Practice Run of OGT

This last weekend we ran our first overnight guided trip (OGT) to make sure all equipment and itineraries work before we bring out guests.  It was fantastic camping in the Everglades!

We loaded the flat bottom boat with supplies for two days and equipment for five people including five kayaks on Friday after lunch.  We stayed at a campsite called Darwin’s Place, one of the campsites for paddlers doing the Ninety-nine mile Wilderness Waterway trip.

Darwin's Place is named for Arthur Leslie Darwin, the last private resident of the Park.  This spot had many settlers since the 1880’s and was also known as Possum Key.

We spent the next two days paddling around the mangrove islands and tunnels, exploring the surrounding waterways and watching the fly-ins and fly-outs of roosting birds.  The most numerous birds were Tri-colored Herons fishing along the edges of the mangroves joined by many White Ibis as the honked there way up river over our heads.  Among others were Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Osprey and Great Egret.

Spectacular sunrises greeted us each morning and beautiful sunsets bid us goodnight.  Saturday was a full moon and we paddled by the light….something everyone one should do at least once!

One of the highlights of the weekend was when a pod of dolphins were hunting a ball of fish.  The fish, we believe mullet, were jumping out of the water to escape this predator.  The five of us in boats looked so small compared to these great animals and we were quite excited when they passed just in front of our kayaks.

I would recommend this trip to anyone coming to the Everglades and the guides, equipment and itineraries are all ready to go.  Come on down!

Photos and Bird List for Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival

Below is a list of the birds I saw at the Festival.  A total of 68 species, 5 lifers in yellow.  Enjoy the photos as well.

http://picasaweb.google.com/105545505585073725598/FloridaKeys2010?feat=directlink

1	Anhinga
2	Bananaquit
3	Blackbird	Red-winged
4	Bobolink
5	Booby	Brown
6	Cardinal	Northern
7	Cormorant	Double-crested
8	Crow	Fish
9	Dove	Collared	Eurasian
10	Dove	Rock
11	Dove	Ground	Common
12	Dove	Mourning
13	Dowitcher	Short-billed
14	Egret	Reddish
15	Egret	Cattle
16	Egret	Great
17	Falcon	Peregrine
18	Frigatebird	Magnificent
19	Gnatcatcher	Blue-gray
20	Grackle	Boat-tailed
21	Gull	Laughing
22	Gull	Herring
23	Harrier	Northern
24	Hawk	Cooper's
25	Hawk	Red-shouldered
26	Heron	Blue	Great
27	Heron	Tricolored
28	Ibis	White
29	Kestrel	American
30	Kingfisher	Belted
31	Merlin
32	Mockingbird	Northern
33	Night-heron	Yellow-crowned
34	Noddy	Brown
35	Oriole	Baltimore
36	Osprey
37	Ovenbird
38	Parula	Northern
39	Pelican	Brown
40	Pigeon	White-crowned
41	Plover	Black-bellied
42	Plover	Wilson's
43	Plover	Semipalmated
44	Redstart	American
45	Sanderling
46	Sandpiper	Western
47	Sandpiper	Least
48	Starling	European
49	Swallow	Barn
50	Teal	Blue-winged
51	Tern	Royal
52	Tern	Least
53	Tern	Sandwich
54	Turnstone	Ruddy
55	Vulture	Turkey
56	Vulture	Black
57	Warbler	Palm
58	Warbler	Prairie
59	Warbler	Cape May
60	Warbler	Blue	Black-throated
61	Warbler	Magnolia
62	Warbler	Blackburnian
63	Waterthrush	Northern
64	Whimbrel
65	Willet
66	Woodpecker	Red-bellied
67	Wood-Pewee	Eastern
68	Yellowthroat	Common

 Happy Birding!!

Dry Tortugas National Park

Today we did some Pelagic (open sea) birding on our way to the Dry Tortugas NP, it is approximately 68 miles from Key West by boat and takes about 3 hours. The name “Las Tortugas” came from the Explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513. In Spanish it means “the turtles” which impressed him so much in abundance and variety. The word ‘Dry’ was added later to warn visitors that fresh water was scarce. We saw many Magnificent Frigate birds, Laughing Gulls and Brown Pelican with a beautiful view of a Brown Noddy in flight just before we docked.

Fort Jefferson is located on Garden Key and is a magnificent piece of history. It was built to protect the ports of the Gulf of Mexico region but had to be abandoned due to the lack of fresh drinking water.

It was a perfect day for birding with a nice sea breeze and slightly overcast. Sources of fresh water, such as the fountain inside the fort, were great for seeing small birds that were drinking there. It was also a good spot to see a Merlin and Northern Harrier who were feeding on those small birds…the circle of life.

Here are the highlights for the day: Peregrine Falcon, Sandwich Tern, Brown Booby, Northern Parula, Ovenbird and Whimbrel.

