herlihy@crlmh.crl.dec.com (Maurice Herlihy) (09/30/89)
I'm going to be in the Florida Keys in early October. Any birding advice? Also, how hard is it to to make a day trip to Fort. Jefferson from Key West?
king@cbnewsk.ATT.COM (joyce.l.king) (10/01/89)
In article <814@crltrx.crl.dec.com>, herlihy@crlmh.crl.dec.com (Maurice Herlihy) writes: > I'm going to be in the Florida Keys in early October. Any birding > advice? Also, how hard is it to > to make a day trip to Fort. Jefferson from Key West? Gosh, Maurice, I'll be out of town until October 15. I'd love to show you the local spots. Stop by the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehab Center, at Milemarker 86.5 (everything in the Keys is addressed according to milemarker). Go south on Plantation Key until you pass the Plantation Yacht Harbor on your right (the bayside). Make a left at the next left lane turn onto Old US 1, which runs parallel to US 1 all along there. Continue South for a little while to Coral Rd. Turn left on Coral Rd and go to the end. You'll see the sign for the Bird Center there. Tell them Joyce told you to stop by (although visitors are always welcome...you don't need an invitation). Visit Oz and his new mate, "my" osprey. The Bird Rehab Center is not a zoo...it isn't concrete and pretty. All of the birds in there are injured or sick. But many are on the verge of release and are attractive specimens. They are in flight cages that we built in the mangroves so that they feel at home. That's why it doesn't look like a zoo. You'll have to peer in. Regular feeding times are early (7 am) and 3 pm. Of course, sickies are being fed all the time. We have osprey, broadwinged hawks, vultures, great white herons, great blue herons, little green herons, a tri-colored (no, I think we released that), pelicans, white-crowned pigeons, American Kestrals, pelicans, dowitchers, well, whatever is in need of help at the moment. We average about 60 birds at any time. We often have uncommon or endangered or threatened species. We just released three least terns. Ask Laura or Lisa or Eileen, whoever happens to be there, about birding spots. Daffy the cormorant will steal your heart, so be on guard. Boat trips to Fort Jefferson are easy to find in Key West. Ask at the marina on the right when you drive onto Key West (go right on US 1, then right across the marina road...you'll see all the boats out there. Or ask at the motel/ hotel where you are staying. They are also listed in the local directory. Enjoy your stay in the beautiful Florida Keys. Pick up a copy of the Reporter in the upper Keys (Key Largo to Long Key). It's a local weekly. I write a column about the local birds or the Bird Center every week. It's probably a little elementary for you, because it's geared to the average citizen, in an effort to get the birds' needs across to the public. Anyone else interested in the birds of the Keys, I'd be happy to show you around. Netters (Hi Lori and John) came down last year and helped us release a little green heron back to the wild at John Pennekamp Park. This weekend I attended a seminar in Orlando. Local and federal agencies, sponsored by Audubon, are training Rehabbers in Florida in emergency response techniques in case of an oil spill. The idea is to be ready and hope we never have to use what we learned. It was a grueling session. I hope other coastal states are doing the same. Joyce Andrews King (Florida Keys via the miracle of modern communications) It's easy to find a boat to the Tortugas and Ft. Jefferson.
tjo@edsel (Tom Ostrand) (10/06/89)
herlihy@crlmh.crl.dec.com (Maurice Herlihy) writes: >I'm going to be in the Florida Keys in early October. Any birding >advice? Also, how hard is it to >to make a day trip to Fort. Jefferson from Key West? I'll be in the Keys in mid December. I already know that one day plane trips from Key West to Fort Jeff are available, check the AAA Florida book for name of the company. Price is ~ $100 for round trip. My question is: is this trip worth taking? Are there any knowledgeable rangers or such in the Tortugas who can lead interesting trips, or at least point one to good places? How close are the good places to where the plane lets you off? Tom Ostrand (ostrand@cadillac.siemens.com) Siemens Research Laboratories 755 College Road East Princeton, NJ 08540
sandee@loligo (Daan Sandee) (10/06/89)
In article <16275@siemens.siemens.com> tjo@edsel (Tom Ostrand) writes: >herlihy@crlmh.crl.dec.com (Maurice Herlihy) writes: > >>I'm going to be in the Florida Keys in early October. Any birding >>advice? Also, how hard is it to >>to make a day trip to Fort. Jefferson from Key West? > >I'll be in the Keys in mid December. I already know >that one day plane trips from Key West to Fort Jeff are available, >check the AAA Florida book for name of the company. Price is >~ $100 for round trip. > >My question is: is this trip worth taking? Are there any >knowledgeable rangers or such in the Tortugas who can lead >interesting trips, or at least point one to good places? >How close are the good places to where the plane lets you off? > Tom Ostrand (ostrand@cadillac.siemens.com) > Siemens Research Laboratories > 755 College Road East > Princeton, NJ 08540 Birding hilites at Ft Jefferson are (1) the sooty tern/brown noddy colony which operates from March thru September and (2) migrants, especially cold front fallouts - end of April and mid-October. In winter, there's nothing to see that you wouldn't see on the Keys. Of course, you can always strike lucky and see a booby or something, but don't count on it. As to the need for a tour guide : in two hours, you can see all there is to see - walk around the island AND see the fort itself. Also, it's a 100-yard swim to the next island where you can do a bit of beach combing. Unless you have a boat, that's it. I made the trip in late November and birding-wise it was a disappointment. The only thrill was the plane ride itself. Daan Sandee sandee@sun6.fsu.edu Supercomputer Computations Research Institute Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 (904) 644-7045