Least Tern Fish Exchanges
May 7, 2014 - On my last trip to Fort De Soto I photographed several Least Tern fish exchanges as these tiny birds performed their courtship rituals.
Fort De Soto
More Migrant Songbirds at Fort De Soto
May 5, 2014 - More shots of migrant songbirds at Fort De Soto, including a lifer Bay-breasted Warbler and some great American Redstarts.
Royal Tern Courtship
May 3, 2014 - I finally got to photograph Royal Tern courtship. The Royal Terns exchanged fish and crabs before mating on North Beach. What a fun morning!
Photographing Scarlet Tanagers Eating Insects
May 1, 2014 - I had such a great weekend at Fort De Soto with the migrant birds not too long ago, and one of the best parts was photographing the Scarlet Tanagers. The bright red feathers and black wings of the males are very striking. At the East Beach, I found about ten tanagers that were feeding near […]
Migrant Birds at Fort De Soto
April 29, 2014 - Two weekends ago I had the most amazing morning photographing the migrant birds at Fort De Soto. The trees were literally dropping with colorful birds. Red tanagers, orange orioles, blue buntings and grosbeaks, and warblers everywhere. It was a birder’s paradise. Good birding isn’t always good for the birds. Most of these birds spend the […]
Springtime Bird Photography at Fort De Soto
April 15, 2014 - April is my favorite time to visit Fort De Soto in St. Petersburg, Florida. The sandy beaches are beautiful, the spring winds are cool, and my toes get to wiggle in the ocean water as I photograph the birds molting into their breeding plumage. An April visit always has the possibility of a fallout, where […]
Great Horned Owl Nest at Fort De Soto
March 4, 2014 - Two weeks ago, my dad and I drove over to Fort De Soto to photograph the Great Horned Owl nest. At the time, the owlets were two weeks old. Ever since I saw Marina Scarr’s highly honored image in the Windland Smith Rice photo contest, I’ve wanted to see a similar scene – the mother […]
The Chase
September 15, 2013 - While at Fort De Soto over Labor Day weekend, I captured a fun sequence of images. The Sandwich Terns were in a feeding frenzy over the ocean. I tried to photograph them as they grabbed their fish from the ocean. One grabbed a huge fish, dropped it in mid-air, then dove and caught it […]
Feeding Frenzy at Fort De Soto
September 14, 2013 - I had such a good time photographing the terns and gulls in their feeding frenzy at Fort De Soto over Labor Day weekend. I got to North Beach just after sunrise. The feeding frenzy from the night before continued as hundreds of birds dove into the waves and pulled out their breakfasts. There were so […]
Sunrise at Fort De Soto
September 12, 2013 - We stayed the night at the beach over Labor Day weekend, and I enjoyed the opportunity to shoot sunrise at Fort De Soto without having to drive for two hours! Except I was dismayed to arrive and find that the park is more strictly enforcing its hours. There was a “do not enter” sign that […]
Shorebirds Returning to Florida’s Beaches
September 10, 2013 - Although it’s still really hot outside, fall migration is underway, and the shorebirds are returning to Florida’s beaches. Most of our shorebirds fly to places like Alaska and northern Canada to breed. They leave in May looking all spiffy in their breeding plumage, fly to their breeding grounds, raise their kids, and return to Florida […]
Sunset at Fort De Soto’s North Beach
September 8, 2013 - Rich and I did an overnight trip to Fort De Soto over Labor Day weekend. I got to do one of my favorite things: photograph sunset at Fort De Soto’s North Beach. It’s so beautiful there. I love the white beach and the unspoiled coastline. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought it […]
Fort De Soto with My Dad
June 24, 2013 - After visiting the Black Skimmer colony with my dad on Father’s Day, we decided to head to Fort De Soto to explore. It was mid-day, and we knew we’d see more people than birds. Still, it’s hard to be half an hour away from Bird Photography Paradise and not at least stop by! I’m glad […]
Pleasant Morning at Fort De Soto
May 1, 2013 - For the past three weekends in a row, I’ve planned a visit to Fort De Soto. I even planned to go and stay overnight so that I’d have more time with golden light. Then there were thunderstorms. And rain. And clouds. Two weekends in a row! So this past weekend I finally made it there. […]
Windy and Cold at Fort De Soto
April 7, 2013 - Somebody needs to tell the groundhog that he really mis-predicted the weather this year. Instead of his projected early spring, we got freezing cold temperatures well into April! Still, Fort De Soto is an awesome place for springtime bird photography, even if there’s wind and cold. I spent a very pleasant evening and morning at […]
Peaceful Blue…
November 6, 2012 - After 13 hours of work today, I needed a reminder of one of my favorite places to relax: Fort De Soto in Tierra Verde, FL. I photographed this juvenile almost-turned-adult plumage Little Blue Heron at Fort D back in early September. I’ve been itching to go back ever since. Look at that blue water…isn’t it […]
Fishing Buddies
September 21, 2012 - I had such a good time watching the gulls and the pelicans at Fort De Soto on my last visit. Those gulls are smart – they hang around the pelicans, and when the pelicans grab a big mouthful of fish, the gulls swoop in and steal a bite. I watched them do it over and […]
Alone in the Crowd
September 18, 2012 - The Sandwich Terns at North Beach made me laugh. I’m not sure if they were trying for courtship behaviors, or if they were just being silly. I watched several bring in nice fish, then just stand there trying to get attention from everybody else. Why didn’t they just eat their fish? Sometimes the crowd would […]
Cue the Yawn!
