Ulumay and the Wood Stork

Looking at Merritt Island from above it is difficult to think of it as an island. Laying as it does between the mainland to the west and the barrier island that stretches down Florida's coast to the east, it seems all pretty well connected. Looking at this image it looks like it's more of a peninsula than island, but it is certainly bounded by water, with the Indian River to the west and the Banana River to the east. This is all part of the Intracoastal Waterway, and includes places like Canaveral National Seashore, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary is at the south end of the island, (see the "A" pointer, above), south of 528 (the "Beach Line", a direct route from Orlando to the Atlantic) and relatively close to my grandma's house. I have been remiss in only visiting the place once before, but in my defense I had a pretty bad experience there the first time. This was not the fault of the park, but a result of my own ignorance.

Years ago Lisa and I drove down with our bikes. My grandma told us there was a trail at Ulumay that circled the park (or did we just assume this?). We were happy to have a place to ride that wasn't on a busy street so we drove the 10 minutes to the sanctuary and started riding from the parking area at the south end off of Sykes Creek Parkway. All was fine for a while, the trail wide and mostly dirt. Then it narrowed, from the width of a car to a foot path, and we found ourselves navigating tree roots and branches. Then, it just sort of piddled out. Still thinking there would be a trail up ahead we pushed on, getting off our bikes and walking them through the wilderness. Several hours after we began we finally emerged on 528. We took the busy streets back south and eventually found the parking area and our truck. We were tired and dirty and a bit rattled, and I hadn't been back since.

Bird paradise in the midst of humanity.

Tuesday afternoon, after photographing the osprey, a neighbor suggested I go to the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary. She described the place and how to get there. I was pretty sure this was the same place Lisa and I had had our biking adventure (I didn't remember the name). Having some time to kill that afternoon, my mom and I decided to drive out to the sanctuary and go for a short walk, then pick up dinner on the way back. Once we arrived at Ulumay I was certain this was the place of our ill-fated bike ride.

Ulumay and the Indian River from the fishing pier.

The first thing we saw as we pulled up to the parking area near the fishing pier was a wood stork, waiting for handouts.

He was non-plussed, and stretched languidly.

 

I was curious to know why the bird is bald, but haven't been able to find any explanations. I understand why vultures are bald, being carrion eaters, but the stork is a fisherman, so that doesn't make sense. Perhaps it is to help regulate temperature during hot weather, as they nest in the tops of trees. Perhaps no one knows!

A face only a mother could love.

He finally got annoyed and walked off to go stand in the grass.

We walked for a bit on the trails and saw a variety of birds, including yellow-rumped warblers (they were everywhere down there!), and three birds who were "new", although I have no doubt that I have seen/heard them before and I just wasn't paying attention then: the ground dove, fish crow and mockingbird. I took photos of them all but they aren't great, really just to add to the Album of Identification, so I won't bother you with them here. You can see them on my Flickr page, www.flickr/photos/marie-rust.

For more info about Ulumay and its history: www.ulumay.org

For information about the wood stork: http://www.fpl.com/environment/endangered/pdf/woodstork.pdf

Next up: Warbler in the back yard

Merritt Island Buntings

 Florida 2012 continued

One of the reasons we didn't camp longer at Canaveral National Seashore, and the whole reason we traveled to Florida in February, was to be able to spend a day, or at least an afternoon, at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.  Laying to the south of back country area it was on our way back to my Grandma's house, so the plan was to go there after our camping trip.

The refuge, like so many other places, is "managed".  I has to be in order to make it as attractive to birds and other wildlife as possible.  The whole area used to be salt marsh until we came along and decided we didn't like the mosquitoes that bred in the mud flats, so we built dikes to hold in rain water by dredging the mud and sand and piling it up.  This of course messed up the entire natural processes of the marsh and destroyed a lot of prime bird habitat.

So now that we understand the importance of these places we've devised ways to try to replicate the natural state of the marsh.  Rather than knock down all the dikes (what a job that would be) gates were put in to allow water to flow under them.  The marsh is managed by opening the gates in March and allowing the area to drain (it doesn't completely) and letting the grasses grow.  In late summer/fall the gates are closed and the area is flooded, providing habitat for migrating waterfowl--and lots of plant matter for them to eat. What this meant was that if we wanted to see lots of waterfowl, we had to visit before March when the marsh would be drained and only the wading birds would be left.

