Keys to my heart

Let me just preface this post by saying it is going to be long and contradictory of most of the things I've said so far, basically it's a wrap up of the florida experience, and frankly I don't give a shit. 

The idea to run down to Florida was spurred on by a couple of different thoughts: Key West quail doves, bananaquit, black-faced Grassquit etc etc. Let's also not forget that I wanted to get the hell out of as much winter weather as I possibly could. It seemed like a solid plan. Spend two weeks in Florida chasing down all kinds of birds and adding to my year list with all of the crazy birds that are in the Miami area. But then again this is Florida. Every ridiculous, crazy, completely stupid story that you hear on the news come straight out of Florida. Maybe it has something to do with the sun. Maybe it has something to do with all the water. Maybe it just has something to do with the air.  But whatever it is, Florida does something to people. It did it to me when I lived there and it did it to me again on this trip.  

The trip started up just like any other. I hit the ground running, grab a rental car and gun it out to Snake Road in search of smooth-billed ani. I arrived there with about an hour of daylight left which has been the best time for viewing. I searched the half-mile section of road where the bird has been frequently seen with no luck. I would not get back to this location until the following week so I waited until it was completely dark before I left.  No joy. I then drove a couple of hours south to get myself into position for the next morning's chase. Key Largo was as close as I could get because apparently everyone in the world seems to have the same idea: head to the keys because winter blows. Not really an issue, I would be up early and head out to Bahia Honda State Park. 

I took the leisurely drive down to the park because it doesn't open until 8 AM.  Magnificent frigatebirds sailed overhead. White Ibis were on every street corner. Common Myna filled the wires in noisy flocks and groups of parrots flashed by. The hotels and storefronts gave way to mangroves and turquoise water. Pelicans and laughing gulls perched on bridges and dock pilings. The warmth of the sun and the smell of the sea was enough to momentarily forget the real reason I was there. 

Upon arrival Bahia was already crowded with birders. I'll save you the details of the day spent looking for a bananaquit that apparently had had enough of the area the day before and left. And the black-faced grassquit that landed on the ground below my feet as I stood on the deck of a bathroom was less than exhilarating. Almost too easy and not very scenic. As the sun was setting I drove down to Marathon to check into the condo I had rented for the next couple of nights. And there it was again.  That pull from the water or the air that made me feel less stressed and the sense of urgency faded away as the sun sank into the water. 

The hotel bar attached to the condos had happy hour beers and .25 cent shrimp which also helped.  Sounded like as a good a dinner as anything else. The place was packed with sun soaked vacationers with the usual "where Ya from?" and "how long Ya staying" questions for a guy traveling alone.  Pleasantries are exchanged and rounds are bought. A good time is had by all as the crowd begins to thin out and there are just a few of us left. The moon is rising over the water and no one really wants to leave. I should be exhausted and ready for bed after looking for a tiny ass bird all day and looking through every limb of every tree but I'm not ready to let the day go. A conversation starts with myself and the bartenders and eventually the two residents who are still tipping back beers that get warm too fast in the evening heat. In a few minutes were are the best of friends and exchanging life stories of triumph and failure. Not one of them born and raised in Florida, just transplants from an unhappy life elsewhere into paradise. The allure of it all is almost overwhelming. There are moments I'm ready to throw caution to the wind and just stay in Florida and live on the beach and find my own damn bananaquit.  We drink for a few more hours on the pier telling stories surrounded by stars and the moon reflecting on black water. By the time I say good night it's almost 3 am and I don't care. Long Key State Park doesn't open until 8. 

      I don't get there until 11. 

Again the details of the hunt for Key West Quail Dove will be omitted. I basically walked up and down the same trail all day long listening for the scratching of leaves or the slightest movement of a bird in the understory. Barely any birds are seen at all. 

Boring.

  I almost took the time to spell it out with sticks in the dirt but decided I might piss off yet another bird nerd in the process. After 6 hours of looking,  some random guy comes walking up and says "I just had the bird down there" pointing down trail again. 

Son. Of. A. Bitch. 

Within minutes I have one bird and a group of eight or so weary birders join me. Then another bird is located so we know there are at least two. It's one of those moments of relief that is followed by joy, that is followed by "shit, happy hour, gotta go". 

Again there's a night of celebration. My new friends can't seem to grasp this whole idea of looking for birds in far-flung places but they're all happy for me and continue to buy rounds. I finally meet a local and he and I sit and talk about our lives at great length. He's a free spirit, a rolling stone some may say, but his heart is in the right place and his head is on straight. I find myself envious of his life in a way, he has always lived in Florida and loves it. His family is there and he wouldn't have it any other way. I understand that feeling better than most, but I also feel the pull of the tide on my senses. There is one thing I know for sure at that very moment, I will spend the rest of my winters near a white beach of sand, not snow. 

