April birding is always a thrill in the Dry Tortugas and this April was no exception. Late March and early April were good, but the arrival of a large number of Merlins in early and mid April did result in death for many migrants. Late April was awesome – 92 species in 3 days (23 were warblers).

Week of March 22^nd

First adult Northern Gannets observed on ferry ride to Dry Tortugas heading north to the breeding grounds. Peregrine and Merlin are being seen in the paradeground. An Upland Sandpiper is feeding on the septic drainfield in the paradeground and joined later in the week by Pectoral Sandpipers.

Upland Sandpiper

The first Ruby throated Hummingbird of spring. Lots of LA Waterthrush, Black whiskered Vireo, Yellow throated Vireo and a few Parula Warblers. On March 24^th birding really picked up.

Yellow throated Vireo

Rain storms brought many birds including Wood Thrush, Gray Kingbird, Hooded, Black & White, Yellow throated, Prairie, Prothonatary , LA and Northern Waterthrush and Worm eating Warblers, lots of Hummingbirds – White eyed, Red eyed, Yellow throated & Black whiskered Vireos.

Prothonatary

Yellow crowned Night Herons – numerous in the paradeground and sleeping the Buttonwood trees. Purple Martins, Northern Rough Wing, Tree and Barn Swallows swoop thru the fort and occasionally rest. Mast Booby birds have chicks on Hospital Key. Week of March 29^th

Strong east winds lead to the departure of many migrants. Yellow throated Vireo are singing. Gray and Eastern Kingbird common.

Gray and Eastern Kingbird common

A Solitary Sandpiper was seen as well as a Blue Grosbeak and Blue winged Warbler. Late in the week serious watching for the Black Noddy begins with little success. On Saturday there was a Mockingbird, Cape May Warbler and Merlins (at least 12) as well as Peregrines and Cooper’s Hawk.

Cape May Warbler

Merlins

A new group of Sooty Tern seem to be arriving to nest at the east end of Bush Key. Week of April 5^th

East winds and Merlins continue to slow birding. Gray Kingbird common, Black & White Warblers abundant and first Tennessee Warblers. On March 10^th, the Florida Keys Audubon took place. Results will be in the next blog. New Warblers this week include Black throated Blue and Redstart. Spotted Sandpiper was seen on the beach. Summer Tanangers and Yellow billed Cuckoos arrive.

Week of April 12^th

Strong east winds continue and our Thursday trip was cancelled due to high wind gusts. Merlins continue to eat – almost all the Yellow rumped Warblers (fearless for months in the paradeground) are gone. A Wood Thrush hides near a thick limb in the Gumbo Limbo tree for hours. Even the bird fountain unsafe because of the agile fast Merlin. This week did bring Blue headed Vireo, a bird not seen frequently in the Tortugas.

Week of April 19^th

Weather has improved and many of the Merlins have finally traveled north. Roseate Terns are sighted on the Rebecca Channel marker, soon to begin nesting in the Tortugas and in Marathon atop the county office complex. Painted Buntings, lots of Indigo Buntings , Dicksissels and Bobolinks have arrived.

Indigo Buntings

Thrushes are quite common – Wood, Swainson’s, a few Gray Cheeked, and Veery. Both Summer and Scarlet Tanangers , Blue and Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Eastern and Gray Kingbird, Barn, Tree, Northern rough winged Sparrow are here.

Scarlet Tanangers

A Lincoln’s Sparrow was observed in the old foundation to the enlisted men’s barracks. Warblers include LA and Northern Waterthrush, Hooded , Black throated Blue, Cape May , Black & White, Worm eating, Ovenbird, Tennessee, Common Yellow throat, Prothonatary, Swainson’s Prairie, Palm and on Saturday a Blackburnian was seen in Searocket flowers along the beach, and also a Kentucky.

Hooded Warbler

Cape May Warbler

A Greater Yellowlegs was on top of the fort. A Chimney Swift was a new bird this week. Very abundant were Bobolink and Red-eyed Vireo . On April 21^st, a Black billed cuckoo slept in the Mahoe tree over the fountain all day – much to all the birders delight.

Red Eyed Vireo

Black Billed Cuckoo

A Wilson’s Phalarope was seen near the south coaling dock. Spotted, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plovers were observed along Bush Key beaches. Week of April 26th

A weak cold front blew through the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas on Monday and the birding became excellent. Lots of Bobolinks and Dicksissels. New Warblers include Chestnut sided and Yellow and still more Tennessee. Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Scarlet and Summer Tanangers, Rose breasted Grosbeaks, Red-eyed and Black whiskered Vireos are fighting over the last berries in the Gumbo Limbo trees. A Western Kingbird joins the Eastern and Gray Kingbirds in treetops. On the beaches are Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectural Turnstones and Sanderlings. Bridled Terns are being seen almost daily in Rebecca Channel.

