“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!