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American Oystercatcher Images From Florida

By |August 29th, 2025|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key State Park, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am sharing a group of American Oystercatcher photos today that were taken at Fort De Soto County Park and Egmont Key from when I lived in Florida.

Great Blue Heron Memories From Fort De Soto

By |August 21st, 2025|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It seems a little dreamy, but some of these Great Blue Heron photos taken at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida are almost 20 years old now!

Whimbrel Memories And High Hopes

By |March 22nd, 2025|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Honeymoon Island State Park, Hudsonian Whimbrels, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was working on some older posts when I came across a few Whimbrel photos I’d never written about before, including this one from Fort De Soto County Park.

Willet And The Gulf Of Mexico

By |January 27th, 2025|Categories: Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I dug way back into my archives for this photo of a Willet with waves rolling in from the Gulf of Mexico, taken in 2008 at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida.

Live, Love, Laugh, Sing, Dance, Be, Do

By |May 18th, 2023|Categories: Anclote Key, Florida, Pasco County, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw this quote that aligns with my philosophy of Live, Love, Laugh, Sing, Dance, Be, Do and thought I would share a post about the reason I like the quote.

Winter California And American Herring Gull Comparison In Utah

By |November 8th, 2022|Categories: American Herring Gulls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, California Gulls, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Since I frequently get asked which is which I thought this would be a good time to do a winter California and American Herring Gull comparison and ID feature post.

Semipalmated Plover Images

By |October 29th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Semipalmated Plovers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While rifling through my archives I came across some of my Semipalmated Plover photos that I took on the north beach at Fort De Soto County Park in 2008.

Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and Earth Shadow Memories

By |October 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Thirteen years ago this morning I photographed a Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and the Earth Shadow on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park on the west coast of Florida.

Resting Ruddy Turnstone

By |May 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Twelve years ago today I was on the beach at Fort De Soto County Park focused on photographing a male Ruddy Turnstone resting on the warm sand with the Gulf behind him.

How An American Oystercatcher Ruined A New Pair Of Pants

By |November 6th, 2020|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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

Sunrise with a Long-billed Curlew In A Florida Lagoon

By |May 27th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I will say that my favorite and most memorable times photographing Long-billed Curlews happened while I was still living in Florida well away from their breeding grounds.

What An Odd Mother’s Day But It Is Mother’s Day Nonetheless

By |May 10th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Black-bellied Plovers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I opted to go back in time to a "normal" Mother's Day by pulling a Black-bellied Plover photo from my archives that was taken on Mother's Day in 2009.

Fun Photographing Reddish Egrets In Florida

By |January 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had so much fun photographing Reddish Egrets when I lived in Florida and could see them nearly every time I went to Fort De Soto County Park's north beach.

Dancing Wilson’s Plover – Or At Least It Looks That Way

By |February 7th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Wilson's Plovers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On a May morning in 2008 while photographing this Wilson's Plover it began to scratch itself with its foot and when I took this photo it looked like the plover was dancing.

Foraging Semipalmated Plover in Florida

By |January 28th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Semipalmated Plovers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Among my favorite plovers to photograph when I lived in Florida were Semipalmated Plovers, I only saw them during their nonbreeding season where they spent time along the Gulf coast.

Sleeping Juvenile Sanderling On The Beach At Fort De Soto

By |August 12th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Sanderlings|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I look at this photo of the juvenile Sanderling I see a bird that was so relaxed that it fell asleep while I photographed it because it was comfortable with my presence and I felt honored that it was.

Breeding and Nonbreeding Forster’s Terns

By |April 26th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The differences in breeding and nonbreeding plumage of Forster's Terns is enough that some bird watching and bird photography novices might even think that they are two different species of terns.

Royal Terns Courting in Florida

By |April 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Royal Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The "Circling" courtship behavior of Royal Terns was one that I found interesting because as the male circled the female she moved too and kept her sides facing him.

White Ibis in a Lagoon – Getting Down & Dirty for the Low Angle Photo

By |April 15th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to take a nice series of low angle images of this White Ibis in the blue lagoon by staying still as it hunted for food with my lens about an inch or two above the water.

Burrowing Owls With Wildflowers On A Windy Day

By |April 14th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Burrowing Owls, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was challenging to photograph these Burrowing Owls and wildflowers yesterday in the windy conditions but I am glad I had the opportunity because the wildflowers won't last all that long.

Listening For Long-billed Curlews

By |March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first of March always makes me think of and listen for Long-billed Curlews, our largest shorebird of North America.

Greater Yellowlegs in Florida and Utah

By |February 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Greater Yellowlegs, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I expect to see Greater Yellowlegs soon because they are one of the first shorebirds to migrate through Utah on their way to their breeding grounds.

Ruddy Turnstone – ABA Bird of the Year 2017

By |January 8th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A few days ago the ABA announced the 2017 Bird of the Year as the Ruddy Turnstone and I couldn't be any happier because shorebirds were my "spark" birds that propelled me into the world of bird photography.

Courting Black Skimmers on North Beach, Fort De Soto

By |November 29th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On a hazy, windy day in May of 2008 I was able to sand crawl on my belly close enough to some Black Skimmers to watch and photograph them courting.

Gulf Shore Yellow-crowned Night Heron

By |September 2nd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I did see and photograph this adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron standing on a grassy sand dune overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in beautiful, soft light.

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