Florida: Ft De Soto Park and elsewhere - December 18 to 24,
2006
Beginning with my first visit to the place in 1999, Ft. De Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida quickly became one of
my very favorite places. The birds, the beach, the sun, the Gulf... everything about the place was perfect, and we have been
drawn back to De Soto's white sands and gulf breezes several times in the years since.
During my recent visits to the park, I have taken a slightly different view of the place... not just that of
a (beach-loving) birder, but also that of an aspiring bird photographer, and I quickly discovered why Ft. De Soto is
considered one of the premiere locations for avian photography in the United States. When one considers the accessibility
of the park, and the cooperation the birds normally exhibit, the opportunities for photography--particularly of gulls, terns,
waders, and shorebirds--are nearly unparalleled elsewhere this country.
The amazing North Beach, billed as "America's #1 Beach", is a magical place in the winter and early spring for a photographer.
The birds, quite used to sharing the sands with thousands of beachgoers in spring and summer (and to a lesser extent
in winter), are generally very tame, and always very, very photogenic, especially as the sun sets over the gulf. The
species diversity is outstanding... as an example, in two days at North Beach this year we recorded 18 shorebird
species, 5 gull species, 6 tern species, and 11 wading birds (including ibis, etc.).
The rest of park, equally impressive in the winter months for birding, supports a large population of wintering warblers
(Pine, Palm, Yellow-rumped, and Yellow-throated being most common), as well as many other species. During spring passerine
migration, the park has a well-deserved reputation as a major migrant trap: sometimes in April following an overnight cold
front, the park's trees and shrubs can be loaded with hundreds or even thousands of songbirds. It truly is one of
those magical places which should cause any birder, photographer or not, to jump when a chance
to visit arises.
The following gallery represents the best of our 2006 journey to the Sunshine State. Most pictures were taken at Ft.
De Soto, though we did visit a few other locations. The Masked Duck pictures were taken at Viera Wetlands, where the female
shown remained for much of November and December. We also visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (which can yield equally impressive
pictures, though spring is better than winter), where the Little Blue Heron, Pied-billed Grebe, and Yellow-crowned Night-Neron
pictures were made. All other pictures were taken at Ft. De Soto.
Click on any thumbnail for a larger image.
