Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

The northeast coaling docksat the Dry Tortugas National Park have been yeilding daily sightings of Black Noddy Terns. Read the rest of this entry »

Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

I recently spent four days in the Dry Tortugas volunteering on Sooty Tern research. These are highlights of my trip: Read the rest of this entry »

The second official sighting in the United States of the Loggerhead Kingbird was made in the Dry Tortugas March 22, 2008!

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I was born in New York in 1955. I attended Penn State University, where I played field hockey goalie. I graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in Environmental Science specializing in Marine Science.

My passions in life include bird watching, fishing and nature in general. My husband, Glenn, and I reside in Alaska during the summer and commercial fish for stone crab in the Keys in the winter. I have been a part time seasonal CAST member on the Yankee Freedom for eight years and a resident of the Florida Keys for 30 years.

Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Warblers are starting their northbound spring treks and bird watching activity is increasing dramatically in the Dry Tortugas National Park. The last week in February brought our first Ruby Throated Hummingbird of 2008, with many more to follow. Several Northern Parula Warblers, Blue Grey Gnatcatchers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers have been seen. Herons and egrets are moving north. Numerous Black-bellied Plovers and even a Belted Kingfisher were observed the first two days of March. We also sighted a Yellow Throated Warbler and a Cape May Warbler.
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Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Recent excitement about the annual arrival of Sooty Terns for the 2008 breeding season were realized on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The arrival of the Yankee Freedom II to Dry Tortugas National Park docks that Wednesday coincided with a sky darkened by thousands of Sooty Terns, swooping over Bush Key, and calling enthusiastically in mating bliss. The birds commence egg laying immediately, and by early February chicks should hatch and adult parents will scramble in a fish catching frenzy to feed the chicks.

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Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Winter season has arrived and Northern Gannets have been the highlight of our boat rides aboard the Yankee Freedom II. These large sea birds with white plumage and black wing tips have been peppering the seas surrounding the Marquesas Islands catching bait fish. Gannets are migratory sea birds usually found in the coastal regions of the North Atlantic. Many gannets (especially young birds) winter in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

On Friday November 30, 2007, the Yankee Freedom II arrived at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, and was greeted by twelve White Pelicans soaring over the Fort. What a sight! White Pelicans winter in South Florida, mostly around Flamingo and the Ten Thousand Islands (all part of Everglades National Park ) in Florida Bay. Unlike Brown Pelicans, which are enjoyed daily by our park visitors, who plunge dive from the air into the sea for their food (fish), White Pelicans swim and dive (from the surface) often in large groups herding fish and collecting fish in their large pouch and bill. The group of twelve White Pelicans remained at the Fort through Saturday, and on Sunday only one White Pelican remained. This lone Pelican was harassed by Magnificent Frigatebirds while soaring over Ft. Jefferson.

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Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Fall has arrived in the Dry Tortugas and “klee klee” the sound of kestrels resounds inside Fort Jefferson. We have had a special visitor on the beaches of Garden Key for about a week- the Marbled Godwit. Godwit’s are renowned for long distance nonstop migratory treks. The paradeground has three Whimbrels and a solitary Killdeer feeding on insects in the grasses. Numerous birds of prey including Broad winged Hawk, Sharp shinned Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and Northern Harrier are performing aerial shows on Garden Key. Male Magnificent Frigatebirds are displaying and courting on nearby Long Key. Shorebirds are resting on the beaches along their migratory trips including Dunlin, Willet, Black-bellied Plover, Sanderling, and more. A single American Pipit was observed on the shoreline as well.

Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

A trip aboard the Yankee Freedom II to the Dry Tortugas National Park will allow you to observe as many as three species of Booby Birds. The Masked Booby—largest of the Booby species w/ a wingspan of 62 inches, a weight of 3.3 pounds and a length of 32 inches—nest on Hospital Key near Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. This is the only nesting Booby species at any National Park in the continental U.S. Read the rest of this entry »