Fort De Soto County Park

Feeding Habits of Red-breasted Mergansers

By |2021-12-04T07:15:44-06:00March 1st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Red-breasted Mergansers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

According to Birds of North America there are four foraging methods used by Red-breasted Mergansers which are Cooperative Herding, Individual Search, Shallow Diving and Deep Diving.

Roseate Spoonbills on a foggy Florida morning

By |2024-02-26T16:27:52-06:00February 25th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As soon as I crossed the north beach footbridge I spotted several Roseate Spoonbills in the tidal lagoon on my right. There were adults and a few juveniles, some were resting while others preened.

Comparing American White Pelicans to Brown Pelicans

By |2024-02-22T14:17:45-06:00February 23rd, 2014|Categories: American White Pelicans, Birds, Brown Pelicans, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The recent arrival of American White Pelicans to the Salt Lake Valley started me thinking about the differences between Brown Pelicans and American White Pelicans.

American Oystercatcher Lift Off

By |2020-11-06T05:57:04-06:00February 20th, 2014|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

One of two species of oystercatchers in North America the American Oystercatchers quickly stole my heart after I first saw them because of their colors, long bills, pink legs and their Goth-like black toenails.

Snowy Plover on a sugar sand beach

By |2023-03-23T05:16:43-05:00February 16th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Plovers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Shorebirds like this tiny Snowy Plover on a sugar sand beach were my "spark" birds when it comes to my bird photography and they are what made my passion for bird photography catch fire.

1000 posts at On The Wing Photography and still going strong

By |2024-03-13T15:31:41-05:00February 4th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Capitol Reef National Park, Centennial Valley, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , |

Today I reached the 1000 posts mark for my blog here at On The Wing Photography. In those 1000 posts I've covered a lot of birds, animals and locations.

An Osprey in flight with a huge Flounder

By |2023-03-28T06:27:54-05:00February 2nd, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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.

Red-breasted Merganser on the Gulf of Mexico

By |2016-12-07T12:10:13-06:00January 30th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Red-breasted Mergansers|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Sometimes I find an image appealing because of the memories it wakes up and not so much from the technical or compositional aspects, this Red-breasted Merganser image is one that isn't perfect but it does awaken memories and stirs my senses.

A Ring-billed Gull – Light on Dark

By |2016-12-07T12:10:15-06:00January 16th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ring-billed Gulls|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The day I photographed this Ring-billed Gull at Fort De Soto's north beach there were baitfish in the hundreds of thousands running just off shore and pelicans, egrets, terns and gulls were all in a feeding frenzy.

Red-shouldered Hawk In Flight

By |2024-02-04T09:07:06-06:00January 14th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Red-shouldered Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Red-shouldered Hawk photo was taken in Florida in November of 2008 just after the hawk lifted off from an old snag near a Great Blue Heron I had been photographing.

Willet Delight

By |2021-04-25T08:56:16-05:00January 13th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

For those of us; including myself, who are tired of gray, cold days I thought this Willet photographed in Florida might delight in the sweet light, sea foam and warm Gulf waters the image contains.

Great Blue Heron’s Gift

By |2021-04-17T19:13:00-05:00January 5th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In January in Florida the Great Blue Herons are already going into breeding plumage and have begun courtship displays and have started building their nests.

Gotta love those shorebirds – Semipalmated Plover

By |2016-12-07T12:10:27-06:00December 2nd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Semipalmated Plovers|Tags: , , , , , |

I photographed this Semipalmated Plover as it foraged along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida in 2008 while I laid flat on the wet sand getting soaked as the waves pushed onto the shore around the sand bar in the distance.

Juvenile Brown Pelican portrait

By |2021-07-04T15:21:50-05:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I like Brown Pelicans and even though I don't see them here in Utah I have plenty of images on file that I took during the period of time that I lived in Florida.

White Ibis in breeding and nonbreeding plumage

By |2024-03-18T05:25:50-05:00November 24th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There isn't much of a change between the plumage in breeding and nonbreeding White Ibis, primarily the differences are in the legs, bill and lores.

Great Blue Heron’s reaction to a Great Egret’s intrusion

By |2021-08-19T06:30:27-05:00November 20th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Back in March of 2009 while I was photographing a Great Blue Heron on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida a Great Egret flew in and walked close to the Great Blue Heron and me.

Male Red-winged Blackbird singing on a Mangrove

By |2024-03-01T04:58:43-06:00November 15th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Red-winged Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't if this male was successful with the female Red-winged Blackbirds but he sure had me mesmerized with his sleek black feathers and his flashing red, orange and yellow epaulets.

Displaying Sandwich Terns in low light

By |2016-12-07T12:10:30-06:00November 13th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Sandwich Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

These Sandwich Terns were courting early one morning at Fort De Soto's north beach and even though the light wasn't "sweet" I felt their courtship behavior was interesting.

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