Key West Birds.

2-12-18 SHORT HILLS: Judy said that the best bird pix from Key West weren’t posted, and that I should do a Key West bird special. Not needing much encouragement to do another post, I complied with her suggestion. The birds at the Butterfly Conservancy are not native to the area except for the flamingoes.

We saw frigate birds and possibly ospreys that didn’t pose for me.

Here in NJ, I saw a red-wing blackbird yesterday and a grackle today, neither has been here since last fall. The last two days were pretty warm and very rainy.


Chickens wander all around the old part of town. They are feral descendants of fighting cocks.

Brown pelican.

The next six pix, are from the Butterfly Conservancy,, American flamingo.

Flamingo profile. These birds can be native to the Keys.

Mandarin duck, male. [ID from Mike R.] on the ducks and finch.

Mandarin duck, male. they aren't native to the Keys.

Zebra finch, female, also not a native.

Mandarin ducks, pair.

The two birds on the top left are royal terns, the rest are laughing gulls. the brownish one at he bottom is immature. They are all in non-breeding mode.

Black skimmers in flight, Gulls on the railing.

Palm warbler.

Shallow water on the reef with a gull, egret and cormorant.


Cormorants at the mangrove island. The light colored one is an immature.

Back in NJ, this fierce looking bird is the first grackle of the season. I also saw a red-wing blackbird yesterday. They often travel with the grackles, and neither has been here since the late fall.