FLORIDA
THE DRY TORTUGAS

April 19 – 24 and 25 – 30, 2010


Wezil Walraven’s Diary

First night

On this first evening, everyone arrived on time to board the boat — MS Tiburon — and there were introductions the captain and crew before departing for a group dinner in Key West.

Second Day

Fort Jefferson
The captain forewarned us that we would hear the engine start at 4 a.m. and to just sleep until daylight. He also told us the seas may be moderate to rough with 4 to 6 foot swells. Fortunately, no one ‘chummed the fish’ over the side but Wezil — and that was because he took too many Dramamine(lesson learned).

We arrived at Ft. Jefferson that day around 2 p.m. and were taken to the Dry Tortugas by the small, inflatable Zodiac, holding six of us at a time. Some of us were glad of the dry land and the chance to rid ourselves of the need for sea legs for a while. Right away, we were confronted with a nice collection with successful migrants under the island’s shrubbery (see bird list).

We returned to the ship happy, ready for cocktails and appetizers before a wonderful meal.

Day Three

On returning the island, we saw numerous Merlins circling the Fort and picking off weak, newly arrived migrants, such as Hooded Warblers and Western Palm Warblers. During the day, we were fortunate enough to find both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos were resting of the canopies. It was odd to have such an abundance of birds all around us without any of them singing. We figured they were too exhausted from their long flight.

Blackburnian_Warbler_MDF_web
When we got back to the Tiburon on the first trip, we even found a Blackburnian Warbler that had successfully made its return trip and was taking a well-earned rest. On Day Three of the second week, Tennessee Warblers arrived in large numbers. We also managed side-by-side looks at Antillean Nighthawks and Common Nighthawks for comparison.

Day Four

Magnificent_Frigatebird_Haplochromis_web
We awoke from our bunks anchored just off shore and returned to the island to see if the Black Noddy had returned to hang out with the many Brown Noddies that were perched upon an old shipping dock. Sadly, it was nowhere to be found. However, on Day Four of the second tour, Forrest noticed an unusual Kingbird perched on top of the Fort. After some careful observation, we determined it was a Western Kingbird way off course.

As the temperature rose each day, we sat under the shade of the trees and watched the water drip system set up by the National Park Service and enjoyed close-up views of the many species that came to drink. Painted Buntings, Black-whiskered Vireo, Gray Catbird, Western Palm Warbler were just a few of the species utilizing the available water.

Day Five

Masked_booby_with_chick_web
Today we cruised around the only recognized Masked Booby nesting site in the US for excellent views of this bird. Part of the first tour group were fortunate enough while circling a nearby key to see a Cuban Crocodile. The same key also held nesting Magnificent Frigatebirds, and we all had great looks are the nesting adults and their young.


Sadly, it was time to return to Key West, but we still had enough daylight to drive around looking at some of noted hot birding spots (see list). On the second tour, we stopped on a bridge in Key West and played the Mangrove Cuckoo song. Right away we had a response! To our disappointment, we swiftly discovered another group of birders were playing their tape back at us. The day ended with a final seafood dinner together, since everyone was flying home next morning.



Photo credits: Blackburnian Warbler ~ MDF; Magnificent Frigatebird ~ Haplochromis