Summer Bird Watching at the Dry Tortugas
Summer is bringing the heat, but it is also bringing some pretty interesting characters, as well. It has been a fabulous week in our birding paradise here on the Dry Tortugas and at Fort Jefferson.
We have two favorite birds this week that we spotted on the island. The first one is the always-entertaining Snowy Egret. Our birdwatchers derived so much pleasure observing these little guys while feeding. They have a certain way of flushing out their prey by shaking their feet in the shallow water. They are also seen dashing about and hopping over the water with their wings raised while chasing prey. One would think with all this shaking going on it would scare away the fish. Seems that the Snowy Egrets' frolicking forces their prey out into the open. And guess who is waiting to scoop them up?
The Snowy Egret is small, white and very delicate looking, standing only about 22 to 26 inches tall. Their necks are long and thin, their bills are surrounded by yellow lores, and their eyes are yellow. They have black legs and bright yellow feet. Both sexes look alike. From February through summer, which is the Snowy Egrets' breeding season, their feet turn orange and their lores turn red. Their beautiful, long feathers were, at one time, prized for fashion accessories, particularly for women's hats. Snowy Egrets are sexually mature at one to two years. The male gathers the material for the nest, and the female builds the nest. The nest is typically constructed as a shallow platform of sticks, and usually in a tree. There are also times where the nest is on the ground in the grasses of a marsh. The female Snowy Egret lays three to four eggs with both parents incubating the eggs for around 18 to 20 days. The young chicks are fed in the nest for almost three months.
Our other favorite bird spotted this week is the Brown Pelican. Our birders spotted one or two Brown Pelicans on some concrete pilings around Fort Jefferson. Interestingly, that image serves as an iconic one, right up there with Florida's beaches, sunshine, and palm trees. This large seabird is completely unmistakable. It has a dark brown neck and pale yellow head with a gray-brown body. It has an oversized bill, webbed feet, and black legs. The Brown Pelican plunge-dives for fish scooping up its prey with its pouch. While adult pelicans may eat as much as four pounds of fish in one day, they do not compete with commercial or sport fishermen because of the type of fish they eat. Probably about 90 percent of their diet consists of menhaden, but they also prey on pinfish, pigfish, sheepshead, herring, mullet, top minnows, silversides, and crustaceans, usually prawns.
It was such an exciting week for our birdwatchers. Come and join in the fun. We are here to accommodate all. Happy Birding!!