Avifauna at Ft. Jefferson

Teet and his birders arrived Saturday evening, and we headed down to our motel in Florida City. Early the next morning we were off to the Everglades, where a fine array of beasts and birds awaited us.

American Alligators basked next to Anhingas, some of which were still on nests and feeding their young. Waders were abundant, and at Flamingo we saw many shorebirds, Black Skimmers, and three American Crocodiles. Later that afternoon we headed to Black Point State Park, where we also saw a few manatees.

American Alligators

Gray Kingbird

Western Spindalis

On Monday we drove down to the Keys, getting Black-whiskered Vireo at the Key Largo Botanical Gardens. Once at Key West we made a beeline for Ft. Zachary, where a fine selection of warblers entertained us. Two days later we were back, and scored with this Western Spindalis!

 
Black-throated Blue Warbler .

The boat ride to and from Ft. Jefferson was pretty rough, but the birds were great. We saw Brown and Masked Boobies, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and a host of migrating passerines.

Indigo Bunting in Sea Grape

Magnificent Frigatebird (juvenile)

Roseate Spoonbill

A Brown Anole scampered up this tree and then flashed his dewlap at me several times.

We got excellent looks at a number of shorebirds and waders, including this gorgeous Roseate Spoonbill--one of several which flew over the road before settling down in the bay before us.

Brown Anole

Palm Warbler

At Babcock Wildlife Area we found our first Limpkin, Sandhill Cranes, Brown Thrashers, and heard numerous Chuck-Will's-Widows that evening. Our final morning was spent at Loxahatchee NWR, where we watched Snail and Swallow-tailed Kites, an American Bittern, and our first Purple Gallinules.

Grasshopper

Purple Gallinule

In addition to the beautiful birds were a number of interesting insects, ranging from multicolored grasshopper to damselflies to fancy butterflies.