By: Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

This Brown Noddy built the largest nest I have ever seen with lots of seaweed and sticks	Masked Booby birds with eggs on Hospital Key

May Bird Blog

May is a month I normally spend in Alaska, but this summer I elected to stay on the Yankee Freedom II as a naturalist until Mid-July, returning in early September. I am excited to see the Masked Booby chicks grow and to see the Roseate and Bridled terns nest, but probably most excited to watch the Sooty terns prepare their chicks for departure to the waters off Africa where these young birds will live over the open ocean eating fish and drinking seawater for three to five years.

May is a transition month for bird watching. The last hard push of migrants head to the breeding grounds and the last stragglers struggle to make their way north. May brings some of the most beautiful warblers; Magnolia and Black throated Blue .

Black throated Blue Warbler

After birding in April, May is sort of a letdown. There are still awesome birds but in much fewer numbers. Bird watching now requires more searching but many good species are still found.

Week of May 3^rd

Yellow Billed Cuckoo

Many Yellow-billed Cuckoos’ are present. They can be flushed easily by walking through the paradeground. You can watch where the birds land and approach them again. Many of the Caribbean winter migrants are moving north now including the Black throated Blue and Blackpoll Warblers.

Blackpoll Warbler

Gray checked Thrush is common now instead of Swainson’s Thrush and an occasional Veery is sighted.

Grey cheeked Thrush

Dove’s; Mourning and Eurasian-collard are commonly seen. Redstarts are abundant all over Garden Key.

Week of May 10^th

Strong easterly winds prevail which always slows bird watching. Magnolia, Black throated Blue and Blackpoll Warblers are present. Redstarts are everywhere but mostly younger birds and very few males. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are still seen but in fewer numbers. Bobolinks head north now – look for them feeding in grasses on the drain field for the sewage treatment plant located in the paradeground. A few swallow still wander north as well including Barn Tree, Cliff and Northern Rough wing. A Merlin is in the Buttonwoods in the paradeground from time to time.

Merlin

Week of May 17^th

Black-necked Stilts

A pair of Black-necked Stilts were observed on the beach of Bush Key. They actually flew over Fort Jefferson where they were originally seen, landing later on Bush Key. Stilts and Avocets, seen rarely in the Tortugas, are always a stunning sight.

Bridled Terns are spotted from time to time in Rebecca Channel approaching and leaving Fort Jefferson.

Bridled terns will lay their egg under the coral where the young chicks can hide from predators and the sun

They are also spotted near man made coral huts on Long Key where they will be nesting in coming weeks.

Bridled tern guarding egg. The adults stand guard over the egg and later young chicks

Roseate terns are frequently observed feeding in groups of Brown Noddy terns. Unlike Sooty and Brown Noddy terns that pluck fish from the water’s surface, Roseates dive into the water to catch their fish. These terns appear to always be busy and active, dainty in flight and purposeful in feeding.

Roseate terns	Roseate tern – Bird on right has fish for chicks
Roseate terns – Note: Non-breeding birds have dark bill, Breeding birds have red bill

Sooty terns are lining their chicks up along the beaches and flying lessons are commencing.

Sooty tern chick newly hatched	Sooty tern chick several days old. Tern chicks hatch in early March and now in May, prepare to fly for 3 – 5 years
Sooty chick ready to fly

The chicks are fat. Wing-stretching and exercise with short flights will help strengthen their muscles for flight. It is amazing to watch the young chicks encouraged by their parents to flap and flap and suddenly realize they can fly. Flying lessons continue daily and eventually inside Fort Jefferson overhead you can hear parents and chicks discuss flying skills. Much effort is devoted to flying and learning feeding skills because by early to mid-July, the young chicks will head out to sea on their own, while the parents will leave for open ocean waters of the Bahamas and Caribbean. By late May on warm days, parents and chicks soar high on thermals in huge flocks preparing for life at sea. It is truly an amazing sight to see the birds soar effortlessly through the sky for hours at a time.

