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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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.

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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.

Magnificent Frigatebirds are also in a mating way- nest building and courtship displays are common sightings in the mangroves of Long Key. Peregrine Falcon sightings are also on the rise. Brown Noody Terns are also arriving for nest building on Bush Key. Herring Gulls are busy predating Sooty eggs on Bush Key, and a Greater Black Backed Gull was observed on Bush Key on February 11, 2008.

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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.

Their aerial displays are awesome. Gannets will often climb to 100 feet above the ocean surface, before plunging with wings tucked like a missile piercing the water surface cleanly. They usually feed in groups which makes their aerial and diving display even more spectacular. Large schools of bait fish and flying fish have been observed from the Yankee Freedom II in the area around the Marquesas Islands attracting the gannets to this area.

Jaegers have become more plentiful in the waters around the Marquesas Islands as well. Jaegers feed by pursuing terns and gulls until they drop their food. Brown Boobies and Masked Boobies have been feeding in Rebecca Channel. Brown Boobies are also being observed most days on the navigational markers surrounding Ft. Jefferson. Sooty Terns have been heard calling over the fort at night and you can expect to see large flocks of these birds soon. They utilize Bush Key for nesting and usually start laying eggs in early February. This signals the arrival of thousands of terns which is truly a magnificent sight. Large flocks of Royal Terns and some Black Skimmers have been observed on the southwest coaling docks. A Chuck Will’s Widow has been seen napping in the fort several times.

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FIELD TRIP TO THE DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK ABOARD THE YANKEE FREEDOM II

Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

Departing Key West at 8 am this full day trip to the Dry Tortugas will be led by National Park Service Research Biologist Sonny Bass. Sonny offers years of experience in the Dry Tortugas, as well as a wealth of knowledge on the birds of these islands. Expect to observe Masked Booby birds year-round nesting residents of Hospital Key,and Magnificent Frigatebirds year-round nesting residents of Long Key. Brown Booby birds may be observed on navigational markers along the trip and around the fort. Fall migration will be underway and numerous warbler species are common on Garden Key (home of awesome Fort Jefferson- one of our largest coastal forts). Garden Key will be the focus of our field trip. Eastern Wood Pewee is a common fall migrant (rarely seen in the spring) and a good opportunity exists to observe Black Whiskered Vireo and Grey Kingbird. Hawk’s and Falcon’s will be moving southward,and are sometimes sighted in large numbers. Caribbean Short Eared Owl can be a spring to fall visitor on Garden key. Many migratory shorebirds stop in the Dry Tortugas ,and all migrants become more common during fall weather events. Fall also brings some of the finest snorkeling conditions to the Dry Tortugas. The natural sand beaches of the Dry Tortugas are awesome, and with the calm weather of the early fall visability can be impressive. The Yankee Freedom II offers complementary use of snorkel gear on it’s daily trips to the Dry Tortugas, or you can bring your own. Fish watching can be incredible on high visability snorkeling days… for more info visit The Yankee Freedom Fort Jefferson Dry Tortugas web site.

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