Park ranger shows love for Keys in charming book

Last updated on October 11th, 2024 at 04:13 pm

Kristie Killam fell in love with the Florida Keys in 1982 when she visited to check out scuba diving locations with her college dive club. 

She loved the Keys so much, she eventually moved to No Name Key and got her dream job: Being a park ranger at the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges, which includes the National Key Deer Refuge.

Over 10 years as a Keys park ranger, Kristie lovingly photographed the Keys and its wildlife, capturing moments one only gets to witness after many hours of careful observation.

Killam retired in 2022 and now volunteers with the Friends group for the four Florida Keys wildlife refuges.

With more time available, she applied for a grant from the Florida Keys Council of the Arts to turn her photos and experiences into a book. The result is a 154-page book full of spectacular photos and fascinating stories. The book is officially being published in November 2024. But you can order it online at Amazon now.

Here are a few anecdotes and photographs from Killam’s book.

Key deer fawn and mother as photographed by Keys park ranger Kristie Killam.
In her book, Killam writes about this tiny fawn distraught when it loses track of its mom. (Photo: Kristie Killam)

Spotted Treasure

This tiny Key deer fawn is one of the smallest I’ve ever seen. She was living in my neighborhood, and I nicknamed her Itty Bitty. She was no larger than a house cat. One afternoon she was searching for Mom everywhere. She appeared frightened and distraught. She was busy calling out when Mom appeared. She went charging up and immediately began nursing. Once reunited with the safety and security of her mother, her worries melted away instantly.

If you are lucky enough to see fawns, please just appreciate them from afar. Do not approach them or interact with them during this critical period of maternal bonding and care. Mothers commonly leave their newborn fawns alone for long periods, sometimes up to twelve hours. This does not mean the fawn has been abandoned or orphaned, but rather it’s a strategy to protect the youngster from predators since they cannot keep up with their mother.

group of white pelicans in Florida Keys,  as photographed by Keys park ranger Kristie Killam.
American white pelicans relax after breakfast on No Name Key. (Photo: Kristie Killam)

Winter White

The Keys are shielded from snowstorms typical of northern climates. However, we aren’t missing out, because winter’s snowy tones are heralded by soaring American white pelicans. These large birds, second only in size to California condors, stay the entire winter and into spring before heading north to their breeding grounds in the west-central US and Canada. 

White pelicans have a feeding strategy that differs from their cousins. Brown pelicans deftly plunge from heights onto unsuspecting fishes. White pelicans, on the other hand, work as a team, encircling fish in shallow waters and dipping in their beaks simultaneously. Watching this water ballet in action is a marvel, and a primary culprit for making me periodically late for work!

Where to Find White Pelicans

I’ve regularly seen white pelicans in Great White Heron and Key West National Wildlife Refuges, feeding in shallow seagrass or roosting on sandbars. They’ll also gather in numbers at inland salt ponds throughout the Keys, especially as waters evaporate at the end of the dry season. These shrinking pools improve access to fish, crabs, and shrimp, helping them gain strength for the upcoming migration. 

Raccoon in Florida Keys, as photographed by  as photographed by Keys park ranger Kristie Killam.

Raccoon sipping water in the Florida Keys. Killiam tells a story about visiting remote watering holes in the Keys to monitor their salinity. But a raccoon surprised her. (Photo: Kristie Killam)

Never Say Never

My first job with the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges was an internship  surveying freshwater wetlands. The refuge manager seemed embarrassed to offer it to me; the salary was far less than I’d been making professionally and barely enough to contribute to our mortgage and bills. I, however, jumped at the opportunity, hoping to get my foot in the door and gain more experience in the field.

I revisited 270-plus waterholes that historically had provided freshwater for Key deer and other wildlife. These were scattered throughout dozens of Lower Keys islands. It was physically demanding, often requiring boating and hiking through forests and scrublands to remote locations. We’d use a GPS to locate the water hole, take a salinity reading, record vegetation type, and look for signs of wildlife. Knowing how salty the water is can help determine if anyone can drink it. The surrounding plants also provide insight into whether it’s a salty, brackish, or freshwater wetland, even if no water is present.

My associate sat on the ground and took out data sheets. I remember saying it didn’t seem like any creature could drink here. No sooner had I spoken than a young raccoon appeared, walked right past my coworker, and dropped into the waterhole. She was just a few feet from us.

