A quick evening run to Fort Zach yesterday yielded a Bobolink although my primary goal was the Short-eared Owl that had been reported in there in the morning.   Several local birders and I stayed until we were politely kicked out of the park at dusk but alas, no owl.

I visited the Key West Botanical Garden this morning in search of a Sora and a Purple Gallinule.  I had no luck on the gallinule but I did find the Sora foraging in the leaves around a freshwater pond where the tannins of the constantly falling leaves have brewed it to a murky, dark brown color.  This small rail, or crake, has a body about the size of a softball.  How many times have you read the word, "crake" in your life?  It's at least twice now.

This Green Heron was sporting his crest while hunting on another pond.

The Bobolink and Sora brought my YTD bird species count to 161.  I'm hoping to move it well above 200 over the next few days as we head to Texas tomorrow.  We may be headed for some immoderate weather so, we will see.

Things were more subdued on the birding front this morning at Fort Zach.  But, the American Redstarts were still plentiful and active.

I also got my first opportunity to photograph an Ovenbird this year.  Their name is derived from the shape of its nest.

A quick visit to the Key West Botanical Garden yielded this Worm-eating Warbler.

And another Chuck-Wills-Widow.

I stopped by the house to pick up Henry and we headed for the beach near the Boca Chica Naval Air Station.  In addition to picking up a grocery bag full of trash while walking down the beach - Henry loves picking up trash on the beach - we managed to spot this Wilson's Plover...

... And some Short-billed Dowitchers roosting with some Ruddy Turnstones on the fresh piles of sargassum grasses that have washed ashore over the past couple of days.  That stuff will be stinking up the beach shortly unless the next storm pulls it back out to sea.

Sadly, the Navy is in the process of burying an area of fresh-water ponds and gravel beds near the beach where Antillean Nighthawks, Roseate Terns and other shorebirds nest during the summer.  Sometimes there just isn't enough tarmac.

Another trip to Fort Zach and another batch of photos.  Bird photography is similar to golf.  You play a good round but you know you can do better.   In yesterday's post I showed a Blackpoll Warbler.  The photo was okay but, today's shot was better.

The same could be said of today's Black and White Warbler.

There is one area near the fort where the birds congregate to take baths.  So, the easiest thing to do is to sit down and wait for the birds to come to you.  This Cape May Warbler was happy to oblige.

And, this Black-whiskered Vireo.  The thin black stripe on its neck gives the appearance of a black whisker.  Thus the name. This is a species that you don't really see outside of the Keys.  It is more heavily concentrated in Cuba, the Bahamas and other parts of the Caribbean.

It is always worm and bug hunting time for the warblers as they refuel to continue their northbound journeys.  This Cape May Warbler was in search of its next meal.

And, this American Redstart.  No, Trump did not rename this bird. It's been an American Redstart for years.

If he finds out there are species with names like Mexican Duck, Mexican Jay, and Mexican Whip-poor-will, he might insist on renaming those, although it's likely any number of activist judges will be ready to call such an idea illegal and unconstitutional.

This Northern Parula Warbler was also inspecting every limb for a quick bite.

And, yes, the American Redstart found its meal.

Today's new species for 2026 was a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  She was looking too rough for a nice portrait.  She either started her migration in poor shape or the flyover to Key West was a rough one.  The YTD count has crept to 158.  It should easily jump past 200 when we head to West Texas next week.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Henry and his Grandma have been helping the monarch caterpillars survive the wasp attacks.  Here, Henry gets to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Fort Zach was dripping with warblers this morning.  A storm front to the north last night forced them to sit down on Key West, temporarily interrupting their northward migration.  As such, they were in full worm-hunting mode including this Swainson's Warbler...

The ever-present Palm Warbler...

The Cape May Warbler...

And, Blackpoll Warbler.

Not to be confused with the Blackpoll Warbler, this Black and White Warbler came to a fork in a tree.  So, he took it.

This Black-throated Blue Warbler took a break to survey the sea grapes for its next catch.

Other warblers on display this morning included Prairie Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Restart, Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Worm-eating Warbler and Northern Parula.

Other notable species today included this White-crowned Pigeon.  Although this species is more widely found in Cuba, the Bahamas and other Caribbean locales, it is a common site in Key West.

The resident Gray Catbirds were as busy looking for worms as the warblers.

This migrating Chuck-Wills Widow was sleeping the day away in plain sight.  These birds are active at night and typically tough to spot during the day, let alone get a photo.

And, finally, this Yellow-billed Cuckoo also stopped for the day before continuing its migration north.

