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A wide spectrum of wildlife, both local and migratory, depend on the rich, natural environment of the Florida Keys, but for most of us, their presence goes largely ignored. Small discoveries, usually while in the presence of “naturalist” friends, led to my interest in writing about nature and often I get alerts regarding wildlife from neighbors. Late February I got an email from a former photography student Mary Lou Krause: "Carol... there is a Great White Heron nesting on the island near our condo. At this time she has her babies. Might be a nice picture.”  Pumpkin Cay Island is ideal habitat for birds. A male returns in the late afternoon with food for his mate and three babies. The island Mary Lou was referring to is a native outcrop of mangroves next to protected mangrove forest. It lies a hundred yards offshore of Pumpkin Cay condominium complex. Though it has no official name. the neighbors call it “Pumpkin Cay Island” because of where it is located. Her condo is a great perch for viewing marine life such as bottlenose dolphin, sting-rays, turtles, brown pelican and this pair of Great White Herons and three babies in their nest.  Two babies climb higher in the nest and become more visible. A third baby hides low in the nest. Pumpkin Cay Island checks all the appropriate boxes for ideal nesting bird habitat; it has sturdy branches to build a nest made of sticks, and is surrounded by water, with a seagrass bottom full of fish and crustaceans. Nesting birds feel safe there because of the distance created by the channel between the mangrove island and the sea-walled shoreline. There is some human traffic… small boats tied to cleats, a few fishing stations. the occasional dog walker… but this doesn't seem to bother the herons. The tidal flow from the ocean through Pumpkin Creek provides clear clean water essential for wading birds, who very slowly forage in the shallow water, waiting for a fish to spear with their sharp bills. Herons will hunt during day or night, the most important factor is the varying tidal depth of the water.  A male heron and three babies in the nest at early morning. Both parents take turns feeding the babies. Mindful not to get too close, for fear of disturbing the birds, I set up my camera with long lens a hundred feet behind the seawall. There was one very large adult heron visible in the nest. It was late afternoon and the soft light lit up it’s feathers in contrast to the green mangroves. I didn’t see the babies right away, but soon noticed yellow beaks and black eyes popping up from beneath the adult’s long light yellow legs. First I saw one rather bold baby, climbing up to the rim of the stick nest, it’s fluff feathers lit by the sun, then a second came into view, and the finally a third, clearly the most elusive, occupied the lowest portion of nest.  This heron was printed life-size, and featured in a “Name the Bird” contest. It received the name “Pumpkin” since it lives at Pumpkin Creek For the next few days I visited the herons during morning and late afternoon, and was fortunate to get photographs of both adults, in their natural environment, going about their everyday duties. This Great Blue Heron (white morph) nest on Pumpkin Cay Island is in the northernmost range for these birds, exclusively found in the Florida Keys and the Everglades. One morning I could see momma heron patiently waiting on the nest for her partner to return with food, and get a break from tending the nest. Moments before he arrived, she rose up in the nest, stretching her long neck. Soon her mate swooped in and they stood close with necks and chest touching. After a little “mutual appreciation” time, the female flew over to the seawall. As she perched on the seawall, she turned her head in the direction of the camera, with one leg raised, outstretched claws, and looked straight at me, as if to say “Can’t I get a moment of peace?”  The female (at left) enthusiastically greets the male returning to the nest. I loved this photo so much that I printed it life-size, and placed it where I would frequently walk by it, make eye-contact and say “Hi!” This is the largest heron in North America, 39”- 52" tall with a wingspan of 5’10”. The heron made me smile, and it needed more of a name than “big bird.” What better way to get a name than display the heron at an event full of children and adults? I held a contest at the Eco Fair at Ocean Reef, where I was doing a book signing for “Critters in our Midst”.   The female heron leaving the nest. Heron wingspan can reach 5’10” From more than 50 entries, the winner was Katherine Yalamanchilli, age 10. The name suggested was “Pumpkin”, and the three babies: Casey, Lola and Trey. The entry name stood out because it referred to where the heron lives - Pumpkin Cay. Katherine has a room at home decorated with stuffed animals, and she is excited to read “Critters in our Midst”. Despite the vast changes made by man to modify and occupy the coastline, most species can live nicely in proximity to humans as long as their most basic ecological needs are met: food, shelter and nesting sites. Habitat loss accompanying human development poses a great threat to wildlife, and water quality degradation is harmful particularly for wading birds.  Katherine Yalamanchilli, age 10, named the heron “Pumpkin” and the babies Casey, Lola and Trey. Her prize… a signed copy of “Critters in our Midst.”