She put her head down, drank slowly for about ten seconds, then paused and looked around, never acknowledging our presence. She drank a little longer before casually climbing out and sauntering off. We were stunned for a moment, each silently asking ourselves if that had just happened, then laughing at our initial miscalculation.

Blue winged teal in Florida Keys, as photographed by  as photographed by Keys park ranger Kristie Killam.
Photograph Kristie Killam loves “the sense of peace” in this photo of a blue-winged teal.

I Like Big Ducks & I Cannot Lie

This photograph of a blue-winged teal was the first image I took that felt like more than just a snapshot of an animal. It felt different. It had an artsy tone, and it conveyed an intimate look into the lives of these captivating creatures and their habitat. It really kick-started my desire to become a better photographer and storyteller.

To get the photo, I sat at an inland salt pond and waited. After 10 minutes, a small group of teal approached me. I kept rock still, heart beating rapidly in my chest. Not only did they come close, but they also dawdled around, allowing me to get some lovely photographs and appreciate their extraordinary beauty. I waited until they left, then quietly stole away, leaving them undisturbed. I love the sense of peace this photo provokes. 

Blue-winged teal arrive in the Florida Keys during the fall migration, heading southbound from many parts of the US and Canada. In September, the males are sporting eclipse plumage; they look similar to females and are well camouflaged. As the months progress, males molt into their more distinctive breeding colors, with a white crescent mask, before heading back north. 

These plump ducks are adorned with subtle organic colors on the outside, but hidden on the inside, their wings are gorgeous, decorated with metallic blues and greens. They aren’t the easiest birds to view or photograph. Like many ducks, they are shy and skittish. They talk to one another in little peeps when they detect danger. If you hear the peeps, they know you are there. In the Keys, you’re likely to spot them in inland fresh, brackish, and saltwater ponds from September through April.

White-crowned pigeon in Florida Keys, as photographed by  as photographed by Keys park ranger Kristie Killam.
In her book, Killam tells the story of setting up an elaborate life webcam on a white-crowned pigeon nest, only to have a a red-shouldered hawk make a meal of the hatchlings. (Photo: Kristie Killam)

Give a Smidgen for the White-Crowned Pigeon

White-crowned pigeons live here during spring and summer. Like human parents, they make sacrifices to ensure their young are raised in a safe place. That means nesting on backcountry mangrove islands where there are few snakes, raccoons, or feral cats. Unfortunately for the pigeons, there is also little to eat out there, so they take shifts on the nest while the other parent flies inland for a meal. This daily commute can be as long as ten or twenty miles each way.

White-crowned pigeons are frugivores, eating the fruit of trees including fig, blolly, seagrape, and pigeon plum. Then the hard seeds are dispersed via their scat to start new trees elsewhere. Poisonwood, a tree that can make humans itchy and scratchy, is one of their favorites. They gobble up the fruits to make crop milk, a milky liquid filled with nutrients, for their newborns.

I felt privileged to assist a refuge biologist who had set up a live webcam on a white-crowned pigeon nest in Great White Heron NWR. It was no easy feat, requiring solar power, MacGyver-esque skills, and a giant antenna, which she climbed a spindly tree to install. We waited anxiously for the eggs to hatch, and celebrated once they did. Sadly, our festivities were short-lived. A day later a friend texted, “Oh no, what is that? Look at the webcam!” A young, red-shouldered hawk was perched on the nest. Himself struggling to survive, he was thankful for finding an easy meal, but created a rather sad ending to our pigeon story.

Hawks aside, the Keys are a respite for white-crowned pigeons, since they are hunted for food in the Caribbean where they spend their winters. Once they get back here, they play an important role in Keys ecology. I credit a biologist friend of mine with the phrase, “Give a smidgen for the white-crowned pigeon.”

Kristie Killam, retired Florida Keys park ranger in a mangrove forest.

Keys park ranger Kristie Killam spotted in the wild. Here’s an interesting interview with Killam from 2020.

Cover of Kristie Killam book, Stories of Nature from the Florida Keys
Cover of Kristie Killam’s book

Stories of Nature from the Florida Keys: A Park Ranger’s Adventures in Paradise Behind the Lens and Through the Seasons

Paperback
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2024
By Kristie Killam (Author)
The Florida Keys Council of the Arts awarded Killam a Special Project Grant to assist with publishing the book.

You can order it online at Amazon now.


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