wading birds

Roseate Spoonbills in a sea fog

By |2024-02-26T16:28:45-06:00January 9th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One very foggy May morning I came across a small flock of Roseate Spoonbills in a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach and photograph them for about 15 minutes before they flew off to find food.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron – A Winter Treat

By |2021-05-05T14:56:53-05:00January 6th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've mentioned before that Great Blue Herons stay in the Salt Lake Valley over winter even though the temperatures get very cold and so do some of the Black-crowned Night Herons.

Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage with prey

By |2023-10-06T13:01:16-05:00November 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While in breeding plumage Tricolored Herons have redder legs, darker red eyes, blue lores and blue on the bill plus a longer, white occipital plume than they do during the nonbreeding season.

Four years ago today at Fort De Soto

By |2016-12-07T12:12:55-06:00October 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets, Laughing Gulls, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Just a few images taken 4 years ago today at Fort De Soto's north beach. It was not a super busy day but I did get quite a few images that I like.

4 Years ago today when Hurricane Ike stirred things up at Fort De Soto

By |2020-01-25T05:56:45-06:00September 12th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets, Ring-billed Gulls, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Four years ago today Hurricane Ike was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and the waves that it generated made a strong splash at Fort De Soto County Park.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron or Orange-eyed Day Heron?

By |2021-07-03T04:02:03-05:00September 4th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Despite having "Night Heron" in their name Yellow-crowned Night Herons (Nyctanassa violacea) are not strictly denizens of the dark, they can and do stalk their prey during the daylight hours too.

What I could have done to improve this image

By |2021-05-21T07:25:27-05:00August 19th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This image could have been better. I have no doubt about that. I did get the exposure right and I like the action. But there are far too many things about this photo that just don't work.

Great Blue Heron Portrait

By |2021-08-19T07:23:22-05:00August 2nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) got up close and personal with me a few years ago in Florida, it largely ignored my presence altogether as it stalked prey on shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

White Morph Reddish Egret in Stormy Light

By |2024-02-07T15:56:53-06:00June 11th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In my two previous posts of a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret I mentioned how the early morning light and a nearby storm gave those images a feeling of drama. These white morph Reddish Egret images were taken that same morning not long after I created the Great Egret photos.

Great Egret on a Stormy Morning

By |2021-04-12T16:42:29-05:00June 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I posted a Snowy Egret hunting in early morning light and mentioned that early morning or late afternoon light can add drama to an image, in today's post I will explain a bit more about the dramatic light in the Snowy Egret image and these images of a Great Egret (Ardea alba).

Birds of Bear River MBR – Snowy Egrets

By |2021-05-21T03:56:56-05:00June 5th, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Recently I spent two days in a row photographing birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (aka Bear River National Wildlife Refuge) and found plenty of birds to aim my lens at.

Snowy Egret – Moody Blues

By |2021-05-21T04:02:43-05:00May 18th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Low light, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Snowy Egret image was taken just after the sun had risen above the horizon in about the same location as the egret image I posted yesterday but at a completely different time of the year.

Snowy Egret – Show Me Those Golden Slippers!

By |2021-05-21T03:59:56-05:00May 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was photographing at Fort De Soto's north beach on May 30th, 2008 when I had a very cooperative Snowy Egret start fishing in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico right in front of me.

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) in Breeding Plumage

By |2023-10-06T13:16:28-05:00May 14th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Tricolored Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Some images remind me of the wonderful day I had when I created a certain image, this photo of a Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage photographed at the north beach of Fort De Soto, Florida is one of those files.

Hunting Snowy Egret

By |2021-05-21T04:13:50-05:00April 11th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I love the challenge of photographing white birds and getting the exposures right, I like to nail it. Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) are great birds to practice getting exposures of the whites set correctly.

White-faced Ibis in flight

By |2021-05-24T03:58:27-05:00March 22nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

White-faced Ibises (Plegadis chihi) breed and nest in the freshwater marshes around the Great Salt Lake. Generally they migrate south for the winter though this winter there were a few that stayed at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.

Great Blue Heron in Low Light

By |2021-08-19T07:27:07-05:00February 25th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The sun had not yet crested the eastern horizon when I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it hunted in the shallow waters on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Blue Heron at Sunrise

By |2023-03-06T06:01:01-06:00January 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Another one of the reasons I enjoy this photo is that the eye of the Great Blue Heron has a colored catchlight that is from the sun glowing yellow on the eastern horizon.

Low light Great Blue Heron with Earth Shadow

By |2021-08-19T07:33:37-05:00October 23rd, 2011|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Great Blue Heron images from the series I created that blustery November morning on Fort De Soto's north beach are still favorites of mine and likely always will be.

Go to Top