. OLÁ VIM CONHECER TEU ESPAÇO GOSTEI E JÁ ME TORNEI SEGUIDORA SIGA MEU BLOG por favor http://trabalhomissionariodiana.blogspot.com.br/ TAMBÉM PARA QUE POSSAMOS ESTARMOS NOS VISITANDO EVENTUALMENTE
    UM GRANDE ABRAÇO DEUS TE ABENÇOE

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    como é lindo seu cantinho PARABÉNS!!!!!!!!

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  36. Very nice shots Tammy! I'm very partial to the first one with the clouds and reflections though. Nice catch on rainbow!

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  37. Tammy, you saw a nice variety of birds on this outing. Gorgeous scenic image of the interesting cloud formations and rainbow! All of your bird captures are outstanding, as well. I like the low angle at which you shoot many of your photographs. As always, a joy to visit your fabulous blog!

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  38. What a terrific series of of photos Tammy. From the Turnstone to the Sanderling (my favorite) to the juvenal Black Vulture, he's a champ. The Dowitcher is a classic. Your captures are amazing and are a favorable treat. Thank you!

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  39. Davvero belle tutte...brava!

    Ciao
    Vito

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  40. Nice shots! I especially like that dragonfly

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  41. Great blog you have and fun to look at those great pictures of nice scenery and many interesting animals and birds.

    Ottar

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  42. Beautiful sky shots. I love the bird photos too ;-)

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  43. Many thanks for your kind words, Tammy!
    2 things I wanted to tell you:
    Your dragonfly below the Sanderling is really a magnificent photo, the composition is exquisite!
    And 2: Tammy is my grand-daughter's nick name... She lives in Australia, you can imagine how much it means to me!! ;-)
    Keep well and bring us back more of your excellent shots!!

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I greatly appreciate your comments!