Flamingos!

Saturday, we drove the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive after our stint as ambassadors there, in hopes of seeing an American flamingo, one of the many that were driven north in front of Hurricane Idalia back in August. Some made it as far as Wisconsin. We didn’t see the reported flamingo, but spotted 3 purple swamp hens, lots of galinules, blue wing teals, a black crown night heron, and great egrets. 

Camping at Bahia Honda this week, it dawned on me that perhaps flamingos had been seen in the Keys. Yes, down Indies Road on Summerland Key. We decided to look on our way to Key West. As we slowly drove down the gravel/shell road with houses on our left and mudflats on our right, we begged any white bird off in the distance to have a tinge of pink. We looked and looked, creeping along. Then, I realized there were 3 flamingos were right next to the road. Duh. After taking some pictures, I did a little flamingo happy dance. They were not impressed. We enjoyed them for a while, then travelled on. Maybe they are the beginning of a colony, not seen since they were hunted into exterpation for the plume trade in the early 1900’s.

Key West is in the midst of Fantasy Fest. We decided Wednesday would be fairly tame since the pet masquerade was the featured event. After parking ($40+tax) at the city garage, we walked down Duval Street and were invited in for a tour of the 2nd oldest house in Key West, the Women’s Club since 1949. Next up, a toast to Jimmy Buffet at Margaritaville, with a margarita, of course. On to Bagatelle for lunch, second story balcony table: mani mahi tacos for me, crab cake eggs Benedict for Grant, good views of people wearing mostly only body paint. Fantasy Fest’s theme this year is Uniforms and Unicorns. We didn’t see any uniforms, but several women had unicorn horns, painted breasts, and tails attached to a variety of bottom clothing. Allegedly, public nudity is against the rules. Guess if it’s too brazen, the officials have something to fall back on. I’m not opposed to nudity, I’ve just found that I prefer some clothing to keep parts from rubbing together and having something between me and whatever I’m sitting on. To each, her own.

My knees were tired after my morning walk/run (I’ve started the Couch to 5K program), and we couldn’t find any seating in the shade. Plans changed, and rather than wait around 3 hours for dressed up doggies and cats and likely the occasional snake and parrot, we drove back to Bahia Honda. I’m sure the pets would have been adorable in their little costumes, but not enough for me to wait for. Maybe we will get a room one year in Key West and do the whole Fantasy Fest weekend, if our livers could stand it.

At our campsite, I’ve been enamored with the ovenbirds. I even played their call, bringing in a couple of really excited birds. My guilt overwhelmed me, so I’ve settled into waiting for them to appear on their own. I saw one catch and eat an earthworm, surprisingly, since I didn’t think worms could survive in the coral and litter that makes up Bahia Honda. Palm warblers are so tame they barely acknowledge us in our campsite. Black and white warblers are around. Ibis wander through, and I’m pretty sure they’ve been fed, since they wait by our picnic table. There are also curly tailed lizards, including a large one that hangs around. I suspect the smaller ones are ibis food since I’ve seen that species of bird eat a snake and a baby turtle at LAWD. I support anything that eats invasive species.

We ate lunch at Keys Fisheries so Grant could have his lobster Ruben. I tried the coconut shrimp, delicious, however the marshmallow dipping sauce was a little much. I’d opted for sweet potato fries and maduros (fried ripe plantains), so my lunch was on the sweet side. Maybe beans and rice as sides next time.

I added to my locally-made jewelry collection with a bracelet. According to my refreshed Morse code, it actually says “fueck off”, but maybe that’s artistic license. 

The next day, we returned to the restaurant for happy hour in the upstairs bar. It hurt my cheap heart, but I gave in to enjoy stone crab claws, 5 for $20. Definitely delicious, however the last time I’d had them here, they were $1 apiece. Okay, that may have been a few years ago. 

We also watched the tarpons and nurse sharks hanging around, waiting for someone to throw them some fish food. Certainly easier than fighting the crowds at Robbie’s Fish Camp on Islamorada.

Friday, we drove to Curry Hammock State Park to check out Hawk Watch, run by Mariah who was one of our guides on the South Florida birding trip a couple of years ago. The hawks had about finished their migration, but we saw lots of frigate birds including two fighting. Mariah said one was likely trying to get the other to throw up, so it could grab the food. A first for us. A red shouldered and a broad tailed hawk flew over, a kestrel perched on a snag. I’d seen 2 kestrels in the morning, soaring and calling to each other, then a female perched on the light post next to our site.

I’m really enjoying our time here in the Keys. The weather is delightful, windy so we didn’t see much when we snorkeled at the bay beach, and a little rain one day, but neither enough to impact our trip. However, I’m starting to realize we won’t come here many more times. To add to my dismay, our friend Lucy from covenant group, has died of her recurring breast cancer. Not unexpected, another reminder we don’t have the time we think we do, to paraphrase the Buddha. I’m seriously considering insisting we take a long trip, call it the Last Hurrah Tour, to visit those people and place we need and want to see. A Sprint-class motorhome we could park in people’s driveways. My 75th birthday present. 

If we make it another 20 years, we’ll have time to do it again. 

Update: we did go back to see the flamingos, but it was high tide, so no activity on the mudflats. To console ourselves, we joined happy hour in the upstairs bar at Key Fisheries and toasted the sunset. Grant had a dozen raw oysters, sharing 1 with me (all I wanted); I had the stone crabs and didn’t share. Plus, I found another flamingo. When I saw the t-shirt, I had to ask. He lives on the key where the real flamingos hang out, this is his Halloween costume, and his mother is a birder.

Saturday morning, we packed up just before the rain started. After one last cruise through the park, looking at birds, we headed to Fort Lauderdale to visit Patten and see how he’d recovered from shoulder surgery, then home to our lonely kitty.