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The more I write about nature, the more people identify me with the subject. Every week, I get texts and emails with pictures, links to articles and sometimes even a call to get out here NOW… there’s a huge flock of birds at the three way… referring to the intersection of Card Sound Road at Crocodile Lake in North Key Largo. From Ocean Reef, as you turn north on Card Sound Road, it is the first wetland to the right, and is a productive birding spot.  A huge congregation of wading birds on a cold overcast morning in Crocodile Lake. Photo by Jeanette Rivera. Such was the case on January 31st, about 8:00 am on a really cold morning with overcast sky when I received a call from Jeanette Rivera, naturalist at Ocean Reef, who was heading to work when she spotted a huge congregation of wading birds. She snapped a photo with her iPhone and in it were White Ibis, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, White Pelican, Great White Heron, Reddish Egret and Wood Stork. It was just beautiful. Rivera said, “I was in shock that there were so many birds in that one spot! It was really magical… special…I love it!” As you can tell, Jeanette is very passionate about nature. Of the birds present on this morning, the Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, White Pelican, and Great White Heron were a special treat, as they are most typically seen flying overhead, but on this day they were all here! According to Isabella Collamati, Invasive Species Biologist at Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, ‘time of day, time of year, temperature, and tide would probably be the biggest factors for why they chose to gather that day. It all lined up so that the water was deep enough to host enough prey to keep all parties interested, but shallow enough to make the hunting easier.” The birds diet consists of minnows, mullet, and killifish, and they are pickier about size than species.  Observe how the Reddish Egret hunts. They do a “Crazy Dance” using their wings to shade the water for a better view and then give chase until they can strike their prey. Reddish Egrets differ from other egret species, that simply stand and wait for food to come before they strike.     By the time I arrived, some of the birds had already left, but there were still dozens of birds. I had fun photographing the Reddish Egret and it’s distinctive hunting behavior. As it searched for fish, it would do a “crazy dance” as it jumped and hopped back and forth with outstretch wings raised over its head, peering at the water. The wings cast a shadow so they can see the prey better. The Reddish Egret is also one of the rare egrets, with only 2,000 pairs thought to be breeding in the U.S. A Roseate Spoonbill sat grooming on a red mangrove perch. Not sure it was there because the tide had risen and it’s short legs were no longer able to maneuver in the deepening wetland. Spoonbills have the broadened bill-ends full of nerve-endings, to feel for animals when mud-grubbing.  Spoonbills have the broadened bill-ends full of nerve-endings, to feel for animals when mud-grubbing.  Show me a little pink, peach and fuscia you pretty Rosie. Though not a wading bird, I saw a Belted Kingfisher hunting near this shallow wetland. The Kingfisher can regularly be seen perched on the power lines along Card Sound Road. Winter and Spring is nesting season for these birds, though I am not sure where these particular birds were from. Historically wading birds nested in the small Keys and nearby mangrove islands, within Florida Bay, far from human disturbances. The Everglades supports 70-90% of all wading bird nests annually. Wading birds initiated approx 89,514 nests in the Everglades in 2021. The wading bird nesting in 2021 was the highest recorded in 80 years.  The Kingfisher often perches along Card Sound Road. Their “mohawk” style feathers on their head give the kingfisher an air of confidence. Nesting success is highly dependent on the availability of fish and waters shallow enough to concentrate the fish, and water just the right level for the birds to wade in. Wading birds are abandoning their traditional nesting grounds in Florida Bay, and are moving north, partly due to increased salinity and the resulting reduction of species of fish that thrive in brackish water. Salinity of the Florida Bay is a problem, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is intended to divert more fresh water through Taylor Slough to Florida Bay to improve the bay's health by reducing salinity. On the mainland Everglades, Madeira Hammock and Paurotis Pond, are locations with a reliable amount of birds and also a short field-trip from the Keys. It is very special living near designated wildlife refuges and national parks, but birds cannot read, and can easily settle in parks and gardens with suitable conditions. Or even can be seen flying overhead… This story was told to me by an avid tennis player Pat Holbrook, about a situation that occurred in mid-serve, requiring a “do-over”. As Pat tossed the ball preparing to serve up a winner, she called “let”… there is a Roseate Spoonbill flying over the tennis court. It is rare to see a Roseate Spoonbill, but never had she seen one flying overhead. An unexpected pause, a brief delay of game… and all the players agreed, nature had served up a winner.
