Arenaria interpres – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Resting Ruddy Turnstone

By Mia McPherson|May 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: adult, Arenaria interpres, beach, breeding plumage, close up, coast, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, male, resting, Ruddy Turnstone, sand, shorebirds, sky, turnstone, turnstones, water|

Twelve years ago today I was on the beach at Fort De Soto County Park focused on photographing a male Ruddy Turnstone resting on the warm sand with the Gulf behind him.

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Photographing Shorebirds at Eye Level

By Mia McPherson|April 6th, 2018|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Black-bellied Plovers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlews, Marbled Godwits, Pinellas County, Piping Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: American Oystercatcher, Arenaria interpres, Black-bellied Plover, Charadrius melodus, curlews, godwits, Greater Yellowlegs, Haematopus palliatus, Limosa fedoa, Long-billed Curlew, Low angle, Marbled Godwit, Numenius americanus, oystercatchers, perspective, photograph, photographing, Piping Plover, plovers, Pluvialis squatarola, Ruddy Turnstone, sand crawling, sandpipers, shorebird, shorebirds, technique, Tringa melanoleuca, turnstones, yellowlegs|

Taking photographs of shorebirds at eye level was very fulfilling for me and the images that resulted from my down & dirty technique have always made me feel an intimate connection to the birds.

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Ruddy Turnstone Chicks Grow Up Fast

By Mia McPherson|April 28th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: Arenaria interpres, coast, coastal, flock, grounds, growth, migration, rapid development, Ruddy Turnstone, sandpipers, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones, water|

What is really fascinating to me is that within two days of fledging Ruddy Turnstone chicks embark on their first migration to their wintering grounds.

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Ruddy Turnstone – ABA Bird of the Year 2017

By Mia McPherson|January 8th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: ABA Bird of the Year, Arenaria interpres, breeding plumage, climate change, migratory, nonbreeding plumage, Ruddy Turnstone, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones|

A few days ago the ABA announced the 2017 Bird of the Year as the Ruddy Turnstone and I couldn't be any happier because shorebirds were my "spark" birds that propelled me into the world of bird photography.

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Bathing Ruddy Turnstone

By Mia McPherson|September 7th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: Arenaria interpres, bath, bathing, climate change, coast, coastal, conservation, habitat loss, lagoon, Ruddy Turnstone, shore, shorebird, shorebirds, shoreline, turnstone, turnstones, water|

About half the world's shorebird populations are in decline and with climate change and rising sea levels habitat loss is happening at a faster rate than ever before.

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Resting Ruddy Turnstone male

By Mia McPherson|March 11th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: adult, Arenaria interpres, beach, coast, coastal, Gulf of Mexico, male, resting, Ruddy Turnstone, sand, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones|

When I photographed this resting Ruddy Turnstone male on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in 2009 I knew it wouldn't be long before he migrated to a rocky arctic coast to breed.

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Morning treasures from six years ago today – Birds on the beach

By Mia McPherson|September 25th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Plovers, Snowy Egrets, Snowy Plovers, Tricolored Herons, Wilson's Plovers|Tags: Anarhynchus nivosus, Anarhynchus wilsonia, Arenaria interpres, bird photography, Charadrius semipalmatus, egret, egrets, Egretta thula, Egretta tricolor, plover, plovers, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, shorebirds, Snowy Egret, Snowy Plover, Tricolored Heron, turnstone, turnstones, wading birds, Wilson's Plover|

These images of birds on the beach were taken at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach six years ago today on a beautiful morning.

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Today is World Shorebirds Day

By Mia McPherson|September 6th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: alert, Arenaria interpres, bird photography, branch, coast, coastal, Gulf of Mexico, nonbreeding plumage, Ruddy Turnstone, shorebirds, spark birds, turnstone, turnstones, 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

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Ruddy Turnstone and a Laughing Gull

By Mia McPherson|April 18th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: adult, Arenaria interpres, beach, calico shell, coast, coastal, Gulf, gull, gulls, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, Ruddy Turnstone, shell, shore, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones, water|

Five years ago today I was laying in the warm wet sands of Fort De Soto County Park's north beach as the salty water from the Gulf of Mexico soaked my skin while photographing a Ruddy Turnstone doing what they do best, turning things.

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Ruddy Turnstone in early morning light

By Mia McPherson|February 27th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: Arenaria interpres, beach, coast, coastal, early morning light, nonbreeding plumage, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstone, sand, shorebird, turnstone, turnstones|

I photographed this Ruddy Turnstone in early morning light at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida several years ago as it stood on the sandy beach.

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Ruddy Turnstone on Driftwood

By Mia McPherson|December 5th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: Arenaria interpres, bird photography, coast, coastal, driftwood, Gulf of Mexico, nonbreeding, Ruddy Turnstone, shorebirds, sunrise, turnstone, turnstones|

I was tickled one morning when I came across this Turnstone in nonbreeding plumage perched on a piece of weathered driftwood just after the sun came over the horizon with the waters of the Gulf of Mexico behind it.

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Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage

By Mia McPherson|August 17th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: adult, Arenaria interpres, beach, bird photography, breeding plumage, coast, coastal, field guides, Gulf of Mexico, identification, nonbreeding plumage, Ruddy Turnstone, sand, sandpipers, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones, water|

Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage can appear to be two different species to novice birders and bird photographers as can several other bird species.

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Ruddy Turnstone Bathing

By Mia McPherson|August 1st, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: Arenaria interpres, bathing, bird photography, coast, coastal, lagoon, Ruddy Turnstone, shorebirds, spring, turnstone, turnstones, water|

This Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) image was created several years ago at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach in central Florida.

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Shorebirds of Fort DeSoto – Ruddy Turnstones

By Mia McPherson|October 31st, 2010|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: adult, Arenaria interpres, beach, bird ID, breeding, coast, coastal, foraging, Gulf of Mexico, male, nonbreeding, Ruddy Turnstone, sand, shorebird, shorebirds, turnstone, turnstones|

One of the easier medium-sized shorebirds to identify on Fort De Soto's beaches and tidal mudflats are the Ruddy Turnstones. The only other turnstone that frequents North America is the Black Turnstone and it occurs on the Pacific coast.

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