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Posted by Larry Manfredi on 22:15:39 04/17/09
We were rained on by the front that came through on the night of April 14. We were save and sound tied to the dock on Stock Island, ready to leave the next day. We arrived at Garden Key April 15 where fabulous Fort Jefferson is located after noon. When we arrived on shore, the Island was alive with birds! In the 16-years of visiting the Dry Tortugas, this is the biggest fallout that I have ever seen. We had dozens of grosbeaks, tanagers, buntings, warblers etc.
It would be hard to estimate the number of birds seen. I bet we had about two to three hundred thrushes hopping around every where you looked! I have never seen so many Wood Thrushes and Swainson's Thrushes in one place. It was a truly amazing experience!
We birded until it was too hard to see any more. The next day we repeated this from dawn until dusk. Were we tried? Absolutely! We were all so very happy to have seen so many birds. On the last morning, we had many fewer birds as many had left during the night.
We had 108 species in total for the three day trip with 26-species of warbler.
Here are some of the highlights:
Audubon's Shearwater
American Swallow-tailed Kite (rare)
Sora
Upland Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Roseate Tern
Bridled Tern
Lesser Nighthawk (flying then perched)
Common Nighthawk (probable, did not call)
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee
Orange-crowed Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Chesnut-sided Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Grasshoper Sparrow
Shiny Cowbird
I am too tried to post more details, we will be there again tomorrow to see what new birds have arrived!
Larry Manfredi
Homestead, FL
E-mail: birderlm@bellsouth.net
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