{"id":4939,"date":"2012-05-11T03:55:06","date_gmt":"2012-05-11T09:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=4939"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:13:09","slug":"dunes-two-scenic-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/05\/11\/dunes-two-scenic-images\/","title":{"rendered":"Sand Dunes – Two Scenic Images"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sand<\/a>Sand Dune at Fort De Soto in early morning light – Nikon D70, handheld, f6.3, 1\/160, ISO 200, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 70mm<\/span><\/p>\n

While looking through my archives a few days ago I came across two images, one of sand dunes at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and the other of sand dunes on Antelope Island State Park in Utah. I remember that I took both images because I loved the sky, the vegetation on the dunes and how they both make me feel so connected to these two locations that I am deeply attached to.<\/p>\n

I created the image above while walking Fort De Soto’s north beach early in the morning of July 20, 2007, the sun had crested the horizon and had just begun to light up the dunes. Although Fort De Soto has many dunes covered with beautiful Sea Oats, in this image I liked how the Sea Purslane hugged the dune and\u00a0how the tips of the plants seemed to glow with the early morning light. The sunlight had not yet lit up the surface of the Gulf of Mexico but had started to light up the tops of the storm clouds hanging in a\u00a0bank off of the coast.<\/p>\n

When I look at this image I can smell the salty air, the sand under my feet, the breeze ruffling my hair and the warmth of the sun’s rays warming my back.<\/p>\n

Fort De Soto County Park is one of my favorite locations to photograph birds, scenery and clouds. More of my thoughts about Fort De Soto can be read here\u00a0“My Love Affair with Fort De Soto<\/a><\/span>“.<\/p>\n

\"OoliticOolitic sand dunes on Antelope Island – Nikon D200, handheld, f11, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18mm<\/span><\/p>\n

I was camping on Antelope Island State Park when I photographed the image above the evening of March 30, 2011. I thought the sky was captivating with the swirly, layered clouds against the warm tones of the sand and the yet to green up sagebrush and rabbitbrush that grow on the oolitic sand dunes there. So very different from the dunes at Fort De Soto but they are equally appealing to me.<\/p>\n

Antelope Island State Park is another of my favorite locations to go to photograph, it seems I always find something to catch my eye and tug at my heart there. I recently did a three-part series of articles I titled “Wild and Wonderful – Antelope Island State Park” on\u00a0the scenery<\/a><\/span>, the\u00a0wildlife<\/a><\/span> and the birds<\/a><\/span>. I could not fit it all into one article.<\/p>\n

Just two simple images from two different locations that whisper “home” to me.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my landscape and travel photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While looking through my archives a few days ago I came across two images, one of sand dunes at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and the other of sand dunes on Antelope Island State Park in Utah. I remember that I took both images because I loved the sky, the vegetation on the dunes and how they both make me feel so connected to these two locations that I am deeply attached to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,1022,1482,25,704,2000,59,26],"tags":[4101,4035,4149,4289,4057,4235,3982,4918],"class_list":["post-4939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-davis-county-utah","category-dunes","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-scenics","category-utah","tag-clouds","tag-nature-photography","tag-oolitic-sand","tag-rabbitbrush","tag-sagebrush","tag-sand-dunes","tag-sea-purslane","tag-silica-sand"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/fort-desoto-north-beach-mia-mcpherson-0595.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1hF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15214,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/15\/reddish-egrets-wading-birds-that-delight\/","url_meta":{"origin":4939,"position":0},"title":"Reddish Egrets – Wading Birds That Delight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Reddish Egret is one of my favorite wading birds. Standing still they are a delight to the eyes and while hunting they can perform amazing turns, twists, gallops and appear to be dancing.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reddish Egret hunting by the sand dunes, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-dark-morph-lagoon-foraging-mia-mcpherson-8068.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-dark-morph-lagoon-foraging-mia-mcpherson-8068.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-dark-morph-lagoon-foraging-mia-mcpherson-8068.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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food with my lens about an inch or two above the water.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"White Ibis in lagoon, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/white-ibis-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-5794.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/white-ibis-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-5794.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/white-ibis-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-5794.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/white-ibis-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-5794.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6310,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/09\/reddish-egret-flying-over-the-dunes\/","url_meta":{"origin":4939,"position":3},"title":"Reddish Egret Flying Over The Dunes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a very simple image today of a Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) flying over some sand dunes.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reddish Egret in flight with clouds in the background, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, 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2020","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reddish Egret foraging near mangroves, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-dark-mangroves-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-dark-mangroves-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reddish-egret-dark-mangroves-mia-mcpherson-8790.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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