What Brant and I refer to as Merritt Island is actually the Black Point Wildlife Drive in the Merritt Island Bird Refuge. It is basically on the road to the Cape Canaveral National Sea Shore park.
I have not yet been to Ft. Desoto but hear good things. The Circle B Bar reserve and the Orlando Wetlands park (in Christmas Florida) are similar in that they are really the last steps of a waste water treatment program - no smells. Orlando Wetlands is about 5x bigger than Circle B, for a donation (you set the level) they will drive you around in a 10 person golf cart - drop you off at the back and then you can walk to the front, etc - The volunteer is a Canon/Bird enthusiast - knows his birds. I was there the last day before it closed in Nov to Feb 15 and we did pretty much the whole circuit. Huge place. Tons of birds.
The "must" if I was going to do any 1 of them would be Merrit Island/Blackwater Drive 1st thing in the a.m. The lighting, activity and species are just amazing. Orlando Wetlands will most the wading birds, except the salt water varieties. I would go to google earth and look at the panoramio pics. Orlando Wetlands may have a few more song birds.
Merritt Island is 1st up for ever Heron/egret type you can think of, a number of different smaller wading birds, a few terns, white pelicans (usually) spoonbills, ganules, coots, several different ducks, an eagle or two, Osprey, and occasional hawks (I think it was a coopers hawk not sharp shinned Brant - but i really don't know). And of course a couple of seagulls. Not far from the Black water drive is the Scrub Jay habitat/drive and saw my first along with a grey jay and countless swallows going by. My wife and I saw a bobcat at the end of the day we went (I went to the wrong side of the tree and could only make it out barely while my wife watched in full broad side for about a minute). When I go I usually do 2-4 loops through the drive. At the end of the day weather permitting, there are several places you can get the iconic small mangrove in mirror flat water sunset shot.
I should have gone this weekend but domestic tranquility concerns overtook my photo ops away from the house. I might go next weekend weather permitting (it is so close I am a fair weather photo dude).
Glad you are coming to FL, I wish it was on a Weekend and I would be happy to do the guide thing at Merritt Island - I have to be in frozen NJ 1st on the 29th
Happy clicks.
Mike
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