Titusville april 2025

Introduction

I could have named this adventure "Sand Point" if I had put it together prior to 1873. But since cameras weren't readily available to the average person (I know, that doesn't apply to me, but…) until Eastman’s Kodak No. 1 camera was introduced in 1888, the images in my adventure would probably have been on clay tablets or something. But I'm going with "Titusville" because legend holds that back in 1873 Colonel Henry Theodore Titus challenged Captain Clark Rice to a game of dominoes and the winner earned the right to name the town. Guess who won?

The town also became famous during the establishment of the Kennedy Space Center, where rockets have been taking off since Apollo 4 successfully demonstrated the new Saturn V on November 9, 1967. Titusville is also a great launching point (see what I did there?) for some great bird photography with locations like Merritt Island, Playalinda Beach and Orlando Wetlands just a few minutes away.

Spoonbills

I was trying to think of the movie character that has the most nicknames. You know, typical random thinking about stuff when nobody's looking. The best I could come up with is "The Bride," "Black Mamba," "Silly Rabbit," "Kiddo" and "Mommy". I shouldn't have to reveal the movie character but in case some of you might be sheltered movie fans, of course it's Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 "Kill Bill 1" and 2004 "Kill Bill 2." It's a nice little story about some coworkers who don't always get along…

But what does that have to do with my photography adventure in Titusville? Not much. BUT, it does have something to do with the bird that I think may have the most nicknames. You know, the "Flame Bird," "Banjo-bill," "Pink Curlew," "Pinkie," or "Spoonie." It's the Roseate Spoonbill. Everybody loves them. I can't tell you how many times I was asked "Have you seen the spoonbills?" by birdwatchers and photographers during this trip. Well, I could tell you but I don't remember the number. It was a bunch.

Not to be confused with the flamingo (the other pink feathered bird), the roseate spoonbill has that distinctive spoon-shaped bill that it swings back and forth in shallow water to sift for small fish, crustaceans and algae. Once it senses prey in the bill it snaps shut like a Venus fly trap. Only a lot faster. And that bright pink plumage comes from what they grab and eat--usually a shrimp or other crustaceans containing the carotenoid pigments that bring out that color. The younger birds start out more pale and develop that rich color as they age. And as they eat more of those pigments. Here are some of my favorite spoonbill images from the trip.

Herons & Egrets

While less popular than the spoonbills, the herons and egrets are still a crowd favorite. Maybe the most common of these is the great blue heron. I'm not sure why they call it a blue heron because it looks gray to me (and sometimes brown). Maybe it used to be named the "gray blue heron" and it's name got accidentally changed at Ellis Island. Then there's the great egret, who looks pretty much like the great blue heron except it has white feathers. These two are the tall, long necked birds that stand at the edge of the water for hours and hours. When they decide they're hungry they use their specialized vertebra to twist and coil their neck into an S-shape while they're watching for fish, frogs, snakes or other prey in the water. If you want to catch them in the act of snatching their prey you'd better be ready. They can strike in a tenth of a second. Thankfully a lot of the good shots come after that in case you miss it. Which you will. Here are some of my favorite heron and egret shots.

Everybody's Awesome

We pulled up to the Canaveral National Seashore ranger station to pay our entrance fee. It was early. Everybody was tired. The good news is that I don't have to pay a fee since I have that Lifetime Senior Pass that's good for free entry at all the national parks and a bunch of national wildlife areas. I love using it because I feel like I'm making money every time I skip through a pay station. So I was probably happier than the ranger. I rolled down the window (we don't really roll them down any more you know, but these expressions die very slowly), handed the ranger my pass and gave a cheerful "Good Morning, how ya doin?" to the ranger. Ever since The Sopranos I can't say "How ya doin'?" without thinking about Tony. You too? Anyway, the ranger gave a meek "Good, how are you?" reply. The trap was set. I gave my most enthusiastic "I'm doing AWESOME!" and it worked. The ranger looked up, smiled, and said "Then I'm doing AWESOME too!" with a new level of enthusiasm. I don't remember Tony ever having that impact on people!

Cats & Dogs

There weren't any cats and dogs. The alligators would have eaten them. There were some other miscellaneous birds that were lucky enough to get into the adventure though. Here are my favorite "cats and dogs".

Another Great Adventure!

Thanks for following along on my latest adventure! I hope you enjoyed it. If you missed any of my other photography adventure summaries you can find them here. If you want to see more of my images you can check out my photography Portfolio Page or follow me on Instagram, Facebook or X. See you next time!