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| The Saturday, November 6, 2010 field trip to Spoonbill Marsh in Indian River County was led by Jens Tripson of Pelican Island Audubon and Ralph Monticello, pictured at upper left, of the Indian River Land Trust. The weather was cold and windy but with clear skies. The marsh is a manmade wetland intended to filter out waste brine generated by the County's reverse osmosis system producing potable water. After being filtered through the marsh, the waste water, hopefully sans brine, is pumped into the Indian River Lagoon. Due to vandalism and theft, Spoonbill Marsh is now only open to the public for guided tours like this one for the foreseeable future. | |
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| UPPER LEFT: The group heads out in the pre-dawn light on the mile long elevated boardwalk that winds its way through the marsh. UPPER RIGHT: A flock of Turkey Vultures over the Indian River Lagoon before sunrise. |
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| The first rays of the rising sun illuminates the sky with an orange glow in this view over the mangroves. | |
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| The boardwalk ends out over the Indian River Lagoon making for a nice place to view the sunrise. | |
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| As the sun comes up the group searches for birds along the Lagoon. | |
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ABOVE AND LEFT: A number of Great Egrets were still in place after roosting overnight in the mangroves. BELOW: A flock of Cormorants in the Lagoon and in the air. The Village Spires on the beach along Ocean Drive in Vero Beach are visible in the distance. |
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All
images and text copyright Pelican Island Audubon Society. E-mail: piaudubon@bellsouth.net |
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