Sooty adults and chicks group on the beach for flying lessons

Week of May 24^th

Young pelicans use their mother’s backside to shade themselves from the hot sun

A trip over Bush Keys finds numerous young Pelicans have hatched. The young birds are quite a sight. Three eggs were laid per nest and all three chicks hatched but it appears all but one chick will die by several weeks old. The young Pelicans defend their nest area vigorously. Bridled terns have laid eggs and at least five nests have been identified. This is the newest bird species to nest in the Dry Tortugas and is exciting news for the park. Roseate terns have also laid eggs at the east end of Bush Key. The Roseates appear to have a very strong return this summer.

Several good friends from Alaska camped on Garden Key for several days in late May. Much time was devoted to birding and they were delighted to sight Warbling Vireo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bobolinks, Merlin, Blackburian, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Ovenbird and Magnolia Warblers.

Warbling Vireo

They also enjoyed kayaking over by Long Key to observe Frigatebirds, some fantastic snorkeling and fishing from Garden Key. The highlight of their trip was a kayak trip to Loggerhead Key to snorkeling in Little Africa – a reef on the west side of the island. Summer camping in the Dry Tortugas offers excellent opportunities for kayaking, snorkeling (both day and night) and star gazing.

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Week of February 14^th: Snipe were consistently sited in the Parade Ground. A few Killdeer were arriving as well. Masked Booby birds appeared to be nesting on Hospital Key. The first Prairie Warbler was spotted on February 16^th. I saw lots of Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, especially in the Parade Ground.

Week of February 21^st: Northern Parula Warblers arrived. A Yellow-throated Warbler was seen in the Sea Rocket flowers near the NE coaling dock. A Swallow Tailed Kite soared over Fort Jefferson. Heron migration was commencing – Little Blues, a few Great Whites and many Great Egrets. Cattle Egrets have frequented the Parade Ground.

The last week of February brought the first Swallow and a Purple Martin. A Cave Swallow joined many Tree and Barn Swallows. Snipes were still in the Parade Ground, especially when it was wet. Nighthawks were heard at sunset. Yellow-crowned Night Herons were roosting both inside the Parade Ground and out by the SW coaling dock.

Early March: I assisted the National Park Service in a vegetative survey and egg count on Bush Key. On the 10^th, the first Sooty Tern chicks were hatching and a surprising number of Noddy’s have nested early. 84 Frigatebird nests were counted and many chicks were observed. The Frigatebird colony is amazing. The chicks are an incredible sight. It is remarkable that they don’t fall out of the small sloppy nests. Nesting numbers are down as available space is limited. The Mangrove Trees on Long Key are still falling as a result of hurricanes in 2005.

The Crocodile is still active on Long Key. Many crocodiles died as a result of the cold weather in South Florida this season.

I search for a Limpkin as this bird was observed on Garden Key in 2008 and Bush Key in 2009. I had no success. Several Savannah Sparrows, a lone Prairie Warbler, a few Palm Warblers were observed on Bush Key. Several Yellow-crowned Night Herons and a few Great Blue Herons were observed on Long Key. One Northern Harrier was sighted.

While staying at Fort Jefferson, it was decided to check the owl burrow. It measured more than 5’ deep and opened to a wider area at the end of the burrow. The owls appear to have departed Bush Key. They were last seen in late February. One small chick was found dead on January 13^th. It appeared to have been attacked by rats. No other chicks were found and the female owl has not been spotted again.

Week of March 13^th: I spotted an Eastern Wood Pewee and there are still lots of Little Blue Herons and Yellow-crowned Night Herons.

On March 16^th I observed more Purple Martins arriving. Traveling into a strong northwest wind, many very tired Purple Martins are resting in the Dry Tortugas.

The Black and White and Northern Parula Warblers are glad to see the fountain working. There have been excellent viewing opportunities of Northern Rough Winged Swallow. Pomarine Jaegers are still being sighted near the Marquesas Islands.

On March 17^th, a rainstorm in the early morning resulted in an awesome mini fallout of birds highlighted by Vireos. We observed White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireos as well as several of the stunningly beautiful Yellow-throated Vireos. A Sora Rail was chased across the parade ground by a Yellow-rumped warbler. The first Eastern Kingbird of the season rested on a pipe in the parade ground. Not many warblers yet, but they included several Louisiana Waterthrush, Black & White, Prairie, Palm, Yellow Rump and Northern Parula. One Yellow-billed Cuckoo was briefly observed. Purple Martins are everywhere. The “flying cigar” bird is joined by many swallows including Cave, Cliff, Northern rough wing, Tree and Barn.

