Gulf – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

How An American Oystercatcher Ruined A New Pair Of Pants

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-22T17:10:48-06:00November 6th, 2020|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, American Oystercatcher, beach, cut, Egmont Key, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, oystercatcher, oystercatchers, pants, ruined, sand, shorebirds, shoreline, surf, water, waves|

Today's post is about an American Oystercatcher image taken in 2009 at Egmont Key in Pinellas County, Florida and the story behind it.

10

Gulf Shore Black Skimmer Skimming

By Mia McPherson|2022-04-24T06:44:12-05:00June 21st, 2017|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, foraging, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, seabirds, shore, skimmer, skimmers, skimming, summer, waves|

Black Skimmers forage by skimming their bills in the waves just off shore and snap up fish when their sensitive bills locate them.

4

Black Skimmer in a Fog over the Gulf of Mexico

By Mia McPherson|2022-04-24T06:46:52-05:00December 24th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, beach, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, flight, foggy, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, sea fog, seabirds, shore, skimmer, skimmers, summer, water, waves|

Whenever I view this photo of a lone Black Skimmer in flight on a foggy Gulf shore I feel a wave of joy and peaceful feelings wash over me.

9

It is Tricolored Heron Not Tri-colored Heron

By Mia McPherson|2020-01-19T04:22:27-06:00November 27th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: breeding plumage, Egretta tricolor, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, herons, lagoon, nonbreeding plumage, surf, tri-colored heron, Tricolored Heron, wading birds, waves|

I must admit I get a little bonkers though when I see images of birds where the name posted for the species in the photo is incorrect, for instance, it is Tricolored Heron not Tri-colored Heron.

12

Something’s Fishy – Osprey with a Flounder

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-28T06:06:05-05:00June 10th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys|Tags: adult, coastal, fish, Fish Hawk, flatfish, flight, Flounder, flying, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, sky, winter|

A simple but fishy post today of an Osprey that flew over my head at Fort De Soto County Park taken 5 years ago in Florida.

12

An Osprey in flight with a huge Flounder

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-28T06:27:54-05:00February 2nd, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys|Tags: adult, coastal, fish, flatfish, flight, Flounder, flying, Gulf, Gulf of M, Gulf of Mexico, male, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Pinellas County, raptor, Sea Hawk, sky, winter|

This Osprey flying in from the Gulf over the north beach of Fort De Soto came as a surprise to us so I had little time to prepare and get my setting right due to how fast the Osprey was flying.

17

Ruddy Turnstone and a Laughing Gull

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-17T06:55:08-05:00April 18th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: adult, Arenaria interpres, beach, calico shell, coast, coastal, Gulf, gull, gulls, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, Ruddy Turnstone, shell, shore, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones, water|

Five years ago today I was laying in the warm wet sands of Fort De Soto County Park's north beach as the salty water from the Gulf of Mexico soaked my skin while photographing a Ruddy Turnstone doing what they do best, turning things.

12

Brown Pelicans on the Gulf of Mexico

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-11T04:42:54-05:00February 20th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, Brown Pelican, coast, coastal, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Pelecanus occidentalis, pelican, pelicans, Pinellas County, water|

The forecast is calling for snow today and there is already a heavy cloud cover so looked back through my files and found some Brown Pelican images taken on a warm February morning in Florida to post today.

8

People, Birds And A Sea Star In A Sea Fog

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-26T03:26:53-05:00February 28th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Herring Gulls, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Ring-billed Gulls, Sea Stars|Tags: beach, beach walkers, feeding, fog, fog bank, foggy, Gulf, gull, gulls, Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, Larus delawarensis, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, low light, people, preening, resting, Ring-billed Gull, sand-crawled, sea fog, Sea Star, Sea Stars, starfish, sun, sunrise|

I'm glad I didn't turn around to head home when I saw the thick sea fog that morning, if I had I may have missed photographing some of these beautiful things.

14

Shorebirds: Spotted Sandpipers

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-07T16:04:25-05:00April 10th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, bird ID, birds, coast, coastal, fluffed up, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, nonbreeding plumage, oysters, rip rap, sandpiper, sandpipers, seawall, shorebirds, shoreline, Spotted Sandpiper, winter|

Spotted Sandpipers are fun to watch as they walk along the shoreline as they teeter, bob and bounce their rear ends up and down.

3