Quite a lot of visitors to the Dry Tortugas plan to go snorkeling to see the pretty fish and other underwater things. I was more interested in birding, but while walking along the edge of the moat at Fort Jefferson, I shot down into the water. No fish in the shot, but notice how clear the water was--I liked the play of sunshine below the surface. 4/29/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
This image shows a small section of Fort Jefferson, which takes up most of Garden Key of the Dry Tortugas. Building of the fort began in 1846, with the purpose of controlling navigation to the Gulf of Mexico, and the Mississippi River trade. It never was completed. During the Civil War the fort served as a Union military prison for captured deserters. It also held 4 men convicted of complicity in President Lincoln's assassination. The Army abandoned the fort in 1874. This view show some of the outer walls, surrounded by the moat, with the Gulf waters beyond. Many visitors come for snorkeling in the clear waters. And, of course, Magnificent Frigatebirds overhead. 4/28/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
The whole time I was on the Dry Tortugas, flying overhead were multiple soaring Magnificent Frigatebirds. In this image the all-black one is a male, and those with white are females. I love their angular wings as they fly--I counted as many as 30 birds flying at a time!. About 100 pairs of these birds nest on Long Key, not far from Garden Key, where the ferry docks. 4/27/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