Two days ago, Fort Zach was all but bird-less.  It's amazing how the weather impacts whether the birds stop or simply fly over to the mainland on their migration.

A visit to Fort Zach this morning yielded three more birds for 2026 bringing my YTD total to 151.  Sounds nice except last year I finished April at 362.  Of course, I have not been to Minnesota, West Virginia, New Jersey, Arizona or Texas this year.  So, that pretty much explains the difference.

After picking up an Indigo Bunting and this Black-whiskered Vireo...

I found a tree littered with warblers.  Like this Black-throated Blue Warbler, they were hunting for very small worms among the Jamaican Dogwood blossoms.

The Palm Warblers were everywhere.  This one was also busy hunting before taking a break from the feeding frenzy.

Previously, I noted how Henry and I take long walks most days.  We usually do 2 to 4 miles each day with him riding his tricycle and me steering him safely out of harm's way.  And, that we typically find discarded coins during our outings.  Here, Henry displays the coins that put us at $100.00 found in 2026 as of April 8.  We started keeping track this year just out of curiosity but, I'd estimate we have found at least $250 since we started our walks.

I do not understand why people in Key West hate money so much.  Yesterday, we found $3.95 on our walks.  Oh well, Henry and OG's piggy banks appreciate the deposits.

Spring has officially sprung in Key West with the return of the Gray Kingbirds...

... and the Least Terns.

We have been seeing some early arrivals over the past few weeks but, we're ready for the big migration push to start in earnest any day.

Upon hearing the news of Tiger Woods' recent mishap, the boys spent an afternoon trying to answer the question, "How could anyone possibly roll a vehicle in a flat state like Florida?"

We celebrated OG's 2nd birthday Disney style at the end of March.  Henry's negotiations to replace OG's birthday with a birthday of his own ultimately failed.  OG enjoyed the park unabated as Disney officials promised not to kick him out of the park on his birthday.

Henry got over the whole birthday swap ordeal with his first bite of birthday cake and a new batch OG's toys ready to be plundered.  Henry wanted to trade his July birthday for OG's March birthday.  And, of course, trade back again in July.  Cake and toys were really Henry's end-game all along.

Back in Key West, the man cubs had a good time coloring Easter eggs.  When the eggs ran out, Henry decided it would be a good idea to make his hands look like colored eggs.

It's time to complete some spring projects before we head to Texas at the end of April for a whirlwind, Texas-sized birding excursion that will see us cover more than 1,000 miles in three days.  I'm sure my good friend Suzanne is shuddering to think of such folly.  But, when you're in a hurry, you're in a hurry.  We have three more trips planned for May and June after that.

Our second visit to Ponce Inlet was more productive as we had no problem finding the Purple Sandpiper.  This North Atlantic species rarely makes it further south than the Carolina coast.  This individual has the "winter in Florida" thing figured out.

We also picked up Sandwich Tern, Clapper Rail and American Herring Gull for the year.  This gull had just picked up a nice fish fillet for breakfast.

Upon returning to the parking lot, we realized there was a Gopher Tortoise burrow directly beneath our vehicle.  There were several burrows under the asphalt which leads me to believe the parking lot may collapse at some point.   Heads up for my good buddy Judson... this big old tortoise is not a bird.

Henry enjoyed his first ever experience with Jell-O this morning.  He quickly learned there is a fine art to picking up something that is not supposed to be picked up.

Henry and I then proceeded to avoid the spring break gunfire, making a quick visit to Ponce Inlet near Daytona Beach in search of a Purple Sandpiper.  Instead we got this Prairie Warbler.

Maybe we'll try for the Purple Sandpiper tomorrow before we head to Orlando for a few days at Walt Disney World to celebrate OG's 2nd birthday.  Speaking of OG, he has been learning how to share.  In this case, his new cars with his mentor, Chip the Cat.

With the birding effort being largely on the back burner for now,  March has been a great month to complete one of those 'someday projects' by digitizing our old 8mm films and scanning old family photos.  It has been fun to use AI software to bring some of the old photos to life.  

This is my Great-Great Grandfather Hefner.  He was born in 1820.  His grandfather fought in the American Revolution.  This photo is circa 1897.  The colorized version provides a nice interpretation of the original image.

       

Another interesting option has been the animation of photos.  Here, this still photo  of my Grandparents Jolley and their five children at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1970 has been 'brought to life' through AI animation. 

It's kind of creepy but, they are all gone so, it's pretty cool to see our ancestors' familiar smiles again.

More soon from WDW.  I have been rubbing the rosary beads pretty hard in hopes that OG won't get kicked out of the park again.   And, I'm not even Catholic.  (See previous post)