A couple of weeks before Christmas, I decided to visit Florida to see an old friend and his lovely wife for a few days. Sal DiBella was my father’s dearest friend throughout his life and he is now 85 years old, living in Port Orange in the Daytona Beach area with his wife Rosemarie. I love Sal like an uncle and always enjoy spending time with him.
Normally on such trips to Florida, I lug my golf clubs down in order to enjoy some time on the course while my hometown in New York is in a deep freeze. This time however, I opted to leave the clubs home and bring my camera equipment instead. I was planning to squeeze in some birding and one of the special places I had on my agenda was Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, Florida. The island is northwest of Cape Canaveral, home of the John F. Kennedy Space Center and is just a 50 minute drive from Orlando International Airport.
After taking a 5:45am flight out of Newark and landing in Orlando 2 1/2 hours later, I made a beeline with my rental car directly to Merritt Island and it’s famous 7 mile Black Point Wildlife Drive. Prime season for wildlife viewing is October – March, so I was pretty much guaranteed to see lots of good stuff. It’s a fabulous place to view and photograph all types of waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds and raptors. In particular, I wanted to see a very large and unusual bird that we don’t get in the northeast U.S.; the Roseate Spoonbill. Well, Merritt Island did not disappoint. I saw and photographed dozens of these birds in flight and wading along the Drive. It was spectacular! While on the Drive, I also saw several alligators, river otters and armadillo.
When visiting Merritt Island, do not miss the opportunity to explore nearby Canaveral National Seashore. During the winter months, there is easy access to any one of the multiple parking lots (and bathrooms) along Playa Linda Beach Road. The beach is absolutely beautiful and pristine. During my brief visit, I enjoyed seeing Royal Tern, Dunlin, Sanderling, Brown Pelican, Osprey and the endangered Florida Scrub-Jay. This bird lives nowhere in the world except Florida and very few remain due to loss of habitat.
I was so impressed with Merritt Island NWR and Canaveral National Seashore that first morning, that I made a point of taking the one hour and fifteen minute drive from my hosts’ Port Orange home later that week to visit again early in the morning. I was glad I did. If you’re ever in the area, please explore this very unique place. You’ll be glad you did too!