Canaveral National Seashore 

Jodi:  We started out bright and early, 5am to be exact to travel to the east coast.  Our first stop was a favorite, Canaveral National Seashore accessible from A-1-A just south of New Smyrna Beach.

David:  I know, we’ve been here before, but sometimes you return to an old favorite and try to see what you might have missed on previous trips.  Besides, what a great place to catch the sunrise and the early risers!

Brown pelicans against a broody sky

A closer flyby

Jodi:  A flock of pelicans was on patrol as soon as the sun came up.  I truly enjoy how they majestically glide across the sky in search of their next meal then dive into the ocean with a splash worthy of a 9.9 in a competition.

Approaching rain

Jodi:  We were about to take a walk when we noticed this storm moving into the area.  Not ones to melt, we took a short walk just to see who else we might encounter.

Juvenile sanderlings

Jodi:  Apparently these little guys (gals?) didn’t like the windy, rainy day any more than we did.  Check out how they are standing on one leg with their beaks buried in their feathers.

It started to rain harder and we still had a lot of time left on our schedules, so we decided to just take a drive south to see what was happening at the south section of the Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Haulover Canal

Dolphin in Haulover Canal

Jodi:  At Haulover Canal, we found a few manatees, and a couple dolphins.

David:  The manatee observation area on the canal has been worth a stop on most visits to the Refuge.  Patience is usually rewarded with a marine mammal sighting!

I asked Jodi if she was interested in exploring a “new” road I had found.  She was game and we were off to the Bio Lab boat ramp a short distance away.

Bio Lab Road

David:  A sign off the main road directs you to the Bio Lab boat ramp.  Before reaching the actual ramp area, Bio Lab Road intersects with the access road and travels for about six miles south through salt and freshwater marshes and along stretches of open water.  The narrowness of this road makes for some interesting cooperative moves when you encounter a vehicle coming from the opposite direction!

Tree swallows

David:  We had traveled a relatively short distance down the road when we noticed a flock of birds…a big flock!

Jodi:  For a while, we felt like we were in an Alfred Hitchcock film.  We watched these birds ‘swarm’ for quite some time.  They moved so fast that we couldn’t even see what color they were! We never did figure out what had them all in a tizzy (technical term for birds swarming…just kidding.)

David:  I was at a loss to identify the birds, but remarked that they might be swifts or swallows after seeing a couple fairly close up.  (I later saw a reference to tree swallows feeding on crepe myrtle berries and displaying this type of behavior and it clicked.)

Gratuitous gator shot

Jodi:  The weather cleared up considerably down in this area, so we found several alligators out sunning themselves, and looking for tasty photographers.  This guy was only about 10 feet away.

Tropical buckeyes

Jodi:  David, what do we have here? Butterfly nooky?

David:  Umm…OK

Great blue heron in search of lunch

Jodi:  For the record, I never drive on these trips.  I drove once I think… David said everything was a blur. I think that’s his way of saying I drive too fast.  Guilty as charged! I do drive too fast.  So, early on we established that he would drive.  It’s a good deal for me, I get to sit back and ride and look around.  He gets to just go where the mood strikes him.  It works for us.

Why am I telling you this?

This is why I’m telling you this…a blue bird.  Yep.  On the way toward the Visitor’s Center   this the little guy (or gal) caused David to stand on the brakes, screech to a halt, slam the car in reverse and back up without regard for life or limb. (Just kidding David…you had a little regard for life and limb, but not much!)

Florida scrub jay sentinel

David:  It wasn’t that bad.  Well, OK, yes, it was that bad.  Even though I’ve professed to not being a “birder”,  I’m a sucker for scrub jays.  We had left Bio Lab Road behind and I suggested a visit to the Visitor’s Center.  We were traveling on the main road through the coastal scrub area designated as scrub jay habitat.  I saw a jay in the vegetation along side of the road and, well, you know the rest of the story.

A bit lower in the vegetation

Jodi:  This patient, brave, little bird is David’s favorite.  So we are on the hunt every time we’re out.

David:  What’s not to like?  Endemic, social, keystone species…an admirable member of our fauna.

Visitor’s Center

Jodi:  After my brush with death over a blue bird (Scrub Jay) we did a short walk on this beautiful raised walkway at the Visitor’s Center and gift shop.  I was thankful to be on solid ground again.

David:  An easy and “clean” walk through some hydric or wet habitats.  There is a floating platform on one of the ponds here that provides a sunning opportunity for the turtle population.  Throw in the butterfly habitat and there’s a lot going on along this short walk.

Jodi:  Now this last image is one that every hiker or outside enthusiast should recognize on sight.  Poison Ivy.  If you’ve ever suffered its wrath, you know of the itching, scratching and red skin.  If you haven’t always remember the rhyme, ‘Leaves of 3 let it be!’

Until next time, get out there  and Hike Central Florida and Beyond!