Gulf Shore Yellow-crowned Night Heron
I did see and photograph this adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron standing on a grassy sand dune overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in beautiful, soft light.
Black-bellied Plover on a Foggy Morning
One a fall day at Fort De Soto I was able to photograph this Black-bellied Plover on a foggy morning up close on the beach.
Sleeping Willet at Fort De Soto
This sleeping Willet image remains one of my favorite images because it was so comfortable in my presence that it fell asleep.
Dreaming of Oystercatchers
Last night I spent some time dreaming of oystercatchers. I could hear them in my dream and see them scurrying along the waves.
Camouflaged Wilson’s Plover Chick
I knew where this camouflaged Wilson's Plover chick was when I photographed it from a distance but realized that if I didn't point out that there was a chick in the image that other people might not even know it was there.
A Fort De Soto Snowy Plover
This Gulf Coast Snowy Plover was photographed at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and the park was the first place I had ever photographed this species.
Juvenile American Oystercatcher On The Shore Of The Gulf
I watched this juvenile American Oystercatcher on the shore of the Gulf grow up in 2008 at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach.
Ghost Crab at Fort De Soto County Park
I am not sure why this particular Ghost Crab was out of its burrow during the day but I was happy that I had the opportunity to photograph it.
Juvenile Royal Tern head on and an optical Illusion
Every time I look at this tern image I laugh because my mind sees a tiny starfish stuck on the birds face that is actually its bill.
Long-billed Curlew with its head all twisted around
Owls are well known for being able to turn their heads 270 degrees, Long-billed Curlews aren't.
Western Sandpiper Foraging on the North Beach of Fort De Soto
This is just a simple post of a foraging Western Sandpiper that I found while working on moving my images from their old galleries to the new ones yesterday.
Resting Ruddy Turnstone male
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.
Dark and White Morph Reddish Egrets in Breeding Plumage
The Reddish Egrets I photographed that May morning were busy hunting and paid me almost no attention as they went about their daily business of find prey.
Birds of the Shore: American Oystercatchers
American Oystercatchers are specialized in that their diet consists of bivalves and they do use that flashy orange bill to pry some of them open.
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.
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.
Great Blue Heron Surf-side Sentinel
Great Blue Herons are wading birds that I photographed quite often at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach while I lived in Florida.
Breeding and nonbreeding Caspian Terns
Soon Caspian Terns will be back in Utah flying over rivers, ponds, lakes and other freshwater impoundments searching for prey.
Long-billed Curlews are back in Utah!
I saw my first of the year Long-billed Curlews two days ago on Antelope Island State Park flying overhead. They weren't close enough to photograph but I know that soon I will have them in my viewfinder again.
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.
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.
American Oystercatcher Lift Off
One of two species of oystercatchers in North America the American Oystercatchers quickly stole my heart after I first saw them because of their colors, long bills, pink legs and their Goth-like black toenails.
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.
Great Egret foraging the wrack line
Five years ago today I photographed this Great Egret foraging in a wrack line along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida at Fort De Soto.
Adult Roseate Spoonbill on the Gulf Coast
Of the six species of spoonbills only the Roseate Spoonbill is found in North America and it is the only Spoonbill that is so vividly colored.
Snowy Plovers – North America’s Smallest Plover
A while back I did a post on the Least Sandpiper which is the world's smallest sandpiper so I thought I would do a post about North America's smallest plover, the Snowy Plover.
Why Do They Call Them Laughing Gulls?
Laughing Gulls are quite noisy when they are in a flock but I never minded listening to them, in fact they often made me laugh.
Great Blue Heron Portraits from Florida and Utah
In Florida I found it easy to get close up images of Great Blue Herons because quite often they are used to the presence of humans but here in Utah that isn't the case and Great Blue Herons are sort of skittish.
Five years ago today at Fort De Soto
Five years ago today I headed to the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park despite knowing that there were looming storms off of the coast hanging just off shore over the Gulf of Mexico and I am glad that I did because the light that day on the beach was exquisite.
Adult American Oystercatcher among Sea Purslane
I like to include habitat in my images when I am able to do so, especially when the habitat doesn't obstruct the view of my subject or when the habitat helps to define a sense of place.