Black Point Drive, Part 2

Now that I had gotten my target bird, Gadwall, I continued my tour of the loop at Black Point. I wanted to try and make it around to the entrance again before dark so I made my way down the road, stopping briefly to get some other shots along the way. Just past Stop 7 I spotted a small flock of American Avocets resting in the shallow water.



To the right, a Belted Kingfisher watches for its next meal.



Some of the driving was slow as tourist stopped in the middle of the road to stare at something they have never seen before like this gator drifting up near Stop 10. "That's a baby!," I told them as I passed them on the left.



Back to the entrance and back to Stop 4 to see if the Gadwall had come closer to the road. Nope. Oh, well. I had the ID shots I was after so now a I could take a casual drive as sunset approached. There were not a lot of shorebirds around only a Semipalmated Plover...



...and a few peeps on the mud flats.



I relocated the Reddish Egret that was posing during my last trip. This time it was dancing around and fishing.



Drifting by in one of the impoundments, a male Northern Pintail. Such an impressive duck.



Approaching the Avocet flock again, I found a Snowy Egret cruising the edge of the road.



As the last of the day's sunshine finally breaks through the clouds a Pied-billed Grebe chugs along.



Nearby, a pair of Hooded Mergansers looks for a place to rest for the night.



Finally, a flock of Roseate Spoonbills glows in the waning light. One even yawns as I make my way towards home.



12 hours and 300 miles later and I can get some sleep myself. A long day but an inspiring one. I love Black Point Drive.

Black Point Drive, Part 1

Since I had the Jay Watch luncheon just to the north, I planned to go home via I-95 so I was able to swing through Black Point Drive on Merritt Island hoping to get my latest Nemesis Bird, the Gadwall. This duck is reported nearly every year but I never seem to find them. I had direct sighting locations all week from the locals so chances were good i could get it this time.

Black Point is now charging $5 for a single day visit, so plan accordingly. Yearly passes can be purchased, too. I paid my fee and headed around the familiar curves and soon found a Great Egret where they almost always are just past Stop 1.



Nothing of real interest was at Stop 2 but the American Coot numbers really picked up by Stop 3. The Sun was beginning to drop low in the sky so I had to keep moving if I was to fined the Gadwall.



By the time I looked up the road toward Stop 4 I could see that there must be something good ahead. Cars were parked all along the shoulder. I arrived in the area and raised my binoculars. Just next to the American Wigeons was my target. Gadwall!



The drake and 2 hens feed alone but near the Wigeons. Interesting shape to their heads.



Not bad. Target bird checked off and the ponds were full of birds. Most I have seen in years. Thousands of Coots, many species of ducks, and in the back of the pond White Pelicans gulped down fish under the watchful eyes of Roseate Spoonbills.



Several Coots were diving near the side of the road when, suddenly, a Ruddy Duck popped up between them. Haven't seen a lot of them around this season.



As I was photographing the Ruddy Duck i saw a bright flash to my right. A Horned Grebe! Blink and you would miss it, and I could only manage a blurry shot before it dove back underwater over and over.



A bit farther down the drive, a Reddish Egret posed in the waning light.



Another species at Stop 4 was a large number of Northern Shoveler.



The plainer females and juveniles are fun to watch but seeing the males in bright plumage is striking.



Finally making my way past Stop 4 I glanced to my left and saw some other species in between the mangroves. Northern Pintails and Mottled Ducks rested apart from the bustling pond.



I decided to hurry around the rest of the loop and circle back around to see if the Gadwall would move even closer to shore before the light disappeared. Up in the larger impoundments the Coot numbers were staggering. In one stretch a large raft of them were streaming around the mangroves in a huge line before dispersing into the open water. I didn't even try to count them.



Part 2 will highlight the rest of my findings but for now, I have to hurry back to the entrance!