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
This is a view from inside the outer walls of Fort Jefferson on Garden Key of the Dry Tortugas. The inner area is quite large, and after walking around outside, it was lovely to sit in the shade of a tree by a water feature and have birds come for a drink--a variety of warblers, mostly. There were also Cattle Egret on the grass, hawks flew over--even a Peregrine Falcon flew into a tree nearby! The open air compartments were, historically, quarters for soldiers and officers, and later, for prisoners. One of the more famous inmates was Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who was imprisoned for treating James Wilkes Booth, after the assassination of Abe Lincoln. After he attempted to escape, he was shackled in one of the first floor enclosures called "the dungeon". 4/30/22 www.sparhawkphotography.com
