On Thursday morning I went over to the Babcock-Webb WMA for a morning’s outing.  I just received my new Canon 30D camera this week and was anxious to give it a workout.  I saw some interesting birds and wildlife during the outing.  Notable birds included two Limpkins, a Wild Turkey (f), Sandhill Cranes, and the usual Egrets and Herons.  Although I heard several Bachman Sparrows, I was not able to get any in my camera’s viewfinder.  Did not see any Red-cockaded Woodpeckers.  I saw two groups of two deer each and also had nice views of a Gray Fox, the first I’ve seen at the Webb.

On Saturday morning several members of our camera club visited the Sarasota Jungle Gardens.  Visiting the Jungle Gardens almost always provides several unique photo opportunities; this time was no different.  In addition to the Flamingoes and Wood Ducks, a male White Peacock provided a dazzling display of his open wings; absolutely beautiful.  In addition, we had nice close-up views of Moorhens, Brown Pelicans, Tricolored Heron, Laughing Gulls, Bluejays, and Catbirds.  Of course, there are always the caged birds (Parrots) and reptiles.  A wonderful place to visit and not crowded at 9:00 am.

I signed up for a Larry Manfredi Birding Tour of the Dry Tortugas.  Our group of 10 birders met for a reception on Tuesday evening on the 60-ft boat M/V Playmate berthed at the Oceanside Marina on Stock Island.  Our birding guide was Murray Gardler.  The boat had a crew of three; so we had a total of 14 people on the boat.  Our journey to the Dry Tortugas began the next morning at 5:00 am.  The Tortugas consists of a cluster of seven islands lying about 70 miles west of Key West. 

During the ride we slowed down several times to observe pelagic birds, the most common being the Northern Gannet.  We saw several Roseate Terns, a lifer for many of us. It was interesting to watch flying fish move out of the way of the boat bow.  We reached the boundary buoy of the Dry Tortugas around noon.  We passed by Hospital Key, which is essentially nothing but a sandbar, where we observed the only nesting colony of Masked Boobies in the Continental US.  As we traveled towards Garden Key, where Fort Jefferson is located, we observed Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies, Sooty Terns, and Magnificent Frigatebirds.

We arrived at Fort Jefferson shortly after noon and enjoyed another gourmet meal.  We then went ashore and spent the rest of the day exploring the interior and exterior of Fort Jefferson.  The courtyard of the fort has a number of small trees and a small fresh water fountain installed by the Park Service for the birds.  This is the only source of fresh water in the Tortugas. Eventually, most of the birds in the fort area visit the fountain.  Notable sightings included a Short-eared Owl, Yellow-billed Cuckoo (6), Shiny Cowbird, White-winged Dove, Indigo Bunting (f), American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Palm Warblers, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat.

On the 2nd day, after spending the first two hours at the Fort, we traveled a short distance to Loggerhead Key.  When we got here, we noticed a group of 20 Cubans.  They had apparently arrived one or two hours earlier via two small hand-built boats.  Park Service staff told us we could bird the island, but to stay on the other side away from the group of Cubans.  The Coast Guard eventually arrived and took command of the situation. We did walk the island, through the cactus and brush.  Birds seen included a Short-eared Owl, Bobolinks (2), a female Shiny Cowbird and Peregrine Falcons (4).

We then went back to Fort Jefferson, where we spent the rest of the day.  We did see a good view of a resting Chuck-will’s-widow and Gray-cheeked Thrush.  We did not see any additional warbler species.  We birded the Fort again the next morning from 7:00 to 9:00, but did not see anything new.  We then headed back to the Keys.  The seas were a little rougher going back then coming.  We did see some pelagic birds, but nothing we didn’t see on the way out.  We arrived back at the Ocean Side Marina on Stock Island about 3:00.  A few of us then went to look for the White-crowned Pigeon, which we found.