September 14, 2012 - It’s Friday…thank goodness! This Royal Tern seems to understand how I feel at the end of the week. Time for a weekend of photography and rest!
Time to Grow Up!
September 11, 2012 - While photographing the terns at Fort De Soto over Labor Day weekend, I heard the incessant fussing of a hungry juvenile. It didn’t take me long to spot the fusser, who looked all spiffy in his fresh juvenal plumage. (Adult shorebirds at this time of year have worn feathers, and are easily distinguished from their […]
North Beach Sunset
September 10, 2012 - This was the same sunset as the close-up Great Blue Heron sunset shot from a few nights ago. This wide-angle shot is a very different perspective! I was a little sad to see the changes in North Beach since the tropical storms re-shaped the beach. The terns practically had their own little beach with the […]
Flying Sandwiches
September 7, 2012 - I really enjoyed my Labor Day morning at Fort De Soto this past weekend. When I arrived at North Beach just after sunrise, I found the beach covered in terns. It was funny how the photographers walked right past Big Red to instead focus on the masses of terns. I practiced a lot of panning […]
Orange and Black
September 6, 2012 - Last Sunday at Fort De Soto, I walked onto North Beach and wondered what kinds of pictures I could take. The beach was crowded with people, the birds had all retreated into the bird sanctuary (smart birds!), and the sun was hiding behind the clouds. But as the sun got lower in the sky, it […]
Sunset Blast-Off
September 5, 2012 - Rich and I spent a happy couple of days at Fort De Soto over the Labor Day weekend. I know the shorebirds have been congregating there as they prepare for their fall migratory trip to South America. North Beach in the early mornings is a bird photographer’s paradise with hundreds of subjects in incredible light. […]
Springtime Bath
September 4, 2012 - This is a Laughing Gull shot from this spring that I finally got around to processing. I love this shot because it reminds me of what a happy morning it was when I took it. The breeze was cool, the sun felt good on my face, I was out on the beach for the first […]
They’re Ba-ack!
August 2, 2012 - While I haven’t been out to see them myself, reports from Birdbrains indicate that the shorebirds are starting to arrive back in Florida for the winter. Yes, winter. It’s July! These birds are incredible. They get all spiffy-looking in their breeding colors in May, fly to the Arctic, have their babies, and arrive back in […]
A Quest for a Black Belly
May 18, 2012 - I was on a quest this spring to photograph a Black-Bellied Plover in full breeding plumage. As I visited Fort De Soto periodically throughout their molting time, I was able to catch them at various stages of color. I got close to catching a fully molted bird, but not quite…maybe next year!
Long-Billed Curlew
May 11, 2012 - I wanted to go to Fort De Soto this morning, to try for a Black-Bellied Plover in full breeding plumage. But it was a long week, and I opted to relax instead. So here’s an image from several weeks ago…
East Beach Sunrise
May 9, 2012 - I had fun photographing the sunrise on the morning that I went to Fort De Soto to look for migrants. When I arrived at the East Beach turnaround, the sun was just beginning to peek out from over the horizon. I spotted a Great Blue Heron near me, so I tried to position him for […]
Piggy-Back Rides – Fort De Soto Laughing Gulls
May 4, 2012 - I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to photograph Laughing Gull courtship behaviors over the past two weekends at Fort De Soto. My mom asked me, “what’s with your recent interesting in photographing…that?” Well, it’s fun! Birds can be such clowns when it comes to flirting. And what photographer can resist a good action shot? The courtship begins […]
A Rainbow of Color at Fort De Soto
April 29, 2012 - After last weekend’s fallout of migratory birds at Fort De Soto, I so wanted to take a vacation day on Monday to go birding there. But I was good and responsible…and I went over on my next off-Friday. Wow! It was my first migration experience and it was just incredible. I had a total of […]
Preview of Coming Attractions…
April 27, 2012 - I had the most incredible day today! I went to Fort De Soto to check out the migrants, and I finally got my first Scarlet Tanager male, along with a ton of orioles, grosbeaks, buntings, and a few warblers. Birders kept telling me that today was a “slow” day in comparison to last weekend’s fallout…but […]
A Stop at the Fort De Soto Pier
April 25, 2012 - While we were at Fort De Soto last weekend, I told Rich that we needed to stop at the Gulf Pier to look for dolphins, and maybe sea turtles. Rich went along, but didn’t expect to see much. When we arrived, we were seeing dolphins every five seconds! They are hard to photograph, though, because […]
Three Hours Sitting in One Spot at Fort De Soto
April 24, 2012 - Rich and I returned to North Beach at Fort De Soto on Friday morning. It was great – he dropped me off, went to get breakfast, and brought me breakfast on the beach! What a great hubby. In the meantime, I had found a couple of Laughing Gulls demonstrating courtship behaviors at the tidal pool […]
