27 April 2023 - Key Largo to Key West
« Newer | Older »Gray Kingbird, Laughing Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Magnificent Frigatebird, White-crowned Pigeon, Red-winged Blackbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker
A quick walk around the block this morning was relatively uninspiring by recent events. It was difficult to find any habitat, and there wasn't any access to any shoreline within walking distance. A Gray Kingbird sat up nicely on some wires, but that was about all I managed to photograph before breakfast. We decided we would head for Key West, and see what options were available for stopping en route. After a while we started seeing Magnificent Frigatebirds overhead. A few places had pull-ins by the bridges, and we stopped a number of times, but the Frigatebirds always seemed to be drifting away by the time I got my camera out. We stopped at a 'State Park' which wasn't much more than a car park with a couple of beaches, and there were very few birds to see. It was a nice place for a cool drink though. It's about 90 miles to Key West from Key Largo, so it was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived, and we hadn't seen much more in the way of birds apart from a few Double-crested Cormorants and plenty of Ospreys. We called in at a Publix supermarket and TJ Maxx in Key Largo, where a couple of Gray Kingbirds were flitting around.
I'd hoped to see White-crowned Pigeon during the journey, although I wasn't particularly confident, as I wasn't sure how difficult they were likely to be. However, we didn't see anything definite that could be attributed to the species.
We started to head back and with the sun behind us, I suddenly spotted a White-crowned Pigeon on a telegraph pole. but without anywhere to stop, it was a little frustrating. We stopped at a couple of places on the way back, including a nice beach area where we had a paddle in the warm water, accompanied by Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. On Big Pine Key, another two White-crowned Pigeons flew over the road.
About two-thirds of the way back, with a couple of Frigatebirds overhead, we stopped at a layby with a view to me trying to get some photos, and suddenly, two White-crowned Pigeons flew in and landed on some bushes nearby. Luckily they stayed around long enough for me to approach and get some pictures, absolutely cracking birds! The darker one is the male, apparently. At the same spot, a Frigatebird came close enough (and for once, not against the light) to get some decent photos of that too.
Back at the digs, a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers had a nest in a tree just outside, and were constantly to-and-fro-ing as we ate our evening meal.
Gray Kingbird, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 320 (view full size image)
Double-crested Cormorant, 1/2000 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 500 (view full size image)
Double-crested Cormorant , 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 320 (view full size image)
Brown Anola, 1/2000 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 3200 (view full size image)
Iguana, 1/2000 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1000 (view full size image)
Magnificent Frigatebird, 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 800 (view full size image)
Magnificent Frigatebird , 1/2000 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1000 (view full size image)
White-crowned Pigeon , 1/2000 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 400 (view full size image)
White-crowned Pigeon, 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 500 (view full size image)