Friends of the Viera Wetlands

Mr.Otter dining out at the Viera Wetlands recently...

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine S.) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:57:00 +0000

Herp on the berm

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Florida Softshell Turtle out for a walk this afternoon:

Call For Volunteers

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine S.) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:37:00 +0000

The Friends of the Viera Wetlands is a Volunteer, 501 c(3) group who help the County with the maintenance of the Viera Wetlands Site - we do this through Ranger work, interaction with the public, education and tours, Wetlands events, closing each night and general promotion of the Wetlands as an all-round fantastic place to visit...! Right now we are looking for additional Volunteers - you may volunteer as little or as much as you would like with us as we have Volunteer opportunities to suit everyone's schedule and abilities. For additional details please e-mail friendsofvierawetlands@gmail.com Thank you...!!

Bald Eagle

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:53:00 +0000

Bald Eagle taking meal from Cell 2:

Shrimp for dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Pie-billed Grebe with a very fresh shrimp:

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Wicker) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:53:00 +0000

Join Us As We Hike Under The Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Wicker) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:34:00 +0000

There is a full moon every 29.5 days so it's obvious that hiking under a full moon isn't something one can do everyday. Many people have never hiked under a full moon at all, making such a hike a once-in-lifetime event under the right circumstances. Those right circumstances are coming up — hikers who want to take advantage of them, should meet at 5 p.m., just before moon rise, on Dec. 10 at the parking lot at the Viera Wetlands. Just a friendly reminder, make sure you use the new entrance not through the South Central Treatment Facility.

The full moon rises over the main lake that night making for a spectacular view, if the weather cooperates. At any rate, hikers will be joining volunteers for this 1.5-mile hike. Not only will they experience the wetlands at night, they may also learn stray facts and fun myths about the moon.

Traditionally, according to “Farmers Almanac,” the full moon in December is called “The Cold Moon” or “Winter Moon” for fairly obvious reasons, so dress warm, bring sturdy shoes, water, snacks, rain gear and a flashlight, plus extra batteries. And most importantly, bring your bug spray.

--Robert Wicker http://www.robertwicker.com

Watch for the Hooded Mergansers

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:34:00 +0000

Hooded Mergansers in Cell 3:

Horned Grebe at Click Ponds

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:36:00 +0000

Along with many Pie-billed Grebes, there were two Horned Grebes feeding in the West side of South Click Pond today.

One good tern deserves another....

noreply@blogger.com (Seusskid) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:44:00 +0000

Lots of terns fishing late yesterday.

Usually see one or two but there were

six or more soaring and plummeting.

Roads are open, phone line is busy.

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Folks,

As of 10AM Tuesday, the roads at Viera are open. Enjoy! I've had reports of two Ruddy Ducks.

Unfortunately, the phone line that describes the road conditions gives a consistent busy signal at the moment. The folks in charge of the phone know this and are working to correct it.

Spectacular sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:16:00 +0000

All the weather has been giving us spectacular sunsets. Here's a sunset from earlier in the week.

The roads are still wet from all our recent rain. Here's an example of why the roads are closed: even our small deer leave quite an imprint on the wet roads. These are about an inch deep.

The season is changing, and this evening was a nice change in temperature. I've had reports of a Norther Harrier, a Peregrine Falcon, and a Merlin, and I've seen several adult Bald Eagles in the sod fields around the area. The Click Ponds are filling up, and I saw two of our larger alligators lurking, waiting for an unwary American Coot to wander out of the reeds. Migration is well under way.

Big sunset this evening

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:33:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:33:00 +0000

You're invited to join the Friends of Viera at Viera Wetlands Monday, 9/12 for a walk around the Wetlands to enjoy the moonrise (weather permitting). We'll meet in the parking lot at 7PM. We'll start the walk about 7:15, and both moonrise and sunset will occur about 7:30. We'll take a leisurely stroll around cell 2 (near the entrance), and enjoy the night sounds and the reflection of the moon on the water. The route is about a mile and a quarter along the berm roads, which may include some mud puddles.

Previous highlights include hundreds of Cattle Egrets flying back to roost on the island, Soras popping out to feed, and Common Nighthawks calling and hunting. If we're lucky, we may even see some fireflies!

New road in, ducks, and phalaropes!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, Viera Wetlands has a new paved road. The new road extends straight from Wickham and bypasses the actual treatment plant, so we no longer have to drive through the plant's parking lot.

This is also in time for Space Coast Audubon's first field trip of the 2011 season, which will take place at 8AM at Viera, in the Wetlands parking lot.

Now is a great time to start field trips - the migrants are starting to come in.
I had a chance to take a quick trip around the Wetlands and the Click ponds on Friday afternoon. The winter migrants are coming in - Belted Kingfishers, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, among others. Joyce Stefancic shared this picture on the Brdbrains mailing list.

At the Click Ponds, the shorebirds are back and the Black Terns are very active. Both species of phalaropes have been seen near sunset this week (hough I did not see them today, since I was there about 4PM). Danny Bayles provided this picture of the Red-Necked Phalarope.

Our own excellent Tom Dunkerton (who led a digiscoping trip a while back) provided this wonderful shot of both the Red-necked (l) and Wilson's (r) Phalaropes.