The flooded parade ground hosted 8 noisy Killdeer, a Lesser Yellowlegs, a few Semipalmated Plovers and a small unidentified peep. A Eurasian-Collared Dove arrived and upon departure on Yankee Freedom II, there was a Bonaparate’s Gull right next to the ship.

On March 18^th a Robin was in the campground leaf duffle and it worked up Ruddy Turnstones who joined the Robin in sifting through the leaves.

On March 19^th a Sora was in the same leaf duffle with the Robin. A Greater Yellowlegs was in the picnic area and SW coaling dock. Several Louisiana Waterthrush are around now. Numerous Swallows and Purple Martins look for bugs. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker made a welcome arrival – a stunning bird in spring plumage!

On March 21^st a Merlin is spotted. Peregrine activities have been present on Bush Key. There have been few sightings of Falcons during winter and early spring – perhaps they are over on Loggerhead Key.

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Bridled tern egg at the Dry Tortugas.

Thunderstorms and early morning downpours bring a deluge of birds to the Dry Tortugas National Park. Fall migration is well underway and these early morning storms bring to the ground an interesting array of birds. Numerous herons, egrets and even a Least Bittern land in the parade ground of the fort. The flooded section of the parade grounds is the area of choice for four Golden Plovers. Side by side, Louisiana and Northern Water Thrushes search for juicy morsels. They are accompanied by many Redstarts, Ovenbirds, Prothonatary Warblers, Prairie Warblers, Parula, Yellowthroats and Black Whisked Vireo. Eastern Wood Pewee and Gray Kingbirds chase insects. The call of the Belted Kingfisher is heard above the ruckus. Overhead the hawk migration is underway as Well-Broadwinged Hawk and Peregrine Falcons were sighted. Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows and Northern Rough Winged Swallows make their way south. On the coal dock pilings Sandwich, Royal Terns, Double Crested Cormorants, a Black Bellied Plover and a lone Witlet sit and wait.

Roseate colony at the Dry Tortugas.

Roseate with decoy at Fort Jefferson.

This summer was exciting for birds in the Dry Tortugas National Park. The Roseate Tern colony on Long Key grew to 47 pair and they were joined again this year by Bridled Terns. At least five pair were observed and at least 3 had nests. Thanks to Sharyn Hood of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for the photos and updates on the Roseate Tern colony.

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Debra Hess

Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

The northeast coaling docksat the Dry Tortugas National Park have been yielding daily sightings of Black Noddy Terns. These terns- slightly smaller, darker, and with a slightly longer bill than the Brown Noddy Tern can be picked out with binoculars or a spotting scope at the N.E. coaling docks by carefully observing the terns side by side . The Black Noddy Tern is known to be a more pelagic (open ocean) species, and has consistently been observed in the Dry Tortugas in the spring since the 1960’s, although it is not known to nest here. At least 2 simultaneous sightings of 2 Black Noddy’s have occurred on the N.E. coaling docks the week of April 13, 2008.

Falcon’s have dominated the paradeground of Fort Jefferson during this same week (April 13th)- as many as 7 Merlins in one day, and numerous Peregrines and Kestrel as well. Warbler sightings are still slow- new species for the 2008 season include Swainson’s, Blackpoll, Redstart, Worm-eating, Ovenbird, Tennessee, and Pine. The first Thrush – a Wood Thrush, Indigo Bunting,Orchard Oriole, Yellow billed Cuckoo, Red eyed and Black Whiskered Vireo, Grey and Eastern Kingbird are other visitors in early April. A Dunlin, several Avocets, and a Greater Yellowlegs were observed on the beaches. We are still anxiously awaiting a big push of migrants to occur.

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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.
On a recent visit to Loggerhead Key I observed a Northern Harrier, an immature Broad Winged Hawk and numerous Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers. A recent visit to Long Key found magnificent Frigate birds busy with their chicks as well as nest building and courtship. Lots of Noddy Terns have arrived on Bush Key and are busy building nests. Sooty Tern chicks should start hatching this week.

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