October 9, 2017

Location: Garden Key, Dry Tortugas

I am a female Magnificent Frigatebird,
Formerly known as a Man-O-War,
I feed my young for over a year,
While my mate breeds with someone else, that cur!

Sources: Cornell Lab - Magnificent Frigatebird

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 8, 2017

Location: Garden Key, Dry Totugas

I am an Antillean Nighthawk,
Similar to Common Nighthawk and Chuck-wills-widow.
But you will only find me in Florida in the summertime,
In the winter, it's not known where I go.

Sources: Audubon Guide to North American Birds - Antillean Nighthawk

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 13, 2017

Location: Location

I am known as a Bridled Tern,
So named for the white "strap" round my neck.
My diet consists, of mostly small fish,
I'n not often seen on shore, but from a boat deck.

Sources: Audubon Guide to Birds - Bridled Tern

This is the last day of Tortugapalooza. I hope you have enjoyed it. Tomorrow we return to the mainland, back to the wilds of Fellsmere!

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 12, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am known as a Merlin,
I am a small but fast bird of prey.
My mate and I will catch dinner together,
And I'll impress her with an aerial display.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Merlin

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 11, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a Yellow Warbler,
I'm mostly yellow with large, black eyes.
I have been known to build a multi-tiered nest,
If my first nest is parasitized.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Yellow Warbler

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 10, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a Chestnut-sided Warbler,
I've got a black mustache and a yellow forehead.
I have chestnut streaks across my wings,
And I say "Pleased to MEETCHA" when there's a girl to be courted.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Chestnut-sided Warbler

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 9, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Named for my mostly yellow bill.
I can eat 100 caterpillars in one sitting,
But mostly I sit very still.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 8, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a Black and White Warbler.
My description is the same as my name.
I like to pluck insects from moss,
Conveniently, Mniotilta is my genus name.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Black and White Warbler

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 7, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am an Eastern Wood Pewee,
I'm mostly grey with distinctive long wings.
I have a slight point on the top of my head,
And I nest in trees and saplings.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Eastern Wood-Peewee

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 6, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a Northern Parula,
I'm blue-grey with a yellow chin and chest.
I have two white bars across my wings,
And I use epiphytes to build my nest.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Norther Parula

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 5, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a Magnolia Warbler,
I have a yellow chest with a black necklace and stripes.
By back is grey and black with white accents,
And I like to eat spiders, insects and larvae.

Sources: Cornell Lab - Magnolia Warbler

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 4, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I'm an Atlantic Ghost Crab
I have 8 walking legs and 2 claws that I use like hands.
My burrow can be up to four feet deep,
And I can disappear right into the sand.

Sources: Chesapeake Bay Program - Atlantic Ghost Crabs

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 3, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a decapod crustacean
Known as a Hermit Crab,
I don't need a shiny new Winnebago,
I just carry my house around on my back.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 2, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I'm known as a Catbird
My butt has a bright red hue
The rest of me's grey, with a black beret,
When I turn my back, you know that you've been mooned.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 1, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am an Eastern Kingbird,
I'm dark grey on top and white down below.
I'm the summer I eat bugs and beat up other Kingbirds,
But in winter I'm a more social fellow.

Sources: Cornell All About Birds - Eastern Kingbird

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

May 31, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am an immature male Summer Tanager,
I'm brightly colored, a real humdinger!
My favorite foods are bees and wasps,
Which I whack on branches to remove their stingers.

Sources: Cornell All About Birds - Summer Tanager

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

May 30, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am type of thrush known as a Veery,
I'm cinnamon brown with a belly that's spotted and white.
I forage for food hopping around on the ground,
And can fly160 miles just in one night.

Sources: Cornell All About Birds - Veery

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

May 29, 2017

Location: Dry Tortugas

I am a female American Redstart,
I'm grey with yellow and black on my tail and wings.
I use my bright colors to startle insects,
Which my mate and I feed to our nestlings

Sources: Cornell All About Birds - American Redstart

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

May 27, 2017

Location: Key West, Boca Chica Beach

We are White-rumped Sandpipers
We're part of a group that is known as "peeps"
We migrate from the Canadian Arctic,
To South America, where we breed.

Sources: Cornell All About Birds - White-rumped Sandpiper

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

May 26, 2017

Location: Key West, Boca Chica Beach

I am known as a Blue Grosbeak,
"Gros" is a French word that means "really big"
I breed along roadsides in shrubbery,
My nest is cup-shaped and made up of twigs.

Sources: Cornell All About Birds - Blue Grosbeak

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson