Merritt Island NWR

Green Heron

Black-necked Stilt

Cottonmouth Water Moccasin

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - It's been a bit quiet around home lately.  Worse, most weekends the weather is crappy or not good for photos.  So Friday we took off for Merritt Island National Wildlife Reserve.  The good part...there were lots of birds although most of which we would be likely to see.  The bad...the ones we'd like to get photos of were too far away.  So we contented ourselves with stilts and green herons and skimmers who dived and swooped too quickly to catch a shot.
     So we tried another area which didn't prove lively until Lydia spotted a snake preying on the other side of  a drainage canal maybe 8 foot wide.  We took some photos.  The snake, over three feet long and big then noticed us or the  sounds we were making.  The tongue came out, started flickering and then the snake started swimming in our direction.  It was easier to see that it probably was a poisonous cottonmouth water moccasin.  When it got close to the bank, we moved away.  And then back for a closer look.  The snake was hiding in the reeds with its tongue still flicking.  We decided the safe way was to get away.