Because I have managed to reach my goals in the keys in record time, which I was not expecting, I decided to drive down to Key West the next morning. It's warm and sunny. It's packed with people. There aren't very many birds around and I don't care. I meet more people and have more fun as I begin to realize that maybe it's time I actually did have a vacation....just to relax and soak up the sun for a few days. Lay by a pool. Walk on the beach without getting a tan line from binoculars.  Maybe I can do this after all. 

Well the next few days are a bit of a blur. I drive around aimlessly. I take more pictures of the water and landscapes than I may have ever done before. I see a few new year birds: brown thrasher. Barn swallow, yellow-breasted chat and prairie warbler which aren't all that unusual.  I make it back for happy hour with my new friends and meet more each night. A family from New Jersey puts a smile on my face as I play Giant Jenga with the oldest son and I have far to many beers.  I decide to extend my stay at the condo an additional three days basically because that's how long the place was available for and I didn't want to leave. A fellow Ohioan in the Keys is ironic and yet comforting and we talk for hours.  And I just can't seem to pull myself away from this place. I explore the Keys by day ticking a few more birds, looking at vacant property and for sale signs and spend the evenings at the resort thinking about them. 

 My last day is almost bittersweet. I don't want to leave this place. My trip isn't over but there's a special place in my heart for this place and these people. 

So on my final day off to the mainland I went. It took a long time to leave the Keys mainly because I didn't want to go. I stopped at each key to again look at places for rent and for sale. I fear there is no way to un-ring that bell. By mid afternoon I was Headed into the Everglades and I drove down to  Flamingo making lots of stops.  

Swallow tailed kites floated above. Herons and spoonbills waded in the ponds and palm warblers were everywhere. I spent a few hours exploring before I decided to head towards Miami for the night. 

I used the Orbitz app on my phone to book a hotel for the night without paying much attention to where it was until I popped the address into the GPS and realized it was in South Beach. 

Shit. 

I rolled in around 8pm to streets crowded with people and cars and music blaring. Not my usual accommodations at all. I struggled to find parking and finally got checked into the Art Deco period resort and was surprised at how relaxed I felt even with all the hustle and bustle and poor customer service around me. 

I walked down the road to an open air bar and had a bucket of beer and a grouper dinner while sitting at the outdoor restaurant people watching. I met a guy from LA who had been traveling abroad and exchanged stories and again tried to explain this "bird thing". There really is no way to make it not sound crazy or to make it sound cool but he humored me and decided that tomorrow he would join me searching for parrots and odd ducks.  

We didn't get the earliest start but we did manage to see some birds. We ended up looking for snail kites and Limpkin in the glades again with success. It's always interesting to bird with someone who doesn't know anything about birds. They always seem to spot the ones you're looking for and it makes for a fun day. We had a good time and I decided to just hang out at the beach and pool the next day. And then the next day. I was finding it harder and harder to think about going home. I didn't want to leave. 

Then I met up with a friend from home to try again for the damn Ani as well as a local couple who bird the area extensively. No luck on ani. But it was worth a shot and it was a fun time. 

The last few days were more of the same. Sun and sand and beaches and drinks. Meeting more people was definitely the highlight.

An amazing woman from New York and a couple of fantastic gals from Georgia that I hope to meet up with again someday. 

So what's the point of blogging about these two weeks when there really weren't many bird sightings, except those couple of code 4 birds? I guess the point is that I learned some things on this trip that I don't want to forget. I met some people on this trip that don't want to forget either. I realized that it is most likely my destiny to end up in Florida someday. I learned that I guess I can just relax and vacation like normal people do but that I could also make a life down there where the air and the water cleanse and refresh the mind and soul. 

To Don, Ben, Nick, Ruani, Paul, Cici, Joelle, Kyle and Craig thanks for an amazing time if you ever read this. I won't soon forget the good times. 

As you can tell it has taken me a fair amount of time to submit this entry. I started and restarted multiple times. Being home has been lackluster to say the least. I have had a hard time putting things into words. And I just haven't felt like it. I haven't even finished adding Florida checklists. 

 I've added a few more birds at home: wood duck, woodcock, rusty blackbird, winter wren and those beautiful BoWax (thanks Andy).

Yet I can't shake the depression, for lack of a better word, of coming back to a gray, cold Ohio. For the first time in a very long time I wish I didn't live here, but for the moment I do and I'll

make the best of it. Migration is on its way and so are the birds. Ohio is a pretty special place for the birds during migration and I wouldn't miss it. But I will be in Texas again before that happens with a trip in mid April. And if a few birds hang around a little I may even make a quick run to the northwest of the country again. Only time will tell....