Melbourne, Florida, March 4-10, 2018

(Thanks to Hart Rufe and Dave Richardson for help with identification of birds, wildlife, and aircraft.)

Black Point Wildlife Drive

Part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, just north of the Kennedy Space Center

Wetlands

Wetlands

White Ibises, except for the Roseate Spoonbills in front of the island. Two Snowy Egrets at the rear of the pack.

Great Egret (flying), with two more to the left. The birds with pink wings are Roseate Spoonbills and the birds on the island and to the left of the island are all White Ibises.

A White Ibis in breeding plumage (the bright red legs and bill, and the dark tip to the bill)

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron being territorial

Snowy Egret (black legs with yellow feet and a black bill)

Roseate Spoonbill

A female Boat-tailed Grackle

Alligator

An alligator who apparently enjoys sunbathing while covered in algae

Brown Anole

A male Blue Crab

Great Southern White Butterfly

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Thistle

The Beach

The beach is east of Melbourne, on the ocean side of Route A1A. Patrick Air Force Base is just on the west side of A1A.

Our family group: Bill, Karen, Helen, Cynthia

The high tide encroached on Karen

Ring-billed Gull

Airplane landing at the AFB, A U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft (derived from the Boeing 737-800EXR)

Viera Wetlands

The Viera Wetlands, also known as the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands, is in Viera, Florida, just west of Melbourne.

Common Gallinule

A male Anhinga in breeding plumage (turquoise eye)

A female Anhinga, not in breeding plumage (no turquoise eye)

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

The Linear Park Trail

"A 10-foot wide boardwalk forged from recycled plastic planks winds through wetlands and oak hammocks east of I-95 on a 1.1-mile route south of the Brevard Zoo." (From floridahikes.com)

The boardwalk

A male Boat-Tailed Grackle

Zebra Longwing Butterfly (the Florida State Butterfly)

Peruvian Primrose-Willow

"Thanksgiving" Dinner

At Helen's house

John, Glenda, Jim, Bill, Helen, Karen, and Cynthia (composite photo)

Lunch at Sailor's Return restaurant

In Stuart, Florida

Karen, Jewel, Barbara, Bill, Hart, and Jim

Jetty Park

On the ocean, in Fort Pierce, Florida

Bill, Cynthia, and Karen on the jetty

John and Bill

Jim

Three ocean-going vessels: an inboard fishing boat, a sit-on-top kayak, and an oil tanker

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican