This little cutie is one of the Key Deer that live on the Florida Keys. The are the smallest subspecies of the White-tailed Deer found across much of North America. The does like this measure about 26 inches at the shoulder; they are delicate and very cute. At one point they roamed most of the keys, but today are mostly found on Long Pine Key to Bahia Honda Key. They are the largest herbivores on the keys. This one, and two others, were spotted on No-Name Key. 5/3/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
Back on Key West for another day before heading back to the mainland. One of the things I found charming in Key West was the numerous wild Red Jungle Fowl that wander all around in Old Town--sitting in a sidewalk cafe, walking along the city streets, even in the cemetery, as shown here. The roosters and chicken were wandering around, climbing up on graves, crowing. Some of the roosters were indeed beautiful, with iridescent feathers, long flowing neck feathers, nice red combs and wattles. The cemetery was founded in 1847, after a disastrous hurricane had destroyed the previous graveyard the year before. It was built on the highest point in Key West, hoping to avoid future flooding and destruction. It was an interesting place to visit, bird, and appreciate the historic gravesites. 5/2/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
Before leaving the Dry Tortugas, I saw this Brown Anole, watched it for a few minutes, as it displayed its dewlap, several times, finally catching it with my camera. This was harder than it sounds, as my G-12 camera has a bit of a delay in shooting, not the best for shooting moving birds or speedy reptiles! 5/1/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
