As winter arrives so do large numbers of waterfowl to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Above, blue-winged teal come in for a landing. One of the best things about living on the Space Coast is all the opportunities to get outdoors and visit the parks and refuges. Merritt Island NWR is one of the best national parks in Florida to see wildlife.

Two black ducks rest while a blue-winged teal feeds.

These pintails were photographed along Black Point Wildlife Drive.

Black ducks seeking shade under mangroves.

I can’t remember ever seeing shovelers before, so this was a rare treat.

Coots are the most common waterfowl species in Florida.

The Portuguese Man o’ War is common on Space Coast beaches this time of year just as spring break in Florida comes around.

These were spotted over the weekend on Cocoa Beach. Treatment for man o’war stings have been popularized in TV episodes of Friends, however medical personal advise against it.

We shot these pictures yesterday of the fire in the St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge just northwest of I-95 and the Cheney Hwy (SR 50) while on our way back from a press trip I was doing on Spring Break in Daytona Beach. The fire is reported to have burned 1,700 acres.

Every time I see a wildfire my wife sighs because she knows I’ll be blurting our one of my favorite phrases, Fire! Fire! In a way only a die-hard Beavis & Butt-Head fan would recognize.

Of course local media outlets were there to cover the blaze, must be too many hours of programming to fill with real news like the ongoing Casey Anthony saga.

As a former Boy Scout leader I’ve always thought of camping and scouting was a good outlet for children to work out their fascination with fire in a healthy environment.

Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about a lack of oil skimmers in the Gulf. Another kind of skimmer, the Black Skimmer, is native to Florida and much more pleasant to watch than the other kind.

Black skimmers have a unique way of feeding. They fly along at the water’s edge and use their longer lower bill to penetrate the water scoop up small fish.

Their method works really well, this black skimmer has caught a small jack.

During the months of May and June, the FWC set aside a protected breeding area on Cocoa Beach where the black skimmers could nest undisturbed which gave me a chance to get these photos.

One day while walking down on the beach, I saw a black skimmer sitting on her nest away from the protected breeding area, I assumed she was tending to her eggs and gave her plenty of room. On my way back by, I saw a man standing over the spot where she had been nesting, she was flying around the man who appeared to be ignorant of the circling and terrified hen skimmer. As I approached the man, he said to me “A bird just laid an egg”, which was lying at his feet. I then pointed out the circling skimmer, and told him he was disturbing a nesting bird, and to please leave the bird alone and that he was breaking the law. He stayed anyway, pointing to the egg as other beach walkers passed. I watched and he eventually left, I didn’t have my cell phone to call the law because I like to unplug at the beach.

As I watch these skimmers unique method of feeding on the beach, I wonder about all the skimmers in the northern Gulf and the impact of the oil on Panhandle beaches from the worst environmental disaster in American history. You can help by supporting groups like the International Bird Rescue Recourse Center, purchasing Dawn products and giving nesting birds their space.

An estimated 1500 people showed up at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach on June 26 to protest Republican led efforts to allow offshore oil drilling off the coast of Florida. Hands Across the Sand is leading an international effort to say “No to Offshore Drilling” and “Yes to Clean Energy”, they are the ones who organized the event.

The Surfrider Foundation and Tony Sasso also played major parts, both have been instrumental in preserving Florida for future generations. Hands Across the Sand held events worldwide and had a strong turnout.

Oil from the BP-Deepwater Horizons disaster is still flowing, and our local Republicans still support drilling for oil off Florida beaches. As you may know Republican Senator Mike Haridopolos, who represents most of Brevard’s beaches, is the champion of drilling for oil within three miles of Florida’s Beaches. His next job will be President of the Senate. Mike Haridopolos supports offshore oil drilling even though the total impact of oil to Florida beaches is still unknown. This shows Haridopolos is either a tool of big oil or lacks the judgment to hold office, unfortunately he’ll be returning to Tallahassee as he has no opponents this fall.

Brevard County has plenty of alligators and you’re likely to find them anywhere. I recently spotted these alligators at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge catching the sun and warming themselves from the recent cold weather.

The White Ibis is common in the Space Coast, many times in the late afternoon you’ll find them feeding on mole crabs.

The first full moon of 2009 viewed from the beach.

These alligators are enjoying the sunshine at Brevard Zoo.