Terns and Skimmers

A morning spent at Fort De Soto six years ago today

By |September 4th, 2014|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Piping Plovers, Sandwich Terns, Semipalmated Plovers, Wood Storks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Six years ago this morning I was photographing birds at Fort De Soto County Park and I wanted to share a few images and memories of that day.

An Aerial Food Fight – Gulls and a Tern

By |May 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Herring Gulls, Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This image was taken on a breezy April morning in 2009 at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach when I saw an aerial food fight occurring over the Gulf of Mexico.

Black Skimmers at Fort De Soto Five Years Ago Today

By |April 26th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is really cruddy here in Utah this morning so I thought I would go back in time to a warmer, sunnier day via the magic of some Black Skimmer images I created five years ago today.

Waves and a Forster’s Tern

By |September 3rd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The nonbreeding Forster's Tern in these two images is the same bird and the images were taken ten frames and a few seconds apart as the tern stood on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida.

Potpourri Of Birds From This Week

By |May 25th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, California Gulls, Chukars, Clark's Grebes, Davis County, Eastern Kingbirds, Forster's Terns, Lark Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Tooele County, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These are but a few of the birds I photographed this week in various Utah locations and all of them made great subjects!

Sandwich Terns – Love is in the air

By |February 14th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Sandwich Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I can recall clearly the day I took this photograph of Sandwich Terns mating, I was sitting very low in a tidal lagoon on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida, it was very warm and the water of the lagoon felt great on my skin when these two terns started a breeding display.

Some of the Birds I Love at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge

By |February 6th, 2013|Categories: American Avocets, American Barn Owls, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Black-necked Stilts, Box Elder County, Duck hybrids, Eastern Kingbirds, Forster's Terns, Marsh Wrens, Snowy Egrets, Swainson's Hawks, Tundra Swans, Utah, Western Grebes, Western Kingbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of my favorite locations to photograph birds in northern Utah is Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I've selected some of the birds there that delight and entertain me while I observe and photograph them.

Bird images from warmer and sunnier days

By |January 31st, 2013|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I love winter, I love seeing snow on the mountains and feeling the crispness in the air but I am getting tired of gray cloudy days and heavy fog so I thought I would post a few images from warmer and sunnier days that I took while I lived in Florida.

The answer to the Gull and Tern Quiz is…

By |January 28th, 2013|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Gulls, Herring Gulls, Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The majority of you voted for the correct answer: Juvenile Herring Gull, 1st winter Laughing Gull and Royal Tern

Sandwich Tern in flight with prey

By |October 12th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Sandwich Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

This image Sandwich Tern was taken at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach several years ago, it was a breezy, very warm day and there were schools of baitfish running just offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

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

By |September 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.

Resting Black Skimmer Juvenile – My Banner Image

By |September 11th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Several people have remarked on how much they like the resting Black Skimmer juvenile image that was in my rotating banner at the top of this blog so I thought I would post it to show the whole bird.

Caspian Terns

By |September 10th, 2012|Categories: Caspian Terns, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) are North America's largest tern with a wingspan of 50 inches and weighing in at 1.4 pounds.

Odd Black Skimmer Behavior

By |June 13th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Black Skimmer had a Mangrove seed pod in its bill and it was twirling the seed pod with its bill, at times the seed pod even went over the top of the bill but unfortunately I didn't get any images of that.

Forster’s Terns

By |April 8th, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I moved from Florida to Utah I felt it was fortunate that some of the nonbreeding birds I used to see in Florida during the winter I now get to see in breeding plumage on their nesting grounds.

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