Spotted Sandpipers and Wilson's Phalaropes

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:50:00 +0000

I visited the Click Ponds on Sunday, about 2:30 PM. The north pond is primarily mud, and the shore birds are sometimes having to flutter their wings simply to walk. Several Spotted Sandpipers were working the area near the equipment between the two large ponds; one was in basic plumage (no spots), the other had nicely visible spots. Both bobbed their tails frequently, as is characteristic.

The two clutches of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are growing nicely, and by about 3:30 PM they were resting on the small islands near the west side of the ponds. Here's the large clutch that has claimed the north pond.

The south pond now includes lush growths of grass, which something has been bedding down in. The green also makes for gorgeous color backgrounds for the avocets and stilts. The Wilson's Phalaropes were out intermittently, though they stayed W-A-Y out in the middle, as shown in the image to the right. The mid-sized birds in the background are Black-necked Stilts. The Mottled Duck is a good landmark; the phalaropes are the two small birds to its left and in front. The phalaropes are fairly small, and tend to move around a bit. However, their characteristic spinning makes them unmistakable as well as fun to watch. (My thanks to the gentlemen who shared their expertise, and pointed them out to me!)

Egyptian Goose

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Something you don't see every year at Viera is our visiting Egyptian Goose. The last one I know about was three years ago.

Larry Connor, who works for the Florida Wildlife Commission in their exotic species section, writes "we have a lot of observations [of Egyptian Geese] from all over the state. They are probably established in south Florida, and there are a number of records from Brevard County. Generally they are associated with parks, golf courses, and other similar areas in urban areas. However, we are seeing some recent observations in more natural areas like Everglades National Park, the water conservation areas, and Lake Okeechobee and they may be expanding out of the urban areas. It is a pretty bird, but another non-native species with unknown consequences to Florida's environment."

Click Ponds 'Go Green'

noreply@blogger.com (Seusskid) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:42:00 +0000

The Click Ponds are connected to the...

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Over the past few weeks, the Click ponds have been drained for routine maintenance. Draining them allows the sunlight to reach the bottom, which reduces certain strains of toxic algae that, if left unchecked, will cause die-offs of fish, frogs, birds, etc. all the way up the food chain.

One effect of this draining is the amazing concentration of birds we've been enjoying at the Click ponds. The wading birds are certainly working the few small pools left.

One unexpected effect of the draining (at least to me) is that some of the fish from the Click ponds are carried into the cells of the Wetlands proper. These fish are showing up around the large pipes in Cells 3 and 4 near the observation tower. You might notice a convention of vultures and our fledgling Crested Caracara gorging themselves on this bonanza. The fish are safe for scavengers to eat. Most of the fish died because there was not enough oxygen in the water to support the number of fish that were there.

Summer Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:49:00 +0000

I haven't been to the wetlands in quite a while. Life has been keeping me pretty busy over here on the beach. I made a little time over the last few days to take a bunch of lousy photos, and a few good ones too.

There are tons of waders out at the clickponds. Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Tri Color Herons, Green Herons, Avocets, Black-Necked Stilts with babies, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis,and Sanderlings are everywhere. There is also a family of mottled ducks, anhingas, and cormorants. Terns, of an undetermined kind, were seen both visits as well. On the edges, look for young shrikes, families of mockingbirds, mourning and ground doves, and cardinals, of course.

Over at the clickponds, things are kind of slow. The highlight of my day were was the Purple Gallinule family. I found both parents and counted three chicks.

Also of note was the most famous Caracara, some Swallow-Tailed Kites, and this hawk I've pictured. I'm a little leery to identify it as a Red-Shouldered Hawk, so if you know it to be something different please say so! I've gone through Juvenile Red-Shoulder, Juvenile Red Tailed, and I think I've ruled out Broad-Winged Hawk. Even after seeing varieties of them for years now, every once and a while I can't quite make the call.

I also found a few Rabbits and a beautiful Cottonmouth on Four-Mile Road.

Did you notice the construction going on? It's a new access road that will bypass the sewage plant and take you right to the wetlands parking lot.

Share your Viera baby pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Rosemary Webb) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:24:00 +0000

We have a great crop of babies this year at Viera - let's share baby pictures. I'll print the best ones each week and post them in the kiosk when I close the wetlands each Wednesday.

Anyone can submit, any baby critter (or baby and mom) pic, taken at Viera after 1/1/11. (No human babies, please.) Send up to three pics a week to foviera@yahoo.com. One type of critter per email, please, and include the name of the critter as the header. In the body of the email, include the date you took the picture, the form of your name you want as credit, your age (if you're under 18 only), and anything else you want to share. I'll start printing snapshots for the new collage noonish Tuesday for posting Wednesday pm near closing time.

I'll put up a new collage each week till school starts (last new collage August 10). At the end of the season, I'll collect the pictures into a scrapbook to be displayed at the Viera Wetlands festival in May.

Kind Rail w/chicks

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 01:53:00 +0000

Charlie Corbeil got these shots yesterday of a King Rail family - this was at the corner of cell 4 where it abuts cell 2.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Here's a Fulvous Whistling-Duck from this morning walking the berm roads:

Mottled Ducks:

The rain has brought up rain-lilies (Zephyranthes_atamasca) around the wetlands:

South "Click" pond crowd

noreply@blogger.com (Jay W.) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Over 100 Wood Storks among the many birds loving the eating opportunities presented by the lowering of water levels in the southern Click pond:

Walking in an almost empty pond

noreply@blogger.com (Seusskid) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:45:00 +0000