Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto

Reddish Egret at Fort De Soto



Last week my wife decided it might be fun to go to the beach on the Gulf coast (calmer waves), and she asked me if there was a good place there go visit. Fort De Soto, of course! So yesterday we spent the day there.

My father and I got there early to do some birding and photography, and we were not disappointed. We found many terns and wading birds, including 2 Common Terns and a Black Tern, but shorebirds the most fun finds.

It’s great to see them returning. Between the east beach turnaround and north beach we found 12 species of shorebirds, and most of them were pretty cooperative.

MG 1571 L
Marbled Godwit

MG 1467 L
Reddish Egret

MG 1171 L
Semipalmated Plover

MG 1260 L
Western Sandpiper

MG 1229 L
Least Sandpiper

MG 1318 L
Willet

MG 1334 L
Short-billed Dowitcher

East Beach was filled with Least Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Semipalmated Plovers. There was also one Western Sandpiper there. Willets were everywhere.

MG 1444 L
Spotted Sandpiper

MG 1694 L
Piping Plover

MG 1720 L
Wilson’s Plover

North Beach is great for finding Wilson’s Plovers and Piping Plovers, but we also had a chance to see a couple American Oystercatchers, a Spotted Sandpiper, and several Marbled Godwits. By around 10:30 the rest of my family arrived, and we spent the day enjoying the warm sun and calm waters. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Scott Simmons

Scott Simmons

Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Scott Simmons

Scott Simmons

Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments