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Posted by Vincent Lucas on 14:50:16 04/19/12
Earlier this week, starting on Monday, 04/16/2012, and returning yesterday, Wednesday, 04/18/2012, my two Danish birder friends Anne Borgen Paulsen and Sven Fuglsig and I started out for the Florida Keys. Sandwiched in between was a day at Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas. Although migration was somewhat "tame" to say the least, we still saw some nice birds. Our first "good" bird on the 16th was a Cuban Yellow Warbler (D. p. gundlachi) was easily seen at the Card Sound Toll Bridge just past Alabama Jack's. A Gray Kingbird was also present on the wires and two flyby Roseate Spoonbills were brilliant pink in the morning sun. At Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State park, we found a nice Mangrove Cuckoo that posed for photos but the other other birds of note were one American Redstart, Northern Parula, Palm Warbler, Northern Cardinals, Gray Catbird, Great Crested Flycatcher and a White-crowned Pigeon. There was nothing of note at John Pennekamp State park either. We stopped at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center to check out the rehabbed birds. Nice to see some of these species "up close and personal" but sad to see them in cages, even though it is for their own good. We checked for Roseate Terns at the Marathon Government Building but found only Least terns and a few Royal Terns. Another American redstart and Gray Kingbird were also seen. In Key West, we saw groups of White-crowned Pigeons near our motel, mostly in the mornings and early evenings. The morning of the 17th, we departed for the Dry Tortugas. On the breakwall leaving the harbor, were Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers and Least Sandpipers. Least Terns were also present. From the Yankee Freedom II, on the way out to Ft. Jefferson, we saw several immature Northern Gannets. a few Magniificent Frigatebirds and we had what presumably was a Yellow Warbler do its best to land on the boat but the little bird never did as far as I could tell. I hope he made it back to the mainland. There were no jaegers not Brown Boobies encountered on the ride out and I did check the channel markers as well as the buoys. At Hospital Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, the Masked Boobies, up to 30+ were resting on the white sand. Unfortunately, the Yankee Freedom II didn't get close enough for "in your face" looks at these birds, but one could discern that they were indeed Masked Boobies. On Bush Key, the ever present Sooty Terns, Brown Noddies and Magnificent Frigatebirds were busy nesting or getting ready to do so. No Black Noddies nor Red=footed Boobies were seen. There were a few Laughing Gulls and one or two Ring-billed Gulls present but no shorebirds as far as I could tell. None were seen all day! On Garden Key, at Fort Jefferson, passerines were sparse. There was at least one Sharp-shinned Hawk that would fly through the Fort and out to the area of the Coal Docks. A Merlin and a Peregrine were also in the area. In the parade grounds and outside of the Fort near the camping area, we recorded the following species of passerines: Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Palm Warbler (a dozen or so), Prairie Warbler and American Redstart. Other warblers I heard about but didn't see were Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird and Swainson's (the day prior). Indigo Buntings, many Barn Swallows, Belted Kingfisher, one Yellow-billed Cuckoo (reported by others), Gray Kingbirds, Northern Cardinal, White-winged & Eurasian Collared-Doves rounded out the land birds. I saw no vireos, thrushes, orioles, ollege on Stock Island in the nighthawks, , etc. were seen by anyone as far as I am aware. Disappointing for sure. Upon returning to Key West, we waited in the parking lot of the Florida Keys Community College in the hope of hearing or seeing an Antillean Nighthawk. No luck. The next morning, the 18th, we started out at Fort Zachary Taylor. We found Worm-eating, Palm, Prairie, Cape May, American Redstart, Northern Parula and a late Orange-crowned Warbler in addition to Belted Kingfisher, Gray Kingbirds, Least Terns and other common birds. At McCoy Indigenous Park, our best birds were four Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and a few Indigo Buntings. After leaving Key West on our trip back through the Keys, we stopped at the dead end CR939 on Saddlebuch Key. We heard another Mangrove Cuckoo (latter seen by a young birder from Seattle) as well as Black-whiskered Vireo. In Marathon, we found a Common Myna right on US1. Our final stop was at the bridge over the canal near the Florida Turnpike on SW216th/Hainlin-Mill Rd. The West Indian Cave Swallows were busy building nests and hawking for insects. Despite the paucity of spring migrants, all three of us had a good time birding in the Florida Keys & Dry Tortugas.
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