Fish Hawk Key is one of the magical little mangrove keys off of Key West that keeps drawing me back again and again. It is the combination of the beauty of the Key, the sky, and the water as they come together around this little spot just northeast of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico.
This little key is absolutely loaded with life though, in the air on the "land" and under the water. The bird live is plentiful and varied, from Cormorants and Gulls to Ospreys and Herons, there are just hundreds of birds that in habit this little spot of land and mangroves. The bird life also changes with the seasons like the leaves in the Appellation Mountains. There are Pelicans and other migratory birds that show up here in the winter and the "locals" that remain here all year round like the Cormorants and the Herons.
When you look down into the water, this is another complete world to explore as well. Like the sky's, the inhabitants of the key change with the seasons as well. Summer is getting started and the water is starting to warm up and the appearance of the sharks will begin very soon in this area. Right now you can see Southern Stingrays, Barracuda, an a hole host of Mangrove Snapper in the shallows among the mangrove keys in this area. I love to turn the motor off and raise it up allowing the dinghy to drift with the current. This allows me to see many things in the water, plus some time to enjoy and photograph them.
No matter when you visit the small shallow water mangrove keys in the gulf just north of Key West, you sill find a pilferer of life, large and small that will call you to return again and again to enjoy the new show being performed for you with all the encores that your time will allow you to sit for. If you can get your hands on a shallow draft boat, take the time to visit these marvelous little keys it will be well worth your time. ;o)
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