Viera Wetlands > February 2011
Archive Index Michael W. Masters
grayfox65@cox.net

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The Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera, AKA Brevard County's South Central Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant -- more commonly know to photographers as Viera Wetlands -- is one of several wastewater treatment sites along Florida’s east coast that is set up for photographers.  However, unlike Wakodahatchee and Green Cay further to the south, which are walk-in only, Viera is set up for vehicle drive-through.  This makes all the difference in the world.  One can carry a full kit in one’s car and cruise the ponds until one finds a good subject, then exit and set up at leisure.  At the end of the day one is not beat down from lugging around a big birding rig all day.

There are a total of five pools at the Wetlands, each of which is quite large, providing plenty of opportunities to select a proper sun angle for photography, both morning and afternoon.  Further, across the road to the north lies two additional settling pools that attracts additional wildlife.  During a two day stay I encountered anhingas, coots, moorhens, hooded mergansers, mallards, ring-necked ducks, glossy ibises, limpkins, sandhill cranes, wood storks, white pelicans, cattle egrets, great egrets, and tricolor herons, all in addition to the occasional alligator sunning itself on the bank.

Located north of Melbourne, Viera’s proximity to Merritt Island NWR, near Titusville 30 miles north, makes Viera Wetlands a great place to set up camp and stay awhile.

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Alligator-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5834 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1796 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1801 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1805 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1807
AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5411 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6303 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6306 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6309 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6310
AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6312 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6344 AnhingaFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6350 CattleEgret-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6099 CattleEgret-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6113
Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1795 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5210 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5222 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5226 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5233
Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5237 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5331 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5336 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5338 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5346
Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5388 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5854 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5857 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6238 Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6243
Coot-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6261 CootGathering-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1749 Cormorant-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6013 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5902 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5904
GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5919 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5925 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5928 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5932 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5939
GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5941 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5982 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5985 GlossyIbis-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5988 GreatEgret&Meal-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1814
HoodedMerganzerFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5606 HoodedMerganzerFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5631 HoodedMerganzerFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5652 HoodedMerganzerFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5654 HoodedMerganzerMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5445
HoodedMerganzerMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5584 HoodedMerganzerMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5661 HoodedMerganzerMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5671 HoodedMerganzerMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5672 HoodedMerganzerPair-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5578
Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5722 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5726 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5740 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5747 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5761
Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5790 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5793 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5796 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5800 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5804
Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5817 Limpkin-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6277 MallardFemale&Egg-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1819 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5178 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5182
Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5185 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5189 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5226 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5258 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5291
Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5297 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5308 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5318 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5323 Moorhen-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6242
PiedBillGrebe-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5016 PiedBillGrebe-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5019 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5122 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5146 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5161
RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6139 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6142 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6175 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6211 RingNeckDuckFemale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6228
RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5028 RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5047 RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5138 RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5697 RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5699
RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5705 RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5706 RingNeckDuckMale-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5713 RingNeckDuckPair-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5136 RingNeckDuckPair-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5149
SandhillCrane-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A6051 TricolorHeron-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1759 WhitePelican-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1772 WhitePelican-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1787 WhitePelican-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1789
WhitePelican-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1791 WoodStork-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_D4A1688 WoodStork-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5564 WoodStork-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5878 WoodStork-VieraWetlandsFL-2011Feb_S3A5883