Bridled Tern

Warblers include Kentucky, Black & White, Blackpoll, Parula, Hooded, Palm, Yellow-rump, Prairie, LA and Northern Waterthrush, Worm Gating, Chestnut sided, Cape May, Redstart, Magnolia , Yellow, Black throated Blue, Black throated Green, Blackburnian, Prothonotury, Overnbird and Swainson’s.

Magnolia Warbler

A Cerulean Warbler was reported although I did not see the bird. Nighthawks sleep on many tree branches both common and Antillian. Catbirds have arrived in abundance and feast on Ranger Tree’s tomato plants. Veery and Gray checked Thrush now outnumber wood and Swainson’s, Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s are in almost every tree in the paradeground and campground.

Yellow Billed Cuckoo

Sitting by the bird fountain in the paradeground can be a thrilling experience, especially with a camera. A Pomarine Jaegar was sighted on our return trip to Key West on Wednesday.

This Bonapartes Gull was seen in the harbor along Yankee Freedom II on March 17^th.

Bonapartes Gull

April is just such an awesome month to schedule a day or camping trip to the Dry Tortugas for bird migration.  The weather is definitely a determining factor for fall outs.  Any rain event can result in new birds just as quickly as the sun shines.  Camping allows you the time to really enjoy your birding experience, especially for the photographers.  Renting a kayak will allow you closer access to the Frigatebird colony on Long Key and Bush Key with the nesting Sooty and Brown Noddy turns.  We welcome birders on the Yankee Freedom II.  Remember to request your captain to take you by Hospital Key to view the Masked Booby birds. They have young chicks in April.  Happy birding and we look forward to seeing you in the Yankee Freedon II.  Call our Reservations office at 800-634-0939 to secure your camping time and any kayak rental arrangements.

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Terns are certainly one of the amazing wonders of the bird world.  Most stunning is the migration of the Arctic Tern yearly from the Arctic to Antarctic and back.  This summer while catching lots of King Salmon at a remote fish camp on the Nushagak River (this river drains to Bristol Bay – Alaska’s premier sockeye salmon fishery)  I was mesmerized by Arctic Terns.  Both eye- and ear-catching, busy, always busy guarding their young and catching fish to fatten the chicks for the long flight south.  Bills, legs and feet turn blood red during breeding season making them striking in appearance and sharp in call.

Arctic Terns

Arctic Terns

The Dry Tortugas has four species of oceanic (open ocean home) terns that utilize these remote islands for summer nesting.  Some terns reside along our shorelines – like Royal Terns in the Tortugas.  All terns feed on fish and sea life but some choose to live far out to sea, coming to shore only to breed.  Fortunately for bird watchers and nature enjoyers the Dry Tortugas offer a unique opportunity to observe these 4 species of oceanic terns on land: Sooty, Noddy, Bridled and Roseate Tern.

Sooty Tern

Noddy Tern

Bridled Tern

Sootys on Nesting Site

Most famous in the Tortugas is the Sooty Tern – mariners, naturalists and explorers have been captivated by the Sooty Colony since the islands were discovered by Ponce de Leon.  The Sooty Tern is simply a magnificent flying machine.  The chicks after just a few month of life choose to leave Mom and Dad behind and embark on a journey to the waters off South Africa where upwelling produces large numbers of fish for food.  The young Sootys will spend 3-5 years here meeting Sootys from other tropical colonies around the world.  This species has no natural weatherproofing in its feathers and can’t sit on the water – thus it spends most of its life aloft – even sleeping while flying.  Living over 20 – 30 years, these birds will reach sexual maturity at about 5 years and then return to a life over seas closer to breeding areas in remote islands throughout the tropics.  Here they lay a single egg in a scrape in the sand.  Males and females alternate sitting on the egg with feeding out to sea in about 12 hour shifts, later regurgitating fish for the chicks.  It is not uncommon for these birds to travel 100 or more miles on a feeding trip to sea.

Audubon described the Sooty colony at the Dry Tortugas at 250,000 birds in the 1830s, a striking sight in spring and summer.  Now the population stands around 30,000 – 50,000.  Hurricanes in recent years have significantly declined the population.  Enjoy these Terns on Bush Key in the Tortugas from February to late July or early August.

