Birdwatching Adventure to Brevard Zoo in Viera, FL

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Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus) Brevard Zoo by Lee

Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus) Brevard Zoo by Lee

We had a delightful and interesting visit to the Brevard Zoo in Viera (Melbourne), Florida on Friday the 3rd. We were over there also visiting Viera Wetland (2nd & 3rd) (article to come) and also went to the Atlantic shore for a few minutes that evening (the 2nd). Some of the highlights were that Galah landing on Dan’s camera. See Just Back From A Birdwatching Adventure – Viera. Luckily I had my own camera and was able to “capture the moment.” What was so interesting about that Galah is that he (or she) had become intrigued by Dan’s camera. A child tried to offer it some of the liquid they sell to feed the birds, but no, the camera was more interesting. (This picture is not good, but it show the action)

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) trying to off juice.

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) trying to off juice.

Then the Galah hopped up on his camera.

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) Hopping on the camera

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) Hopping on the camera

What a gorgeous color and nice bird.
Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) Cockatoo - Brevard Zoo

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) Cockatoo – Brevard Zoo

In that same area I got a great picture of a Laughing Kookaburra. Couldn’t get it to laugh, but I tried. Sure the others around thought I was nuts, but who cared.
Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) Brevard Zoo by Lee

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) Brevard Zoo by Lee

The photo at the top was a challenge to photograph. My camera is a point and shoot on program mode. Do you know how many fantastic photos I have taken of fences, wires, cages, limbs, grass, etc. instead of the bird or whatever?
White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus) with fencing.

White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus) with fencing.

With some patience and lots of tries, I can get a little better shot.
White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus) Through the fence somewhat.

White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus) Through the fence somewhat.

Here is the list of wild birds I turned in to eBird:
Walking around the Zoo – these are the wild birds freeloading at the zoo – 16 species
Mallard (Domestic type) 10
Great Blue Heron 2
White Ibis 18
Black Vulture 6
Turkey Vulture 1
American Coot 2
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Fish Crow 7
House Wren 2
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Boat-tailed Grackle 50
Besides all of those of course we saw the residents of the Zoo. All total, counting the wild birds we saw 48 of God’s wonderfully created birds. Some of them were absolutely fantastic. Even the ugly ones were wonderfully created for their purposes and place in the overall plan the Lord has for them.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they (we) are without excuse: (Romans 1:20 KJV)

 **Due to my site being hacked, some of the photo links were removed**
Birds observed at Brevard Zoo:
Total observations: 48
English name Scientific name
1 Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius
2 Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
3 Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
4 Black-bellied Whistling Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
5 West Indian Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arborea
6 Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba
7 Black Swan Cygnus atratus
8 Raja Shelduck Tadorna radjah
9 White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis
10 American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
11 Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
12 Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus
13 American White Ibis Eudocimus albus
14 Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber
15 Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
16 Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
17 Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
18 King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa
19 Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
20 Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
21 Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
22 Northern Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
23 American Coot Fulica americana
24 Black Crowned Crane Balearica pavonina pavonina
25 Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis
26 Blue Crane (Stanley) Grus paradisea
27 Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
28 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
29 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
30 Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
31 Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus
32 Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus
33 Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
34 Blue-and-yellow Macaw Ara ararauna
35 Scarlet Macaw Ara macao
36 Golden Parakeet Guaruba guarouba
37 White-crested Turaco Tauraco leucolophus
38 Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
39 Wrinkled Hornbill Aceros corrugatus
40 Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
41 Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
42 Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
43 Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
44 House Wren Troglodytes aedon
45 Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata
46 Myrtle Warbler Dendroica coronata
47 Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major
48 Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

There were other animals at the zoo, but our main focus was on the birds. It is a very nice landscaped zoo and the over-all appearance was great. The critters all seemed to be well taken care of. It is definitely worth a visit to the Brevard Zoo if you are in that area. It is actually listed as being at 8225 North Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32940. Update: 2/11/12  –  Dan just posted his photos on his photography website. His photos at –  Dan’s Pix –  are much better than mine, of course, he has a better camera. Will be doing an article on our visit to the Viera Wetlands soon. *

81 thoughts on “Birdwatching Adventure to Brevard Zoo in Viera, FL”

  1. I was a keeper at the Brevard Zoo until a couple weeks ago. It was great to see some of my old animals when I happened across this the other day! Thank you for the great work. It’s great to see a Christian who is so passionate about creation!

