I had a little bit of time each day to explore a few areas of the Keys for some birds. I visited an area called "Tea Table Relief", as I noted in a few earlier posts, twice, seeing an interesting mix of birds each visit. The birds seen in this area included: Brown Pelicans, a "Great White" Heron, Cormorants, Ospreys, gulls, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black Vultures, Palm Warblers, Magnificent Frigatebirds, a Northern Mockingbird, a Belted Kingfisher, White Ibis, and several European starlings.
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| Northern Mockingbird Florida Keys |
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| White Ibis Florida Keys |
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| European Starling Florida Keys |
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker Florida Keys |
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| Palm Warbler Florida Keys |
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| Palm Warbler Florida Keys |
A visit to the Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park didn't turn up any birds, but there was some really cool fossilized reefs to check out. There are three quarries and several trails that you can explore on your own or they have guided tours. The park is a good place to see migrating songs, but they have all apparently migrated on.
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| Fossilized Reef Windley Key |
This Warbler was hanging out in a tree at the hotel in Islamorda. I think it is a Prairie Warbler. Poor guy had some large growth on his leg.
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| Prairie Warbler Florida Keys |
This is where I was hanging out!
Palm Warblers were found at all the places I visited. This one was at Founder's Park.
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| Palm Warbler Florida Keys |
Another area I made a very quick trip through was "Anne's Beach" located around MM 74. It is a great place to bird watch as it offers a boardwalk through the mangroves that parallels the shore. Here I only saw 2 birds, but migrating songs can be found here at other times of the year. I'm not quite sure what this one is.
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| White Rumped Sandpiper Florida Keys |