Sooty with Chicks

Amazing – Sooty flying while looking upwards

Sootys on Bush Key

Noddy Terns will join the Sooty Terns on Bush Key in springtime for nesting.  Noddys however build a stick nest decorated with seashells and seaweed.  These birds tend to stay in groups especially out to sea and feed by diving or picking fish from the surface.

Noddy Terns

Noddy Terns

Noddys are named for nodding at each other both in courtship and in nesting.  Noddys can be seen in spring and early summer along the shoreline of Bush Key collecting sticks, seaweed and shells for their nests.  Elaborate nodding occurs at the nest site and in courtship and is fascinating to watch.

Roseate Terns feed by plunge diving – more typical of Terns overall – but unique among the four nesting Tortugas Terns.  Roseate Terns were known to nest in the Tortugas in the past but the colony wasabandoned.  They also nested in coral rubble along the reefline south of Key West but this area was left submerged by hurricanes.  Five years ago a combined effort by National Park Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation biologists produced a plan to use decoys and a sound recording of a Roseate Tern colony in New England to try to reestablish the breeding colony in the Dry Tortugas.  The program has been successful and 30 to 40 pair have nested the last several summers in the Dry Tortugas.  These birds prefer the coral rubble on the east end of Bush Key and in the north side of Long Key.

Roseate Terns

Roseate Terns

Roseate Terns were hunted heavily by plume hunters and their eggs are considered to be and aphrodisiac in the Bahamas and Caribbean.  This species is also waning in population.  Today Roseate Terns nest in the Tortugas and also on the roof of the government center in Marathon in summer.  They also nest along the shoreline of New England and Nova Scotia.  The yound are quickly fledged – first flight occurs in 27 to 30 days but the young can leave the nest after just a few days.

Roseate Terns

Roseate Terns

Two year ago biologists observing the Roseate Tern colony were surprised and pleased to learn that several pairs of Bridled Tern were nesting in coral rubble near the Roseate colony.  These Terns are commonly sighed in Gulf Stream waters but were not known to breed in the Tortugas.  Bridled Terns look similar to Sooty Terns but are lighter in the back and longer.

Bridled Tern – note charcoal back

Bridled Tern

Unlike Sootys who like to stay aloft, Bridled Terns are frequently spotted sitting on sticks and flotsam.  Neither Sooty, Noddy, nor Bridled Terns plunge dive for fish like the Roseate Tern.  With the modern development of many offshore islands a lot of pelagic Terns have lost nesting habitat.  The Tortugas remain a very viable breeding opportunity for these four tern species and more pelagic birds.

Watch for Sooty and Noddy Terns on Bush Key from February to late July or early August.  The Roseates nest at the east end of Bus Key and the north side of Long Key in June through August.  Bridled Terns were spotted in late April and stay until chicks are fledged in late July or early August.  Flyovers by all these species will occur on Garden Key (home of the majestic Fort Jefferson) during the summer months.

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Birdwatchers at fountain in parade ground of Ft. Jefferson – a great place to spot warblers and more.

A spring surprise Black-Necked Stilt

By: Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Spring birdwatching at the Dry Tortugas National Park remains excellent and as summer approaches snorkeling reaches its peak.  Late spring trips on Yankee Freedom II offer excellent opportunities for both snorkeling and birdwatching on a single day trip.  Sea turtles are mating in Florida Keys’ waters now and especially just west of the Marquesas Islands (which lie west of Key West and are passed on our journey to the Dry Tortugas) sometimes hundreds of turtles are spotted.  It’s the perfect nature combination – birds, fish, and sea turtles.  Female turtles will be headed to the Dry Tortugas to lay their eggs all summer.  Dry Tortugas National Park is the most significant nest area for the Loggerhead Turtle in North America.

Warblers continue on their northbound routes.  Blackpoll, American Redstart, Ovenbird and Black-Throated Blue are common sightings.  Birders have been finding the Black Noddy Tern

Brown and Black Noddy Terns – notice the smaller size of the Black Noddy. (image courtesy of Larry Manfreidi, southfloridabirding.com)

on the north coaling dock.  Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds visit the orange flowers of the Geiger trees in the parade ground of Fort Jefferson.  Nighthawks and Chuck Wills Widow

Chuck Wills Widow in Buttonwood Branch

frequently sleep on tree branches during the day.  Always watch carefully for Caribbean Short-Eared Owl in the treetops or along the top sides of the fort in the grasses.  Watch for Dicksissel, Bobolink, Indigo and Painted Bunting and Blue Grosbeak feeding on grass seeds.  Cooper’s and Sharp-Shinned Hawks also patrol the parade ground – such agile fliers – and hungry for small birds.  Sooty and Noddy Terns are still nesting on Bush Key – young Sooty Terns are fledging now.

