Tiny Little Key Deer

Big Pine Key is not only the home of Bahia Honda State Park but also The National Key Deer Refuge.  On our way to see these tiny little deer, we stumbled upon the Blue Hole.   

Photo by Marc Averette - (commons.wikimedia.org)

This was originally excavated as a limestone quarry and many of the original roads were built using crushed limestone from this quarry.  It is literally a big hole, filled with freshwater, which floats on top of the underlying saltwater.  

We walked the 225 ft to the observation platform, which offered a nice view of the Hole, however I didn't think to take any photos, which is why I used the one I found online by Mr. Averette.  We didn't see ANY wildlife...no alligators, no fish, no birds...no nothing.  We did, however, come across this nice bench, dedicated to Ranger Bell.  What a thoughtful "thank you" for a job well done. ;o)

We were back to the truck around 3:00 and although we drove around for awhile, looking for deer, we were a bit too early.  They generally come out of the bruch closer to sunset, so we went back to Bahia Honda and walked along the beach for awhile.

After killing an hour or so at the beach, we drove to a local grocery store to pick up something for dinner.  A weird thing about the Keys is that chickens are allowed to run wild and they are protected.  These were in the parking lot of the grocery store.

The only information I can find is that they are called Gypsy Chickens and are descendants of jungle fowl that originated in Cuba and the Caribbean islands.  While they were originally used for food, many of them escaped and others were turned loose when cock fighting became illegal.  

We took our sandwishes, drove down the main road into the refuge and parked, anxiously waiting for the deer to magically appear.  They didn't come out in large groups, but we spotted a couple walking along the side of the road, munching away on the grass, pretty much oblivious to us.  

They really aren't much larger than a big dog.  This one came walking toward us, crossed in front of the truck and continued on it's way down the road.  It was so cool to see them.  We stayed awhile, then headed back, taking a detour through a neighborhood area.  This one came out of the woods, stood right next to the truck and just stared at us.  I actually thought I could have gotten out and petted it but that is highly frowned upon.

Key Deer are the smallest species of white-tailed deer, which are found throughout much of North America.  They are unique to the Lower Florida Keys and are found no where else in the world.  They were hunted to near extinction before the National Key Deer Refuge was founded in 1957.  Their current population is estimated between 700-800 and they continue to be listed as a federally endangered species.

We drove around the corner and a group of five or six came out of the woods and passed in front of us.  I would not want to be trying to grow anything around here.

It was a beautiful sunset across the scrub and wetland.

Florida is so flat, with great wide open skies!  It's definitely one of the many things I love about the state.

We called it a day and drove back over the 7 mile bridge to our motel on Marathon Key.  Tomorrow...Key West!

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)