Escape to Fort De Soto
April 23, 2012 - Rich and I took a much-needed day off from work last Friday and escaped to Fort De Soto for a weekend photography adventure. We were glad we went Thursday night, which allowed us to get in one day of photography before the rains came. And of course, we missed the terrific migrant activity that the […]
More from the North Beach Shores at Fort De Soto…
March 30, 2012 - I had such a good morning at Fort De Soto a few weekends ago, and it’s taken me that long to finish going through my images! I had four lifers that day: Common Loon, Red Knot, Lark Sparrow, and my first non-captive Great Horned Owls, with baby! Combine that opportunity with the awesome light at […]
Long-Billed Curlew
March 16, 2012 - Can you imagine going through life with a bill as long as your foot? I watch the Long-Billed Curlew at Fort De Soto preening, and he amazes me. That long bill is great for digging up crabs from deep in the sand, but it’s pretty awkward to use to scratch an itch! I was rewarded […]
Shades of Red
March 15, 2012 - The White Ibises at Fort De Soto last weekend were sporting some very brilliant breeding colors. A group of them fed for me in the little pool near the concession stand on the North Beach. When bright white birds with great red beaks stand there patiently pulling crab after crab out of the water, it […]
Looney Tunes
March 12, 2012 - I saw my first-ever loon yesterday at Fort De Soto. I’m pretty sure he’s a Common Loon. He was swimming not too far from shore along the North Beach. I had been thinking how neat it would be to see a loon, then I looked up, and there one was! Not many mornings give you […]
My Turn!
March 11, 2012 - Two years ago, Dyeyo found a Great Horned Owl nest at the Circle B Bar Reserve. He showed me his pictures, and I went with him the next weekend to see the babies, but they had already fledged. Ever since then, I’ve been itching to have “my turn” with Great Horned owlets. Today my turn […]
Eyes on You
October 13, 2011 - I photographed this Osprey at Fort De Soto park two weeks ago. I thought it was cool how he flew directly at the camera, with both eyes looking straight ahead. He dove several times for fish, but he went away empty-taloned.
"Sunrise" Skyway and Fort De Soto Birds
October 2, 2011 - The best colors of sunrise are often about half an hour before sunrise, and this morning the colors were totally worth the early wake-up call and two-hour drive to Fort De Soto! I arrived around 6:45 and made my way to East Beach, where the sun was just starting to show itself on the horizon. […]
Early Fall Migrants at Fort De Soto
July 24, 2011 - Rich says I must have lost my marbles. I got up at 4:45 this morning and drove to St. Pete in order to search for Marbled Godwits. It’s been a few months since I’ve gone to the beach, and I was in the mood for some nice shorebird photography. It’s funny that after photographing lots […]
Of Drunken Sailors and Crab Legs (Fort De Soto)
May 21, 2011 - After a long week at work, I was itching for a photography adventure. So I got up at 4 on Saturday morning and drove to Fort De Soto for sunrise. But I did have a great morning at North Beach, enjoying especially the antics of the Reddish Egrets. They are too funny! I arrived just […]
Sunrise at Fort De Soto
April 23, 2011 - Rich came with me to Fort De Soto for sunrise this morning. He can’t remember the last time he watched the sun rise! We went to East Beach to see the sun come up over the Sunshine Skyway. Then we went the North Beach lagoon, then we found the famous mulberry trees. It was a […]
Sunset at Fort De Soto
April 22, 2011 - Rich and I visited Fort De Soto for sunset this evening. It was fun to share the park with Rich, who’s never shared my early-morning zeal for sunrises and golden-light bird photography. It was also the first time I’d been to Fort De Soto in the afternoon. We headed to East Beach first, where the […]
Quiet Morning at Fort De Soto
March 12, 2011 - I drove over to Fort De Soto on Saturday morning in hopes of finding some early migrant warblers. There have also been a Reddish Egret in full breeding plumage and a Long-Billed Curlew hanging out at the North Beach lagoon. I had high hopes of some good photography, but unfortunately, it was a pretty quiet […]
Beautiful Morning at Fort De Soto
November 23, 2010 - Dyeyo and I visited Fort De Soto this morning. After my last trip there in September, I was looking forward to beaches covered in birds. But the North Beach was almost totally empty! We ran into a nice couple from England who have been vacationing at De Soto for the last month. They said that […]
Fort De Soto Panorama
September 5, 2010 - I stitched together some pictures from yesterday’s trip to Fort De Soto and made a panorama: I also made a little video of the birds on the beach…
My First Trip to Fort De Soto
September 4, 2010 - After hearing about Fort De Soto from birders all over the state, I finally drove over there to check it out. It was everything that people said, and better! I’m not all that familiar with the shorebirds. Before I went today, I couldn’t tell a sandpiper from a plover — and hopefully some of the […]