MAS Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip - PAID MEMBERS Event

Join Marion Audubon’s President, Max Weakley, on a guided field trip to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge! This is the #4 most species-rich location in Florida, and we should have some good birds from this trip!

Merritt Island holds a number of unique locations that we will explore on this field trip. Our primary targets for this trip are Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egrets, Florida Scrub-Jays, and wintering waterfowl.

We’ll meet just before entering the island at Parrish Park, and from there, our first stop will be a pull-off just inside the island that has been good in the past for a number of different wintering ducks. After this stop, we’ll travel down the Black Point Wildlife Drive to see what we can spot here, and this will make up the bulk of our time in the refuge. After the drive, we’ll stop at Scrub Ridge Trail for a new set of scenery, and finally end at Haulover Canal.

PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS ON A FRIDAY
We’ll meet in the parking lot of Parrish Park Boat Ramp (1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Pkwy, Titusville, FL 32796) at 7:30 AM and begin from there. Please ensure you are able to receive notifications from MeetUp, as we may adjust our meeting location if there are any rarities that pop up as we approach this trip’s date.

Bring binoculars and a camera if you have them. We may have extra binoculars to lend. We will be doing a mix of walking and driving, so please wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Additionally, bring a hat, bug repellent, and sunscreen, as we’ll likely be out into the early afternoon.

This is a PAID MEMBERS-ONLY event with limited capacity, so please ensure you’re up to date on your dues. If you sign up for this event and discover you will be unable to attend, please remove yourself from the registration so others on the waiting list can take your place.

You can join or renew your membership with the Marion Audubon Society on our website to access this or other future events.
https://marionaudubon.org/

This is an advanced birding level event. Our goal with these events is to search for a handful of specific targets at this location, which is typically either farther from our usual spots or a trickier place to navigate to. Again, our leaders will still identify as many birds as they can throughout this event, but the bulk of our energy on this outing will be on those handful of targets. As an advanced event, the walking distance can vary by location, but expect around 2 miles on foot. This event may also extend much longer than some of our others, so please plan accordingly for food, water, and any medical supplies you might require. As always, please refer to the details in this MeetUp description above for the exact date, time, and location for this event.

Photo credit: Maxfield Weakley - Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) - https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/443305921