Author Archives: makielb

We had a full day at Merritt Island on Kennedy Parkway, Palm Hammock Trail and Eddy Creek. Some of the highlights included excellent looks at a group of four Florida scrub Jays. There was a pair of Red-shouldered hawks about 100 yards down the road, which didn’t seem to bother the jays. We found aContinue reading “A full day at Merritt Island and Daytona Beach”

An early, cool start with occasional light rain, which had cleared by the time we reached our destination. This was a South Volusia Audubon Society field trip that I was co-leading with Don. There were seven of us in three cars. One of our first birds was an Eastern Phoebe. We soon started finding aContinue reading “Visiting Apopka Wildlife Drive”

Orlando Wetlands is a great site in Orange County, Florida for seeing a diverse array of birds. How can a day be bad when you start with such a great look at an Anhinga, knowing that it will only get better. Vultures might not be a favorite of everybody, but I really like them. Here’sContinue reading “A day at Orlando Wetlands, Florida”

The sign where we are staying, just south of New Smyrna Beach read Welcome to Paradise, not knowing that we already have a cabin in Paradise. The view from our screened in porch to the tidal canal, about ten yards away. The view down the canal towards the ocean. The setting sun from the patio,Continue reading “A new place to stay and a night with insects”

We spent the afternoon at the Turtle mound Trail in the Canaveral National Seashore. This is a site that I have always loved visiting. We have a good idea of what to expect in February, but there are always surprises. The small bees and wasps are always fun as well as identification challenges. This spider,Continue reading “A day at Turtle Mound, Canaveral National Seashore”

We are not missing the storms rolling across the lower Great Lakes. Today the high temperature was just shy of 70F. This cartoon appeared on my FaceBook stream last night and again this morning. I figured that it was a sign. This branch would have easily fit into a 12″ circle. It was filled withContinue reading “A day searching for things other than birds”

Our day started out at the shore where Fish Crows are the dominant crow. The crows were above the gulls, terns and even this Brown Pelican. Searching through the abundant Sanderlings we were lucky to find three Western Sandpipers. Savannah Sparrows were tucked into the seaside shrubs. As the day warmed we started being distractedContinue reading “Looking for a western vagrant”

I’m not sure which I like better – the Loggerhead Shrike looking at me, or in profile. It took a while to find one, but we finally had a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The Great Egrets today all seemed to be in breeding plumage. Spotted Sandpipers haven’t been all that common. This one was very cooperative. ThereContinue reading “A day full of birds”

The day started out quite cold (for Florida) and windy. But the crescent Moon over the palms was quite nice. Our first birds at Lake Woodruff were juvenile and adult Red-headed Woodpeckers. This tree had a nice bromeliad (species unknown at the time), Spanish moss and several lichens. We were able to watch an eagleContinue reading “Lake Woodruff, Volusia County, Florida”

On our way to Merritt Island we stopped to visit a Bald Eagle nest. Our first stop at Merritt Island is searching for Florida Scrub Jays. We found the jays while photographing Lawn Orchids. It was overcast, cool (mid-50s F) and misty. After finding the jays we headed off to Blackpoint Rd. where we wouldContinue reading “First visit to Merritt Island this year”