“I see said the blind man as he picks up his hammer and saw,” is one of my favorite expressions, where “see” refers to sight or understanding. and the moment when I finally recognize what is going on. It was just a regular trip to the mailbox; on the way I’d glance at the bed of aloe vera plants with their tall bloom spikes, hoping for a hummingbird to hover on by. Surely one day I’d see a hummingbird as each Fall Hummingbirds leave their breeding grounds throughout the Eastern United States, and winter in the Florida Keys. while others take their fly-way South through Texas to Panama.  Ruby-throated hummingbird approaching an aloe vera flower. Surely they were present in my yard. Yet they eluded my vision until I took the time to sit and wait, camera in hand, for the invisible to appear. To say I'm a multitasker would be accurate, while I sit in wait for the hummingbird, the phone rings and now I’m also talking to a client about art work when suddenly I blurt out “Wait wait I gotta go… It's here…” My reaction to spotting my first hummingbird could have been likened to giving birth to my first child. But in a flash it was gone again.  Ruby-throated hummingbird male hovers in midair while sipping nectar. I silenced the phone, and waited with my strict attention on the flowers. In about 10 minutes the bird returned. I lifted my camera, pulled off some shots and I captured that amazing bird approaching, hovering, and nectaring on an aloe flower. The photograph revealed it was a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), its name referring to the ruby-red feathers on the male bird’s throat.  Firebush (Hamelia patens): a Florida native with orange-red flowers Having finally seen a hummingbird in action, I can truly appreciate these amazing little helicopters, as they swoop down from the treetops, hover in midair while sipping nectar, then zip away all in the blink of an eye. They are so small, about 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches, weighing less than a quarter of an ounce, a hummingbird could easily be missed. Perhaps you could hear them coming by the humming sound caused by the rapid beating of their wings… that’s why they are called “humming” birds. Ruby-throated hummingbirds’ wings beat at an amazing 55 beats per second. They have to keep moving since hummingbirds have tiny feet, which is great for aerodynamics, however there's a downside: these birds cannot walk. They can only perch or scoot sideways.  Firecracker plant: with red, tubular flowers, growing 3-4 ft. tall and 6 ft. wide Hummingbirds need to feed every 10-15 minutes which increased my opportunities for getting a photo. They can only feed from dawn to dusk so they must consume more than half their weight in food and 8 times their weight in water. They’ve adapted to survive darkness when they cannot feed by eating as much as they can just before dark. At night, their heart rate and body temperature drop to conserve energy, sort of like a daily hibernation, otherwise they likely would starve. Hummingbirds preferred flower color is orange, red or pink. Their needle-like beaks are specialized for feeding on tubular-shaped flowers, where they eat insects found inside, and with their tongue extending beyond their beak, drink the nectar, as if sipping through a straw.  Geiger Tree (Cordia sebestena): a large Florida Keys native with bright orange flowers Frequently mentioned on lists of Keys Hummingbird plants are the following:
The aloe plant is rarely mentioned as a nectar plant for hummingbirds, although the aloe bloom is pinkish-yellow and has a tubular shape. Hummingbirds learn by trial and error which flowers give the best results, so the aloe in my yard evidently has passed the taste test. They also like the red Bombax blooms which appear in late Winter/Spring.  Adult Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird o a feeder looking “back at ya”. Photo by: Ed Cox A short while later I resumed the phone call that was interrupted by the bird. Luckily I was speaking with a fellow nature photographer who understood my enthusiasm, and then shared some of his great photos of hummingbirds. I noticed some photos involved feeders which are great for viewing hummingbirds. A feeder is filled with a mixture of 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Boil the sugar solution till the sugar is dissolved, then cool.. Since the feeder itself is red, there is no need to add red food coloring. Be careful to avoid placing the feeder in direct sunlight, as this stimulates bacteria growth, and clean the feeder every five days. Though feeders satisfy the sweet tooth, gardening for wildlife is always a better nutritional option, especially if you have a variety of plants which are in bloom at different times.  Adult Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a feeder. Photo by: Ed Cox  Juvenile Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird Photo by: Ed Cox |
CAROL ELLIS
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