Sooty Carcass from Peregrine Predation

Peregrine Falcons stop in Tortugas for a snack on Sooty Terns and Merlins leave bird carcasses in the parade ground of Fort Jefferson.  Masked Booby can sometimes be observed feeding on Flying Fish – their torpedo-like dive is a spectacular sight.

Crew hooking up solar panel to power Roseate Tern calls.

Crew with decoys complete for Roseate Terns

Roseate Tern decoys and sound calls were installed on Long Key April 24th by National Park Service and Florida Fish & Wildlife Service personnel.  Roseate Terns once nested in the Dry Tortugas and have returned here thanks to a little artificial enticement in recent years.  The last two summers Bridled Terns have nested here as well – this was a first for the Dry Tortugas National Park

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Bridled Tern pair on Long Key

Two pair of Bridled Terns were observed on Long Key while Roseate Tern decoys were being set up.  The Bridled Tern looks very similar to a Sooty Tern – however their call is quite different.  The tail of a Bridled Tern is a single white point – in a Sooty Tern it is two points and the body of a Bridled Tern is longer and grayer on the top.  They also fly distinctly different – the Bridled Tern has a slower more graceful sweep of the wings.  Watch closely during summer months – especially over Long Key to the left of the Magnificent Frigatebird colony for these birds.

Bridled Tern House

They seem to prefer to nest in large coral rubble in cave-like areas.  Several were constructed and used last season.

On April 18, 2009 the Florida Keys Audobon Society hosted its annual fundraising event “Birdathon.”  I was very proud to represent the Yankee Freedom II and to enlist the aid of our passengers that day in finding 64 species of birds on our trip to Dry Tortugas National Park.  Thirteen species of birds were unique in the Florida Keys count to our trip.  The “Birdathon” total for the Florida Keys was 165 species – outdoing last year’s total of 101 and raising over $4000 for Florida Keys Audobon, and still more to come.

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By: Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Six Sooty Terns were observed on January 17th cruising over Bush Key during the day and large numbers of Terns were heard calling at night during the Christmas Bird Count (Dec. 16-18).

The actual arrival of large numbers (several thousand) occurred around January 26th, and this is the earliest ever recorded for these Terns for their nesting season. Their arrival has coincided with several strong cold fronts which may spell disaster for the early egg laying. The Terns have been arriving earlier and earlier for nesting for about 15 years – researchers say Sooty Terns may be an indicator species for global warming. But those earlier arrivals leave the birds subject to egg predation from migrating gulls and the effects of springtime cold fronts stressing the colony.

Magnificent Frigatebirds are courting and laying eggs. November and December mark peak periods of courtship for this awesome bird and numerous birds were observed with eggs on the Christmas Bird Count. Male Frigatebirds build the nest and display for females. The females care for young at least a year – so females far outnumber males in the colony.

I departed Key West on Tuesday January 16 on the Fort Jefferson (the Dry Tortugas National Park Supply Vessel) with five other bird watchers (Sonny Bass, Elsa Alvear, Michelle Davis, Larry Manfreidi and Rafael Galvez) for the 2008 Christmas Bird Count.

It was a gorgeous day – clear and calm – and we enjoyed sightings of many Northern Gannets, several Pomarine Jaeger, Brown Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, Laughing Gull, and Royal Tern. After arriving at Fort Jefferson we searched the parade ground and Garden Key, locating an Eastern Phoebe.

I had been seeing this bird for several weeks (as of February 3rd it was still at Fort Jefferson) and it is a new winter record for Dry Tortugas National Park. Unfortunately we could not locate an Eastern Wood Pewee which I had been seeing in previous weeks – which also would have been a new winter record.

We found several species of warbler including Palm, Yellow-rumped, Pine (these birds were a surprise as Pine Warblers are not well known in the Tortugas), Black throated Green, Northern Parula, and Common Yellow throat. All these warblers were seen again on Wednesday making them official for our count and Larry added an Orange-crowned Warbler as well.

Tuesday evening we heard Sooty Terns calling out over the Gulf of Mexico as they start staging for nesting season. They feed by day over the open ocean but start flying into the nesting area at night – first near and later over Bush Key. Hearing these birds this early probably means early nesting again this Spring.

