The boat took us over to Loggerhead Key. There, we managed to find Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Black-whiskered Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Shiny Cowbird, and the same warbler species as the ones that were at the fort.
In the afternoon, I was taken in the skiff over to Long Key, where the only North American breeding colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds is located. There were lots of Magnificent Frigatebirds in the trees on Long Key and circling overhead.
We got fairly close looks at the males inflating their red throat patches. A Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was also there along the shoreline.
Later in the day, the boat took us northeast to Hospital Key where we got to see Masked Boobies coming in to roost for the night. Also seen were Brown Booby and Magnificent Frigatebird.
After dark, the brightness of the Hale-Bopp Comet was surprising, as was the amount of stars that we never see since they are washed out by night lighting. We were sitting at a picnic table in the campground talking with Dick Novier, a friendly, Florida birder who was also one of guides on the trip when Babe noticed that the boat was leaving the dock about an hour ahead of when it was supposed to. Luckily, Babe was able to get a ride out to the boat on a skiff. I was planning to sleep on one of the picnic tables anyway (since I knew it wouldn't be rolling like the boat), but I never got the chance to get a pillow and blankets. So, I spent the night on the table wearing only my light jacket and using a box of "Ritz Bits" crackers as a pillow. Once again, it was a long night.
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