The American Mothmasher, The Good Vireo, and The Dixie Warbler

It is December, and I still am not done stoking/bumming people out (depending on your attitudes towards jealousy) on my October Dry Tortugas trip. Hopefully I'm throwing enough other birds in the blog cocktail to keep things interesting...anyways, although American Redstart is one of the most abundant North American warblers, you don't hear anyone complaining. No one doubts the face-melting power of an adult male.

Moths are a popular item for destruction by migrant passerines on Garden Key. They are often a bit big for warblers and vireos to immediately gulp down, so it was not infrequent to see birds brutally bashing them to bits to make them a more manageable size for consumption.

Never have I witnessed such an act of ruthless moth-bashing, but I have to give credit to the redstart for being effective. Next time I am faced with a piece of living food that is too big to swallow whole, I will simply hit it against things over and over again until is smaller.

Booby Brittany photographed this Philadelphia Vireo with a point and shoot. We walked right up to it. Like a dumbass, I did not have my camera on me for some reason. In case you are wondering, yellow vireos are good vireos. In fact, this is one of those species that is often on birders lists for having a crappy name (this is not a particularly common bird in Philly)...why not "Good Vireo"? No one doubts the instrinsic goodness of this uncommon, exceptionally positive bird.

Magnolia Warblers are best observed when on the ground, 10 feet in front of you. This is a bird that warms the heart.

Fort Jefferson. From the outside, looking in.

From the inside, looking out.

Indigo Bunting, probably a hatch year bird. It will be a long stretch of buntingless months before they start reoccupying the country in April.

Why hello Ovenbird. No, I don't mind you hopping around my feet like a goddamn House Sparrow, make yourself at home.

Prairie Warbler is another one of those misnamed birds, although "prairie" does have a nice ring to it. I propose it be rechristened Dixie Warbler. Now that really has a ring to it. Only saw 1 or 2 on Garden Key, although they must move through in big numbers.

One of the most unexpected birds I found on Garden Key was this American Coot. It takes a lot for a coot to make it to the hallowed pages of BB&B, but since this one had found itself in the middle of nowhere, that's good enough for me.

Fully Warblered

This Worm-eating Warbler was working on an insect on the other side of the leaf. It appears that the warbler removed the leaf and wedged it in the bark of the branch, which is pretty wild and crazy. Key West Botanical Gardens, Stock Island, FL.

I didn't see any mythical fallout events in South Florida, but I did pretty good with migrants on my trip. 24 warbler species were more than I hoped for, with a lot of those being year birds. I ran into good flocks at Zachary Taylor State Park, Indigenous Park, the botanical gardens, and of course on the Dry Tortugas, where birding reached a crescendo. Dipped on Cape May and Kentucky, but I am in no position to complain. Again, for any birders who have not had the fortune of birding the east coast during migration...you are really missing out. Landbird migration is significantly more pronounced than it is in the west, and an average-sized (for an easterner) accumulation of migrants can seem staggering to a westerner.

For northeastern birders, good luck with "storm waifs" this week, but of course staying safe and making good decisions takes precedence. A birder I knew lost his life while seawatching on a jetty, and that wasn't even in a hurricane...don't do anything stupid!

Worm-eating Warbler. Looking inside dead leaves is more of their thing...I kind of like this weird perspective. Key West Botanical Gardens.

Palm Warblers were literally everywhere. The amount of tail-wagging I witnessed was mesmerizing. Little Hamaca City Park, Key West, FL.

Ah, the Ovenbird. I would say that this is one of the best warblers, given their stylish strut, thrussish markings and unmistakable attempts to summon the attention of nearby teachers. Indigenous Park, Key West, FL.

My best herp siting of the trip was this Florida Box Turtle that was scuffling through the leaf litter, which is what they spend most of their lives doing. I dig the carapace markings. Thanks to JK of Camera Trapping Campus for providing the correct identification. Key West Botanical Gardens.

I don't know what this is, but I like it. Key West Botanical Gardens.

Northern Parulas were plentiful. Looking at too many may cause the pupils to dilate...so I recommend welder's goggles to shield yourself from harmful parula-watching effects. Key West Botanical Gardens.

I only saw a handful of Red-eyed Vireos, I reckon most of them probably move through a little earlier in the fall. Key West Botanical Gardens.

You don't have to be the Number 7 birder in the nation to know that Prairie Warblers are not hard to come by in South Florida. They are very sharp birds, and one of the few year round resident warblers. Key West Botanical Gardens.

Brown Anole. It's no doubt bummed that it's replacement tail growing in makes it look like it is perpetually pooping. Key West Cemetery, Key West, FL.

Yet another sunset picture, which is further evidence that this was not a birding vacation. I enjoyed this birdless sunset very much. I swear.