Cedar Key, Snake Key

Sunrise, 6:32 AM

 

 

As I write on July 27, I assume I tried to go back to sleep, failed, ate breakfast, posted photos, and was in the kayak at

 Out to Astena Otie Key

Empty nest

 

 Dolphins splash as I paddled to Snake Creek

From off shore, I could see white in the green of the key.  Egrets and ibis, I assumed.

 Closer, those are magnificent frigate birds!

 

 An unexpected treat

 

I have only seen magnificent frigate birds roosting at Seahorse Key.  Never at Snake.

The sad thing is, the frigate birds, and many others have left Seahorse Key. No one knows why.

 

 

 

 

video

 

 

Not just frigate birds

Cormorants

 

Great egrets

 Brown  pelican

another video

 

Reddish egeret

 

 Even a roseate spoonbill

 Seahorse Key in the distance

 Zoom

 

 

 

 

 

 Snake Key is split in two parts by a channel.  A favorite place for tri colored herons

 

 

 

 A juvenile blue heron got into tri colored alley.

 

 

 

 Research camera.  Several are set up around Snake Key

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of only a few adult males I saw with a red pouch.  When ready to mate, it gets puffed out.

 

 

 

 

Paddling away from Snake Key.  An article about the birds leaving Seahorse Key.

http://www.audubon.org/news/what-made-all-seahorse-keys-birds-jump-ship

 

 

Atsena Otie Key dock

 

 

 

Landed at 11:50.

In time for the daily bell concert  with bird accompaniment, and wood plank bass.

 Lunch, back out at 5 past 2.

 

 Return to the Number 2 Channel

 To look for spoonbills

 

 

 

 

 

 Visitor from Snake Key

 

 

Cemetery Point cemetery.

Dolphin

 

 

 

 Cedar Key skyline

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landed at 4:45

 Back out at 7:20

One theory for the birds leaving Seahorse Key is military flyovers

 This chopper was doing touch and go take offs and landings at the air field.  I had launched at Airport Road.

 Snake Key in the distance.

 

 

 

 

Stopped at a local bar for sunset

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset was just after 8:30

 

 

 The low tide made things a bit worrisome as I paddled back to my car.  But, I managed to avoid the oyster shells and landed at 8:51.  And then walked across the mud to the car.