Count day started with half our party (Michelle, Elsa and Rafael) traveling to Loggerhead Key. Their special birds included Piping Plover and Dickcissel – both excellent birds for the Dry Tortugas. Sonny, Larry and I birded first on Garden Key and later Bush and Long Key. Michelle had located an America Pipit
on Tuesday evening which we observed on the north coaling dock beach.

Two Whimbrels and a Willet were on the south coaling dock, also a Common Tern among the Royal Terns (the Common Tern is an unusual sighting in the Dry Tortugas).

An additional Common Tern was observed on Loggerhead Key.
Long Key found numerous Magnificent Frigatebirds with eggs and well over 90 nests – and many males displaying. We also observed a Great Blue Heron and numerous Yellow Crowned Night Heron. I located the American Crocodile that has been residing in the Tortugas for over 5 years between Long and Bush Keys in a tidal pool.

Bush Key has several Savannah Sparrows.

We all reunited for lunch and afterward we departed by boat to search Hospital, Middle, and East Keys. No Masked Booby were found on Hospital Key (normal nesting location in recent years) but near normal numbers were counted on Middle Key along with lots of Brown Booby. Hurricane Ike damaged Hospital Key – severely depleting it of sand – while Middle Key gained a lot of sand making it the choice for nesting Masked Booby this season. The Masked Booby appeared to be sitting on eggs but unfortunately it was quite breezy on Wednesday afternoon and sea conditions prevented us from landing on any of these islands. However, the rough sea conditions by the boundary markers of Dry Tortugas National Park produced a Cory Shearwater flyover which thrilled all of us. This was the first ever sighting of this bird on the Tortugas Christmas Count and an excellent sighting for the Tortugas.

Rough sea conditions that keep the birds airborne can produce excellent birding from the top deck of the Yankee Freedom II on the way to the Dry Tortugas including multiple sightings of Brown and Masked Booby, Northern Gannet (both immature and mature), Jagears (both Pomarine and Parasitic) and occasional sightings of Shearwaters (Cory and Audubon) or Petrels.

The Christmas bird count netted 41 species total, listed below:
Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Northern Gannet, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-skinned Hawk, American Kestrel, Killdeer, Black-bellied Plover, Piping Plover, Willet, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Sooty Tern, Cory’s Shearwater (first for Dry Tortugas), White-winged Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, American Pipit, Orange-crowned Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler (two birds very rare here), Prarie Warbler, Palm Warbler (both eastern and western races), Common Yellowthroat, Dickcissel (first winter record for Dry Tortugas), Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow.

Other birds of interest in winter 2008 – 2009:
Jan. – Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Dec. – arrival of many Black Skimmers
Nov. – Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Phoebe

Photo Credits: Christmas Bird Count – LarryManfreidi@southfloridabirding.com; Frigatebird – Julie Marcero; additional photographs by Deb Hess.

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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:

- Limpkin sighted on Bush Key March 7, 2008. This rare bird to the Dry Tortugas was also sighted on Garden Key on March 12, 2008.

- Sooty Tern chicks are hatching – population estimates for 2008 will post later as birds are still arriving for the 2008 season. Sooty Terns lay their eggs in a scrape in the sand, usually under vegetative cover.

- Noddy Terns are busy constructing nests. The birds can be seen on Bush Key beaches collecting shells and seaweed which they use to decorate their stick nests, located in bushes and Mangrove trees on Bush and Long Keys.

- Magnificent Frigatebirds have constructed at least 91 nests, many with chicks, some incubating eggs, and still other under construction, all located on Long Key mangroves. These trees are still recovering from the hurricanes of summer 2006, however, nesting is up from about 50 nests in 2007.

- 61 Masked Booby birds were counted on Hospital Key. 21 pair nested in 2007, 25 pair in 2008. A nest count was not made on this trip but will follow in a later posting.

- New warbler sightings for 2008 on Garden Key include Yellow Throated and Cape May.

- Bird watching in mid-March included our first Caribbean Short-eared Owl in 2008. Chuck Will’s Widows, numerous Great White Herons, Great Egrets, Yellow Crowned Night Herons, Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, and Swallow-tailed Kites were observed on Garden Key and over the water on Yankee Freedom II. Although the calm seas and lack of cold fronts in March have made snorkeling and boat rides to Dry Tortugas National Park spectacular, it has not produced a flurry of awesome birding yet. However, this weather pattern seems to be changing.

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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.

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