South Florida Trip ~ February 7, 2022

With the Zenaida Dove already 'in the bag', I had another whole day to spend on The Keys, so I headed back to Long Key State Park hoping to find the Yellow-faced Grassquit. It had only been seen one day and not since, so it was a long shot, but I had nothing to lose by trying. I headed back down the nature trail where a Great Crested Flycatcher was giving its 'weep' calls.

Great Crested Flycatcher

A Yellow-throated Warbler flitted around in one of the trees and a Prairie Warbler found and gobbled down a few spiders trying to hide in some leaves.

Yellow-throated Warbler

Prairie Warbler

A five-foot-long Black Rat Snake stretched all the way across the trail near where a Little Blue Heron worked the shoreline.

Black Rat Snake

Little Blue Heron

I decided to take a break from the heat of the day, so I drove south to the Overseas Heritage Highway pulloff at the bridge on Conch Key. There, I found Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Royal Tern, and a Great "White" Heron (the white form of Great Blue Heron).

Royal Tern

Great "White" Heron

I stopped and ate at an outdoor bar and returned to Long Key State Park around 3:00. A pretty large Iguana was in the gumbo limbo tree at 'the bench'. A Black-and-white Warbler surveyed the branches while a Northern Parula was conveniently feeding at eye level.

Iguana

Black-and-white Warbler

Northern Parula

It was now near sunset and there still was no sign of the Yellow-faced Grassquit, so I headed back out to the car. Along the way, I saw Wood Stork, Great "White" Heron, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. I got a pizza and spent my last night at the Sunset Inn.

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