Florida Trip ~ May 6, 1997

We were supposed to leave Monday night around 11:00 PM, but because our trip leader, Wes Biggs, was caught in a traffic jam near Miami, we spent the night at the dock and left early the next morning. On the way to the Dry Tortugas, we saw one adult and six immature Brown Boobies perched on a channel marker. Other birds spotted along the way were Northern Gannet, Magnificent Frigatebird, Pomarine Jaeger, and four species of terns that included Sandwich, Roseate, Least, and Bridled.

After docking at Fort Jefferson, we were taken in the skiff over to Bush Key. We saw four more species of terns comprised of Royal Tern and my first Brown Noddies, Sooty Terns, and a Black Noddy! Sooty tern chicks were seen at several spots along the shoreline. The Black Noddy was perched on a dead tree among the Brown Noddies, and a Peregrine Falcon was perched on a nearby snag.

Black Noddy on Bush Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.

We were also fortunate to witness a fairly good-sized migration 'fallout' on Garden Key. Birds spotted in and around Fort Jefferson included a Blue-winged Teal, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Gray and Western Kingbird, Bank and Barn Swallow, Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush, Black-whiskered Vireo, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel, Bobolink, Shiny Cowbird, and fourteen species of warblers that included Magnolia, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black-and-white, Hooded, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, and Common Yellowthroat. Inside the fort, Cattle Egrets tried to ambush the weaker, small birds coming to the fountain for a drink. We had to be careful to not step on the scores of American Redstarts that were hopping around in the grass.

The inside and outside of Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.

One of the most exciting finds on Garden Key was that of a "West Indian" Short-eared Owl that was found roosting on a palm tree at the campground.

"West Indian" Short-eared Owl on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.

After reboarding the boat at the end of the day, it anchored on the west side of the fort. The boat rolled back-and-forth all night long as did my stomach while I was trying to sleep. I thought daybreak would never come.

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