As the southernmost point in the continental U.S., it’s no wonder that Key West is a fantastic birding location – especially during migration season.
During my recent vacation, I found there are so many great places to go birding in the area – including some conventional and unconventional places.
On the conventional side is the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden on Stock Island.
It was a very cloudy day when I visited this lush park, but I was still able to spot my first Swainson’s Thrush, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Ovenbird and Worm-eating Warbler, as well as other birds already in my birding catalog.
But there was another bird I wanted to photograph in Key West, and I came upon it on busy Duval Street (not a place where most people might go birding). I was looking for a pigeon, but not just any pigeon.
I wanted to see a White-crowned Pigeon, a dark-gray bird with a white cap and yellow eyes that lives on Caribbean islands and makes appearances in the Keys or South Florida coastal areas And, yes, along Key West’s busiest tourist street I found some hanging out in Seagrape trees near the end of the road.
Near Duval Street, I also photographed some Red Junglefowl. You might be tempted to call them chickens, but these aren’t the domesticated birds that end up as your lunchtime chicken tenders. These birds trace their roots back to the time of the Spanish conquistadors and have been running around Key West for hundreds of years.
It just goes to show that when birds are abundant, you can find them just about anywhere.
