Welcome Back!

So much is happening down here, time gets away. I have so many different topics to post about, let's get going, shall we?

First, let me tell you the update on the oil here. There is none. Its beautiful down here, the waters are warm, clear & safe. The air is often times heavy with humidity and various floral fragrances. The Key deer are sweetly roaming. Update done.

Next, let me tell you the update on turtles. There's more!!! Yes, and I promise that's my next entry, because I've got a photo to go with it that's beautiful.

More news: Running in the Florida Keys in early summer is hard. Very hard. I'm committed though (or maybe its more appropriate if I said "I should be committed" but maybe no one else thinks that's funny?) So.... what's the point about today's run? WHITE CROWNED PIGEONS! That's my point. I take off in the blistering heat all ready to do my whole 5 miles, and 20 steps into my run a pair of white crowned pigeons blasts out of a tree literally next to me. It was awesome!! Of course I stopped and watched. They flew out of the trees (I believe they were near some poisonwood, which I think they like), and landed onto overhead wires, sat there and looked towards me. I said "hi," and welcomed them back for the season. They flew off together, I'll bet they had a great day.

Have you ever seen this species? Most likely, you have not. Why is that? Well, its because they are a "threatened" species, which means close to "endangered" status. We get lots of birders down here depending on the time of year.... migrations and such. Many people have white crowned pigeons on their "life list" and many people go home from here never seeing them. In our country, they are only found in the most extreme Southern Florida mainland, and the Florida Keys. I see them every year, but not in large quantities, not by a long shot. Usually, I see one pair a year. That's it. Understand that I spend a lot of time observing nature outside, and to say I only see 1 pair a year is very sad. I'll spot them often, that one annual pair, as once I know they're back, I look carefully for them. They really stand out from the crowd. Just as the name says, they have a beautiful head crowned of white, upon a dark body. They're about the size of a mourning dove. Birding experts, forgive my inaccuracies, if any. I'm just a city girl who ended up transplanted to this wild foreign land within my owned beloved country.

So, I see a pair of year, which at least means a chance for offspring. The numbers maybe miraculously will somehow stop declining, and hopefully rebound. White crowned pigeons are considered "red watchlisted" by the National Audubon Society, meaning their population is rapidly declining, and is of global concern.

Something to note with white crowned pigeons is the widespread use of pesticides in the past has greatly effected their populations. In the United States, it is said that a more responsible approach to pesticide use in recent years is helping them rebound. However, the same cannot be said for the Caribbean where their numbers continue to plummet. Here at Deer Run, our eco-friendly approach to life means NO harsh pesticides on our grounds. We DO have regular visits from our most admired pest control man (his name is John, he loves yoga & goji berries by the way) and he helps meet our needs with eco-appropriate repellents, and never killing critters. I am convinced the lack of chemicals used here means we get a greater variety of life passing through, and perhaps this helps explain why at least I always see a pair of WCP's every year.

I wish I could run with my camera, but its not practical. I'm pretty sure I could've gotten a great shot of that beautiful pair of white crowned pigeons, as well as the incredible sight of a large number of Great White Herons roosting out in the Bight. They're so huge, the sight of just one is something to behold, but when you see several in a group, look out world! But, there they were, hanging out in the Bight as I plodded along my street doing my run in the middle of the day. Some were fishing, and some were in the mangroves. They look like Christmas ornaments when they roost in trees, the shock of the pure white against the thick tangled green mangroves is always special. The only way I can remember to tell the difference is egrets have black legs, Herons have yellow legs. I saw several egrets today too, hanging out in Pop's yard.

Part of me wants to run with music, but so far I have resisted. There's so many interesting sounds made by all these birds and wildlife, its part of the experience for me. If I was running with music today, I would've missed the rustling sound in the trees that erupted just before the white crowned pigeons burst forth. So, maybe I wouldn't have seen them at all today. That would've been quite a shame.

Welcome back white crowned pigeons, I've been waiting for you. See you tomorrow?