A very warm (80) and sunny day
We began the day with a paddle of the Gemini Springs area with our good friends Jon and Rose from Connecticut. Conditions were ideal as we glided down the stream towards the St. John’s River past the thick reeds, sedges, and grasses of the riverine system.
Great blue herons, Great egrets, a Little blue, Red-winged blackbirds, Boat-tailed grackles and Pied-billed grebes dotted the shoreline. An occasional mullet would leap out of the water as we paddled by. We decided to enjoy the paddle and then head over to meet a few of our birding friends at Biolab Road in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
We had been told of several interesting sightings including the white morph of the Great blue heron known as the Great White Heron. Hidden in the wetlands among thousands of herons and egrets, the bird would certainly be a prize to be treasured on this day’s outing. The second target was the Stilt sandpiper. The stilt is quite similar to the yellowlegs and dowitcher, but has greenish legs and a long fine-tipped slightly drooping bill. It is not one of the more common shorebirds and is a coveted find in the refuge.
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| Dunlin |
We had a great afternoon navigating down Biolab and watching the herons, egrets, Least sandpipers, Dowitchers, dunlins, and other waders plying the shallows of the impoundments. It was a pretty warm outing, but one that was productive. We did manage to capture the Stilt and had several “near misses” of the Great white heron.
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| Stilt sandpiper |
On several occasions, we could swear that we had the white morph, only to be disappointed when we more closely examined the bird in question and realized that we had let our imaginations transform a plain old Great egret into the hoped-for bird.
Still, we have more than a month ahead of us in which to pursue and hopefully add the morphed bird to our year list. Perseverance often pays off handsomely.
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