Celery Fields – Birds, Birds, Birds – Sarasota, Florida

Celery Fields – Birds, Birds, Birds – Sarasota, Florida

The Celery Fields, just east of Sarasota, Florida is around 360 acres owned by Sarasota County and is used as a primary flood mitigation zone.   It is managed by the county Storm Water and Sarasota County Parks & Recreation departments.   The Sarasota Audubon Society helps manage the area & their volunteers man the pavilions and give bird tours of the area.  The area was formerly used as farmland where they grew various crops but primarily celery, hence the name!  I have driven by this area many times on my way to other destinations and it looked like a great place for our Florida birds.   The name of the place came up in a conversation during the week so when I contacted my photography buddy about a place to visit this weekend I included the Celery Fields.   He had been there a few years ago and said there were 

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida – A Different Kind of Space on the Space Coast

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida – A Different Kind of Space on the Space Coast

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is located next to Kennedy Space Center on the Florida’s east coast.   This land was purchased as part of the space center but was left undeveloped and is now managed by the US Dept of the Interior.    You can see some of the launch sites and the large vehicle assembly building from the park.  The area is made up of a variety of typical Florida landscapes,