DRY TORTUGAS, FLORIDAThe excitement of spring migration plus seabird specialties from Sooty and Bridled terns to Brown and Masked boobies and Audubon's Shearwaters.
$1195 (2007 fee). 4 days See our triplist for 2007 (2nd tour) or 2007 (1st tour) or 2006 or 2005 (2nd tour) This short tour enables participants to visit a tropical island complete with swaying coconut palms, coral reefs with myriad multicolored fish, and colonies of exotic tropical seabirds without leaving the United States. To visit the Dry Tortugas currently for more than just a few hours, there are very few options. We’ve chosen what we think is the most appealing and comfortable one to optimize our experience, and we'll be traveling on board the charter vessel Tiburon, with a group limited to only 13 participants. The Dry Tortugas, a small group of islands 70 miles west of Key West and site of 19th-century Fort Jefferson, provide a foothold for a number of tropical seabirds difficult or impossible to see elsewhere in the US. Spectacular concentrations of nesting Brown Noddies and Sooty Terns are a main drawing card, but there are many other attractions, either in the Gulf Stream waters en route or at the Tortugas themselves: Audubon's Shearwater, Magnificent Frigatebird, Bridled and Roseate terns, and Brown and Masked boobies. Even Black Noddy, White-tailed Tropicbird, and Red-footed Booby are rare possibilities, though these have not been regular in recent years. But seabirds aren’t the only draw. The isolated Tortugas offer a resting place for tired northbound migrants crossing the Gulf in April and early May, and consequently there is often a good (and sometimes spectacular, depending on weather) variety and number of landbirds on the islands. And there is always the possibility of a West Indian vagrant, which adds the spice of discovery to every outing here. Join us for an exciting trip to the Tortugas!
Contact our office by e-mail in Austin, Texas at fieldguides@fieldguides.com.
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