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    • Thank you. That must have been exciting to work with the critters at the Zoo. We have such an Omnipotent and Omniscient Creator that designed and planned these animals, birds, etc., that I just can’t imagine these all just happening.
      Lord Bless you.

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  12. Lee,
    Ok, I must admit I am not a bird watcher :-)). Your photos are absolutely fantastic. I too live here in Brevard and your images and this blog bring a whole new demension to bird watching…
    All The Best,
    Larry Fleckinger

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    • Larry,
      Thank you. That is quite a compliment. I am not that good of a photographer, but I had great material to photograph. Dan is our photographer. We are annual members of the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, which has more animal and birds, I think, but your zoo is fantastically laid out. I loved the great landscaping. You need to get out there and join us birdwatchers and enjoy our fantastically created avian friends. Whether wild or those being well treated in zoos.
      Lord Bless,
      Lee

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  13. hey i am environmental science student from nepal and i simply love the birds especially their flying skill adore me…… lovely to see beautiful photographs…

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  14. Thanks again to all of you who have commented. They are all very nice and appreciated. Again, I am thankful for being “Freshly Pressed.” Not sure how a blog gets chosen, but glad they did.
    Lord Bless all of you! Thankful for the Galah’s interest in the camera. Maybe the Lord nudged him for us. He does like to give us pleasure.

    I trust you all have seen the link to the original article Just Back From A Birdwatching Adventure – Viera.

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  18. Congratulations on being chosen for “Freshly Pressed”! I left a comment on your “About” page as well. But I had to stop here to look again at the pink-breasted Gala. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bird with bright pink on its neck and breast. Is that the color of all that species? It just makes you want to sing God’s praises again for such delightful beauty!
    Blessings on you and your work.
    Sandra

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  23. There are a flock of galahs who feed in the street next to mine – Queensland, Australia – and there are sometimes kookaburras in our tree in the front yard. I assure you that galahs are not naturally so friendly!

    Isn’t it fascinating how what’s common to one person is exotic to someone else somewhere else?

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  27. Thank all of you for stopping by and commenting on this post. It’s the most comments of any post written so far. Also, thanks for all of you that clicked the “Like” button.
    Honored to have been “Freshly Pressed.”
    Thankfully,
    Lee

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  45. I empathise with your comment about wires and so on – I have many pictures of empty branches where something was just a second ago, and blurry birds amongst the crispest clearest leaves.
    I have some shots of Australian birds in the wild you may be interested in, including a kookaburra at my window, just need to scroll down 9the text may be of less interest!)
    cheers
    http://mymatejoechip.wordpress.com/

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  48. Lovely! Being in Australia, we have pink and grey galahs in the wild, I have photos on my blog of some, across the way from our home in the Yellagonga Regional Park, where we go for walks regularly. Here is the link if you are interested.

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  57. I love galahs :) When I was a kid we used to get flocks on our lawn in the summer, before a lot of the trees were cut down. who knows where they are now :(

    If you want to get kookaburras to laugh, place two or more from different families next to each other. Their laugh is a territorial thing.

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  58. My Avatar that you see here is actually a picture of a Rosella outside of Melbourne sitting on my head. That’s why I have that look on my face.

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  59. I went there for the first time Christmas Eve. I have a morbid fear of birds so I looked ridiculous curled up in fetal position on the ground in the section where the big birds are flying freely waiting for someone to escort me away from that section. And you have a much better camera than I do so I’m blown away by the pictures.

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  64. I am not a bird fanatic but I do enjoy animals. I have always liked the aviary at the Brevard Zoo.

    When my son was young, we used to visit the zoo quite frequently. The one thing about the zoo that has really impressed me was that it is built by volunteers. SeaWorld, for example, does not have their otters on display even though the guests frequently ask if there is a place to see them. Not only did volunteers build a wonderful area for them, but they built an underwater viewing area as well.

    Thanks for the pictures and it is cool to see you visit the Viera Wetlands as well. A friend of mine has many great bird photos from that area!

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  69. That’s a heck of an addition to your life list! Can certainly understand your frustration over photographing many fences, cages, reeds, and so forth rather than the bird or animal you’re attempting to capture, but at least the image will remain in your hearts.

    Loved the photo of the Galah atop the camera, remarkable! After reading your blog, you’ve certainly piqued my interest in visiting this zoo and I’m looking forward to reading about your trip to the Viera Wetlands.

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