Anyway....

We stopped first at the Visitor's Center.  I had one purpose in mind, seeing a Painted Bunting.  This is one of the birds at the top of my "must see" list, and I knew that they hung out at the feeders at the Center--Lisa had seen one several years back, and two years ago I had missed one by less than five minutes.  We took a little walk first, and I watched a pair of Osprey on their nest.

Oh Fred, we're being watched again.

Fred, not now!  Have some modesty!

We walked part of the path, but it was a hot day (86 degrees) and we were tired from our long night at the campground, so we soon wandered back to the Visitor's Center.  Lori and Lisa went inside while I set the tripod up near the feeder and waited.

And waited.

I spoke with a fellow who used to live in Michigan who had taken a bunch of pictures of Painted Bunting that morning with a borrowed camera and they didn't turn out very well.  He was back with his own camera and hoping the bird would return.

Now I get wiggly when I know the girls are waiting for me so after 10 minutes or so (I know, not long enough!!) I folded up the tripod and turned to leave, having only seen blackbirds and grackles.  I turned back slightly to speak to someone and glanced at the feeder over my shoulder.  I nearly squealed when I saw who was sitting there, having a late lunch.

My first Painted Bunting!

I couldn't get the tripod down fast enough.  I was afraid these weren't going to turn out because the scene was strongly backlit and the feeder was in the shade, but they did, and I am thrilled.

There were actually two males on the feeder!

Had I not paused to talk to that fellow I would have missed this amazingly brilliant creature!  He perched and nibbled his seed, having no idea how much excitement he was generating.

After a few minutes another group of blackbirds came swooping in and scared off the buntings so I packed it up.  One of the park employees, hearing my concern about the light and whether or not the photos would turn out, suggested a fill flash.   Well duh--aren't I the one who is supposed to know that?

As we walked to the parking lot Lori noticed two Wood Storks flying towards us.  I got the camera up in time to get a few shots as they flew overhead.

Next:  The park yields another "must see" bird!

Merritt Island NWR

2010 Florida posts con't....


On the third day of my trip I made my way north to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Since my grandma lives on the island I have been there many times. However, I have never seen the sheer number of birds there as I did last February. I had always been disappointed in this refuge, and longed for a return visit to Ding Darling, on the Gulf side, where I had gone back in '96. There just never seemed to be much going on at Merritt Island.

Boy, was I about to be surprised! But first, a quick overview of the park, straight from their website:

"Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 as an overlay of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center. Consisting of 140,000 acres, the Refuge provides a wide variety of habitats: coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries and marshes, freshwater impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks provide habitat for more than 1,500 species of plants and animals."

It really is a wonderful place, with hiking opportunities and the Black Point Wildlife Drive, a seven mile one way loop that winds through the salt marshes. While the birds are pretty used to cars passing nearby, most are very leery of people on foot, so you end up doing a lot of shooting out of open windows.

One of the first things I saw was a pair of (I think--this image is pretty poor) Mottled ducks. All I knew as I was trying to shoot them through the passenger side window is I'd never seen them before. Another first!


Around a bend I came across two male Blue-winged teals. Now, I have been to Florida more times than I can count, and I don't remember ever seeing these before. I have to imagine that I have, but never paid them any attention. As I said a while back, I thought all ducks were mallards--shame on me!


They led me to a small group resting on the shore.


When I visited the refuge in 2009 it was very dry. I don't know if there was a drought, or if it had been drained (the ecology of this whole area is controlled by man, and the water levels are lowered in the spring and summer to facilitate vegetation growth, then flooded fall and winter). Whatever the case, in 2010 there was water water everywhere, and with the water came the birds.

Flocks of White and Glossy ibis filled the sky.



Farther away from the road I could see flocks of White pelicans, Spoonbills, ibis and egrets. Unfortunately I still had only a 200mm lens.


Coming around a bend there was a lone tree on the left side of the drive. It was full of Wood storks, an endangered bird here in the states. I had never seen one in the wild before.


Fish eaters, they like to hang out in marsh and swamp lands.

Here they are, hanging out.




Yes indeed, a face only a mother could love.



Next: more from the wildlife drive