On Saturday, September 28, seventeen birders joined TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for Tropical Audubon’s annual fall trip to the Islamorada area in the Florida Keys. Our first stop was supposed to be at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geologic State Park, but when we arrived at the park at 8am, we found the gate locked. Several birds were seen around the entrance while we waited for someone to open the gate, including a few Monk Parakeets and Gray and Eastern Kingbirds. After about 10 minutes of waiting and with no way of knowing if anyone was coming to open the gate, we decided to move on to our second scheduled stop, at Long Key State Park, which was already open for business when we arrived.
We began our exploration of the park on the boardwalk section of the Golden Orb Nature Trail, where we found a few Roseate Spoonbills, along with a couple of Belted Kingfishers and an Eastern Wood-Pewee. When we reached the beach, we walked west along the shoreline until we encountered a mixed group of shorebirds that included Black-bellied Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Willets, Ruddy Turnstones and Western and Least Sandpipers. A Semipalmated Plover was among another group of shorebirds found east of the boardwalk. Other birds seen during our exploration of this area included White-crowned Pigeon, Common Nighthawk, Royal Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Little Blue, Tricolored and Green Herons, Snowy and Great Egrets, Turkey Vulture, Osprey Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Bank and Barn Swallows, Brown Thrasher, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat and Black-and-white, Cape May, Yellow and Prairie Warblers.
Returning to the parking area, we walked a short distance down the upland section of the Golden Orb Nature Trail, where we added Ovenbird and Black-throated Blue Warbler. We then drove to the day use area near the park’s campground, but we didn’t stay long, since a helicopter was spraying for mosquitoes in this area. Moving on to our third stop, on Grassy Key, we came upon a Reddish Egret actively feeding in one of the key’s many tidal ponds. Caspian Tern, Red-winged Blackbird and Palm Warbler were also seen there.
Our final stop of the day was at Curry Hammock State Park. After taking a picnic lunch break in the park’s day use area, we walked along the beach to the campground, home to the Florida Keys Hawkwatch. Birds seen while visiting with the hawkwatch team included Magnificent Frigatebird, Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon. While walking back from the campground to the day use area, we spotted several Eastern Wood-Pewees along with White-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, Yellow-throated and Prairie Warblers and a Scarlet Tanager. A small flock of Blue-winged Teal were seen in a flooded field near the campground.
By trip’s end we had tallied a total of 63 species. The complete list can be viewed in this eBird trip report.
Reddish Egret: Photo by Brian Rapoza