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Posted by Robin Diaz on 11:07:58 02/10/13
In Reply to: Southeastern Virignia Key posted by Dan
With unusual birds being the recent focus on Virginia Key, a brief overview of the area may be of interest. Virginia Key was once the south end of a barrier island that ran from the New River inlet (Ft. Lauderdale) to just short of Key Biscayne. Hurricanes in the 1800's created new inlets and separated the island from (now) Fisher Island. The island has a colorful past and was once a landfill, a historic black beach and a proposed eco-tourist destination. Perhaps the most famous landmark, Jimbo's, no longer exists but it remains in memories, photographs and in movies. The Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant is still operational, though inaccessible to birders.
The area Dan refers to is Virginia Key Beach Park, the historic black beach in (then) Dade County from the 1940's through the 1960's. It is accessed at the traffic light just before Bear Cut Bridge and there is usually an attendant to collect a fee. The City of Miami manages the park in conjunction with Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, headed by Guy Forchion. The amenities slowly were refurbished and the mini-train and carousel are now operational.
The freshwater ponds beyond the train tracks host numerous Black-crowned Night-Herons, passerines and an occasional wintering American Crocodile. The area north of the ponds was replanted by Americorps in 2008, as part of the large restoration project designed by DERM's Gary Milano, since retired. After clearing exotic vegetation, workers were surprised to find 80-100-year-old mangroves. A Burrowing Owl was seen in this area several years ago and as Dan points out, sparrows winter here.
The restored area surrounding the boardwalk is part of a Miami-Dade County project. The pond originally was <20% salinity and the typha hosted wintering Least Bittern, American Coot and Common Gallinule. The original restoration plan included a saltwater channel to be opened and eventually flush this mangrove restoration area. Until the salinity increased in 2008-2009, numerous Black-necked Stilts nested on the edges. Now at low tide, Snook, Barracuda and Tarpon can be seen in the channel below the boardwalk. The Great Black-Hawk sometimes perches on the edges of this area.
This large natural resource area on Virginia Key is called Virginia Key Ecosystem Restoration Area. Currently, there is a project to remove invasive exotic vegetation and unfortunately, an area reliable for both bunting species has been cleared. The large project currently underway south of the treatment plant may be to cap the landfill but I'm not certain. An excellent overview can be found at:
http://www.abettersouthflorida.org/VirginiaKey.html
Virginia Key Beach is along Arthur Lamb, Jr. Road, just west of the entrance to Virginia Key Beach Park. It is managed by the City of Miami and there is a fee to enter. The Great Black-Hawk can be seen anywhere along this road, including trees right at the entrance booth. During migration, anywhere in this area can be good.
The northernmost part of the island was designated as Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area, a 700-acre preserve that is mostly underwater and mangroves. Part of this northern tip has been turned into mountain biking trails, currently where a female Western Spindalis is wintering.
Just across from the beach parking is a restoration gem, almost singlehandedly accomplished by Juan Fernandez, a City of Miami naturalist. He is currently working on restoration of Simpson Park (Miami Avenue) to its full potential. Read more about the Virginia Key Restored Hardwood Hammock:
http://www.abettersouthflorida.org/VAKeyRestoration.htm
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