Part III. 



East Coast Area 



CENTRAL BREVARD COUNTY 

 COCOA - MERRITT ISLAND 



For the past eight years this area has led the country 

 in species recorded on the Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. 

 Anyone with only a short time in the district can hope to 

 visit only the places where there are concentrations of birds. 

 Such places are listed here and cover mostly water birds 

 but many land birds will also be seen on these trips. 



CANAVERAL HARBOR— From Cocoa take Route 

 520 to Cocoa Beach; turn north at traffic light onto Route 

 401 for 3.8 miles to unpaved road east along south side 

 of harbor; turn north almost at once from that road on a 

 sand road running out on fill in harbor. Diving birds are 

 found in the ship slip and wading birds, shore birds, guUs 

 and terns on the mud flats to the north. Even in summer 

 Whimbrels and Great Black-backed Gulls are there. 



ENTRANCE TO CANAVERAL HARBOR: About 

 200 yards before reaching the harbor, turn east on paved 

 road from Route 40 1 ; follow this where it swings north 

 past the citrus processing plant and back around the Coast 

 Guard Station to the south jetty of the entrance to the 

 harbor. In winter when the shrimping fleet is here hundreds 

 of pelicans, gulls and terns follow the boats in from the 

 ocean. With them may be gannets, jaegers, etc. Examine 

 the rocks of the jetties for shore birds. 



CANAVERAL BANANA RIVER CAUSEWAY— 

 West from the road from Route 401 to the harbor entrance 

 is the road to the new causeway and bridges across the 

 Banana River to Merritt Island. The shores and shallow 

 water on each side of the causeway are frequented by 

 many kinds of water birds. When the bridge is opened to 



traffic in the fall of 1963 the entire three miles width of 

 the river will be available to birders for a small toU. Those 

 wishing to check only the east shore of the river can walk 

 out along the edge of the causeway. 



SYKES CREEK, MERRITT ISLAND— From Cocoa 

 cross the Indian River to the second traffic light on Merritt 

 Island; take road going northeast (back of the Texaco 

 station) 134 miles to bridge over Sykes Creek; continue 

 for a quarter mile to a flowing well and dike on the right. 

 This dike: encloses a marsh, ponds and mangrove swamp 

 and returns to the highway; the round trip is about 1J4 

 miles. Wading birds, such as herons, bitterns, rails and 

 gallinules may be seen as well as Anhingas and Mottled 

 Ducks. Continue along the road checking the ponds on 

 both sides of the road. 



Where road forks take left one north along the Banana 

 River to the Island end of the Canaveral Causeway, check- 

 ing the birds on the river and along the causeway. 



SAMUEL A. GRIMES 



A favorite visitor to feeding stations in Florida is the attractive 

 Cardinal. 



SAMUEL A. GRIMES 

 The Barred Owl, the only eastern owl (except Barn Owl) with 

 brown eyes, is a common resident of the deep woodlands. 



FORMER MERRITT ISLAND DUMP — From 

 Cocoa cross to Merritt Island on Route 520 past second 

 traffic light a half mile to Plumosa St.; turn south 0.4 mile 

 to sand drive going east just before reaching a row of 

 buildings on east side of street; go east 0.4 mile to ponds 

 and marsh for White and Glossy Ibises, ducks, etc. The 

 weed field north of drive is good for sparrows in winter. 



SOUTH BANANA RIVER, MERRITT ISLAND— 

 From Cocoa cross to first traffic hght on Merritt Island; 

 turn south on Route 3 for about 5^4 miles to where road 

 runs near the Banana River; at about 6 miles an artesian 

 well and dike are on the east side of road; walk out dike 

 about 200 yards to river, watching marsh and pond on left, 

 then check the river and bank; returning to car to continue 

 south watching river for White Pelicans, ducks, etc., for 

 about 4 miles. 



