Today is World Shorebirds Day
Shorebirds were my bird photography spark birds and they ignited the fire I have within me to go out into the field as often as possible to photograph all wild birds
A morning spent at Fort De Soto six years ago today
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.
Ring-billed Gull in flight over the Gulf
Ring-billed Gulls are fairly common but as with any common bird I believe that they can be uncommonly beautiful.
Sunrise from another place and time
The reason Utah got uglier is that today Crow hunting killing season begins for the first time in the state so the day is already off on a bad start.
Least Sandpiper at the lagoon’s edge
I came across this diminutive Least Sandpiper while photographing Greater Yellowlegs at a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto's north beach in the fall of 2008.
The Dunlin gets the worm
I wanted to post a shorebird today that I haven't posted in a while so I picked this image where the late afternoon Dunlin gets the worm
Sunrise Skimmers with sandstone texture
Both versions of this frame of the sunrise Black Skimmers bring back memories from the morning I created this photo of them in their pre-dawn flight.
Move a little – Red-breasted Merganser
Moving; even just a little bit, can change the background of an image even when the subject is stationary.
Black Skimmers – Highly gregarious and unmistakable
Black Skimmers are beautiful and unmistakable, with their long orange/red black tipped bill, white underparts, blackish upper parts and distinctive barking call.
Semipalmated Plover – small in frame with layers of color
This photo of a Semipalmated Plover on the shore of the Gulf was purposely photographed so that the plover would be small in the frame
Six years ago today – Pelicans, Godwits and Dowitchers
Six years ago today I was sand crawling on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico at Fort De Soto's north beach photographing pelicans, godwits and dowitchers plus other birds.
Happy Summer Solstice
Happy Summer Solstice.
Brown Pelican Double-decker
It's Monday and I didn't have any idea what to post this morning so I opted to present this image of two Brown Pelicans flying double-decker style over the Gulf of Mexico.
Reddish Egrets – Wading birds that delight
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.
White and Dark Morph Reddish Egrets Hunting
As a bird photographer I feel it is very important to me that my images show my subjects and the settings they are in as accurately as possible.
Dunlins
Dunlins are small shorebirds that are found in North America which exhibit remarkable differences between their breeding and nonbreeding plumages.
Crouching Tricolored Herons
Tricolored Herons use many foraging behaviors to obtain their prey including walking quickly then crouching before stabbing their prey.
Black Skimmers at Fort De Soto Five Years Ago Today
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.
Red-breasted Merganser at rest on the Gulf shore
I've mentioned in another post that "Some Days are Magic" and I felt that magic the morning I created this image of a Red-breasted Merganser.
Our Willets have returned
Yesterday for the first time this season I saw and heard Willets on Antelope Island State Park.
Wind Blown Great Blue Heron Photographed Using Different Angles
These Great Blue Heron photos were taken of the same bird, photographed at same location on the same day just one minute apart.
Great Horned Owl and fledgling strongly backlit by the setting sun
What can I say about this image of an adult Great Horned Owl feeding its young that is strongly back lit by the setting sun on Honeymoon Island State Park in Florida?
Juvenile Brown Pelican gliding over the Gulf of Mexico
In Florida it was not uncommon for me to see Brown Pelicans gliding just barely above the surface of the Gulf of Mexico like the juvenile shown in my image.
Adult and juvenile Laughing Gulls
Laughing Gulls are commonly seen at Fort De Soto County Park but novices to birding and bird watching might think they are three different kinds of gulls depending on their age and plumage.
Feeding Habits of Red-breasted Mergansers
According to Birds of North America there are four foraging methods used by Red-breasted Mergansers which are Cooperative Herding, Individual Search, Shallow Diving and Deep Diving.
Snowy Plover on a sugar sand beach
Shorebirds like this tiny Snowy Plover on a sugar sand beach were my "spark" birds when it comes to my bird photography and they are what made my passion for bird photography catch fire.
Red-breasted Merganser on the Gulf of Mexico
Sometimes I find an image appealing because of the memories it wakes up and not so much from the technical or compositional aspects, this Red-breasted Merganser image is one that isn't perfect but it does awaken memories and stirs my senses.
Snowy Egret landing on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico
I found this image of a Snowy Egret landing on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico that I photographed on a hot May day in Florida five years ago.
Willet Delight
For those of us; including myself, who are tired of gray, cold days I thought this Willet photographed in Florida might delight in the sweet light, sea foam and warm Gulf waters the image contains.
Gotta love those shorebirds – Semipalmated Plover
I photographed this Semipalmated Plover as it foraged along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida in 2008 while I laid flat on the wet sand getting soaked as the waves pushed onto the shore around the sand bar in the distance.