After getting a great look at the fort and the birds on the island I went into the water. The sea is aqua blue and reefs abound with fish and coral just off the beaches. If you make it down this way I highly recommend spending a day at this magnificent place.

I will be putting a complete list of the Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival sightings here, when compiled, so check back!

Happy Adventures! Dee

“Big Birding” Day in the Keys

I got up early enough to see the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean and it was beautiful. I am very excited to bird with Pete Dunne today and learn new ID skills.

We met at the National Key Deer Refuge Visitor’s Center and the first bird of the day was a rooster! I had heard about the chickens in the Keys but had no idea…they were everywhere! I made a wrong turn (the Visitor’s Center is in a strip mall) and it was the best wrong turn I’ve ever made. My car was surrounded by Key Deer, the smallest species of the White-tailed Deer and only found on Big Pine Key. I couldn’t believe how small they were about the size of a Great Dane for the males.

Our first stop was back to Ohio Key and we were rewarded with about 12 species of shorebirds. Pete was a wealth of information and wasn’t afraid to say he miscalled a bird, very refreshing. It was fun to collaborate with other birders and also share my ID tips with others; this is one of the benefits of going to a Festival.

We then made our way to Bahia Honda State Park. The park itself is beautiful with great beaches, snorkeling and picnic sites. The Visitor Center had wonderful information on the natural history of the area and was a nice place to cool off.

The first bird that came into view was a Merlin (he was here for the same reason we were…warblers). We birded two trees for over an hour and saw about 8 species of warblers including Blackburnian, Magnolia and Pete’s favorite the Cape May. The total count for the morning was 47 species!

The Environmental Fair at Curry Hammock State Park was a great way to spend part of the day. Entities and vendors from all over the Keys were there to share their passions and teach visitors about this special place in Florida.

I finished the day with a Photography workshop and learned that I am doing everything correctly and then took a Reef Fish ID class and enjoyed learning new tips to use in the field. All in all it was another wonderful day. Tomorrow is Dry Tortuga National Park.

Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival

I started my birding weekend on a trip to Ohio Key early Friday morning. The keys are an amazing place in general with a majority of time spent looking one direction to the Gulf of Mexico and the other towards the Atlantic Ocean.

The walk along the beach was shorebird heaven; experts and amateurs alike pulling out field guides and books. Not only were the birds here diverse and many but were in winter plumage with immature birds as well…what a challenge.

After identifying the shorebirds; Willet, Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Short-billed Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers to name a few, we made our way to a tidal pool. As we approached we were greeted by a Mangrove Cuckoo who flushed from the bushes. In the pond directly in front of us was a Reddish Egret posing for pictures on a snag and to our right was another “dancing” for his breakfast.

Overhead were Royal Terns, Osprey, Brown Pelican and Kingfisher plus a great look at a Boblink in flight.

That evening the opening reception was a treat. The event had hors d’oeuvres that were more like a banquet dinner including wine and beer. I enjoyed the keynote speaker Pete Dunne on “25 Things that Changed Birding” and agreed with all of them. Afterwards the audience got to add a few to the list and it was an eye opener with technology being huge in many aspects of birding these days.

Tomorrow I will be birding with Pete Dunne and can’t wait!

A Swamp Walk

This afternoon was one of those experiences you never forget, a walk in the swamp.

We hiked along the trail looking for wildflowers and other life in the swamp. I imagined what it might have been like to discover this place as a pioneer, and wondered what view does the deer, bear, and squirrels have. What do I see as a human being in this place?

The prairie seemed so similar and unchanging but it wasn’t so. Many plants and beautiful flowers were in bloom, adding splashes of color in the saw grass. A raccoon searched for food last night, leaving behind his tracks and the shell of a crawdad. Birds sang in the trees and left their perches to catch the insects that sustain them.

As we moved on, I felt hot and tired, grateful for the shade and comfort of the Cypress Dome that was our destination. I wondered, if I feel this way, do the wildlife too, was it as important to settlers?

Coming closer to the Dome the landscape became wetter and harder to walk in. Muddy paths were intermingled with the limestone that is the foundation of this land. I was glad to have a walking stick to support me and probe the trail for holes or cypress knees that I may trip over. The trees overhead were providing shade that I so badly needed and the plants had changed, giving way to more water loving species.

Then we were there, a beautiful pool of water surrounded by Cypress trees, ferns and air plants creating an oasis from the dryer prairie. I could imagine how life in the area felt as I do…comfortable, safe, and sheltered.

As we listened to the sounds of the Everglades the pitter patter of rain began. I felt the fatigue leave and my strength return as every drop hit me, the plants and the water in the pool. The sound of birds was replaced with frogs making a wonderful chorus.

Breathing in the smell and sounds around me I felt at peace and blessed.

For one afternoon, I became life in the Everglades.