On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Winter Wren
Dry Tortugas is a popular bird watching destination, especially during the spring migration. Our trip April 4 was still fairly early in the season, so there were relatively few migrants, but we still managed to see some interesting migrants as well as the nesting sea birds.
Magnificent Frigatebirds were soaring (largely stationary) over Forth Jefferson when we arrived and for most of the time that we visited, as well as at least one Turkey Vulture. There is a breeding colony on Long Key not far away. None of the birds we saw displayed the red throat pouch of a breeding male.
Sometimes you need to scratch an itch while soaring.
Bush Key hosts a huge Sooty Tern nesting colony (up to 80,000 individuals!) as well as a much smaller number of Brown Noddies. It was quite the spectacle to see (and hear!) so many birds flying over the low trees. This one picture barely begins to capture it.
The Noddies seemed to generally nest in trees (at least the small sample I was able to see).
A Brown Noddy in flight near the north swimming beach.
The Sooty Terns seemed to generally be ground nesters, underneath the trees. Some of the terns were nesting within several feet of the roped off/restricted area, quite unafraid, allowing for close inspection.
Ruddy Turnstones were hanging out along the edge of the moat and the dock.
While the breeding colony of terns is the big spectacle in the spring, the other attraction for birdwatchers is to see smaller birds as they take a rest here on their northward journey over the waters. This Gray Kingbird was hanging out in a tree within the fort. Along with the Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies, it was a “lifer” for me (i.e. a new bird species that one has never seen before).
I occasionally see (and hear) Prairie Warblers like this one in Massachusetts, but this is the earliest in the year I had ever seen one.
This Northern Parula is a very common nesting warbler in the Northeast. There were also several Palm Warblers within the fort as well as an American Kestrel and a Cattle Egret (sans Cattle). A Peregrine Falcon flew past overhead – too fast for a good picture unfortunately.
We definitely plan on another trip some time in the future!
War for Ukraine Day 1,195: Kerch Bridge Falling Down, Falling Down, Kerch Bridge Falling Day, My Fair Lady
Baud
Is it Monday?
Nice photos.
stinger
Congrats on the Grey Kingbird!
The scratching-while-soaring is funny — I hadn’t known or even thought about that.
You captured such a range of different beak shapes. Great photos of interesting birds!
Rob
Those are lovely photos! I have never been to the Dry Tortugas, maybe some day I will go.
@ Winter Wren, this might amuse you: I saw my lifer Gray Kingbird in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in December 2004. Definitely out of range and out of season, since there aren’t too many insects there in December. I drove there from Washington, DC, the day before a snowstorm, and was among the last people to see it, RIP.
frosty
Nice pictures and congratulations on the Gray Kingbird! On my visit two years ago I saw the Brown Noddies and the Sooty Terns (well, the flock flying around that was in your picture.) We couldn’t get any closer than that. Both Lifers.
My take on the Magnificent Frigatebirds was that everywhere else in the country where there were black birds soaring above you they were Turkey Vultures. Not here though!
Winter Wren
@Rob: That is certainly out of place!
Winter Wren
@Baud: Can’t have too many posts about birds IMO :-)
Elizabelle
Love the idea of these beautiful birds on rest and relaxation as they travel.
Wonderful photos. Dry Tortugas goes on the bucket list. (Nephew in Florida; otherwise not a destination, beautiful as the state is.)
HinTN
@Elizabelle: Just returned from south Florida. If / when you go be sure to go to Everglades City and take the National Park affiliated boat excursion through the 10,000 islands. We were lucky enough to see a whole flock of Roseate Spoonbills, one of which was in flight. That’s a BIG pink bird!
There’s also a National Park affiliated boat tour in Flamingo. We saw crocodiles and lots of birds.
Both tours are 90 minutes and worth every bit of your time.
Chris T.
@Rob: Every time I see the name, I wonder “where the heck are the Wet Tortugas?”
Albatrossity
Fabulous! This place has been on my bucket list for a long time; like you, Covid interfered for me as well. Hope to get there someday! Thanks for the vicarious tour!
Torrey
I am connecting with the Ruddy Turnstone. I mean, aside from the name, I can totally relate to that facial expression.