We visited Fort De Soto Park. Birding was not as good as in previous years—the Bay Pier was closed for renovations, the East Tip Turnaround was mobbed with vehicles and people for a kite-surfing festival, and it was very windy. The first of our four stops in the park was at the Arrowhead Picnic Area. Birds seen here included white ibis, osprey, ruddy turnstone, black skimmer, northern cardinal, great egret, brown pelican, American white pelican, willet, and belted kingfisher. Some of the birds we saw at North Beach were sanderling, reddish egret, black-bellied plover, dunlin, royal tern, and ring-billed gull. Some of the birds we saw from the Gulf Pier were fish crow, snowy egret, double-crested cormorant, ruddy turnstone, and great egret. At our last stop by the Fort, we saw fish crow, laughing gull, ring-billed gull, osprey, Forster’s tern, and northern mockingbird.
MY PHOTOS: reddish egret, great egret, snowy egret, white ibis, ruddy turnstone, royal tern, laughing gull, double-crested cormorant
