This landmark may be the most visited and photographed monument of Key West. It was created to bear a resemblance to a buoy and is supposed to point out the southernmost location in the continental U.S. The writing on the buoy states that from this very spot, it is only 90 miles to Cuba and if you squint you might actually catch sight of the island on a bright and sunny day.

Just opposite the Cathedral you can find the "Hospederia", a 16th century monastery founded by the Benedictines. It is possible to stay at the monastery, or simply enjoy the beautiful architecture, and if you happen to be visiting between Tuesday and Thursday, be sure to join one of the guided tours.

Birds Christmas Island Christmas Island is one of the world's truly spectacular tropical seabird rookeries. It's not just the number and variety of seabirds or their magnificent splendour that make the island so remarkable, but also their sheer visibility. Around 80,000 seabirds nest here annually, with 23 breeding or resident species. Birds can be seen and heard everyone on the island, at just about any time of the day. With a little effort birdwatchers can easily tick off a full list of residents in a busy week or a more relaxed fortnight - although the elusive Christmas Island hawk owl keeps many coming back. More than 100 vagrant and migratory bird species have been recorded here, including eight breeding seabird species and one subspecies. The most numerous is the wide-ranging red-footed booby, which nests in colonies in trees on many parts of the coastal shore terraces. you may see the endangered Christmas Island frigatebird soaring above Settlement - it's the world's rarest frigatebird and nests only on the island. The golden form of the white-tailed tropic bird is an endemic subspecies unique to Christmas Island. Known locally as the golden bosunbird, this stunning bird is graceful in flight and has been adopted as the island's fauna emblem.

Tens of millions of red land crabs live on Christmas Island. They are the Island's keystone species, because they play a vital role recycling nutrients and shaping and maintaining the structure of the rainforest. At the beginning of the wet season (usually October / November), most adult Red Crabs suddenly begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the coast, to breed and release eggs into the sea. Breeding is usually synchronized island wide. The rains provide moist overcast conditions for crabs to make their long and difficult journey to the sea. The timing of the migration breeding sequence is also linked to the phases of the moon, so that eggs may be released by the female Red Crabs into the sea precisely at the turn of the high tide during the last quarter of the moon. It is thought that this occurs at this time because there is the least difference between high and low tides. The sea level at the base of the cliffs and on the beaches, where the females release their eggs, at this time varies the least for a longer period, and it is therefore safer for the females approaching the water's edge to release their eggs. Sometimes there are earlier and later migrations of smaller numbers of crabs but all migrations retain this same lunar rhythm. The main migration commences on the plateau and can last up to 18 days. Masses of crabs gather into broad "streams" as they move toward the coast, climbing down high inland cliff faces, and over or around all obstacles in their way, following routes used year after year for both downward and return migrations. Movement peaks in the early morning and late afternoons when it is cooler and there is more shade. If caught in open areas, in unshaded heat, the crabs soon lose body water and die. Possible Spawning Dates 2016 The possible spawning dates for 2016 are: 24/25/26 November 2016 24/25/26 December 2016 Spawning can happen as early as October and as late as January but November and December are the more usual months. The migration comprises a sequence of events that follow on from one and other in a distinct order – a following sequence cannot be undertaken without the crabs having accomplished the preceding. The crabs will migrate to the coast where the males will dig mating burrows and they will mate. After mating, the males will commence their return migration. The females will brood their eggs for 12-13 days before emerging from the burrows to commence spawning. The females will commence their return migration immediately after spawning. The eggs hatch into free swimming larvae immediately after they are drooped into the sea. The larvae grow through several stages in the ocean for over four weeks before emerging from the sea to become tiny crabs.