 |
| American Oystercatcher |
I took an hour before work this morning to visit Ft. De Soto again. I heard from a friend that North Beach was a good section to check out. He was right. I only had a little bit of time, but I was able to see 3 American Oystercatchers, 2 Reddish Egrets (including one white morph), about 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Belted Kingfishers, and an assortment of Gulls and Terns. On the way back to the car, I stumbled upon a group of trees filled with warblers: Prairie, Pine, Yellow-throated, Black & white, Palm, and Yellow-rumped. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew into the tree for a while as well.
 |
| American Oystercatcher
|
 |
| Reddish Egret |
 |
Reddish Egret White Morph
(look how clear the water is!) |
 |
| Brown Pelican |
After this I went to the fort to see if I could find the Lark Sparrow that people have been seeing there. There was a group of people there, and there two scopes out, so I figured I was going to be in luck. Sure enough, it was there. After the group left, the Lark Sparrow came relatively close to me, and I was able to take a few pictures before it flew into a bush. All in all, a great way to spend a morning.
 |
| Lark Sparrow |
 |
| Lark Sparrow |
Here's a list of species I saw in the park:
Red-breasted Merganser 5
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Brown Pelican 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Tricolored Heron 1
Reddish Egret 2
White Ibis 1
Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey 10
Bald Eagle 1
American Kestrel 2
American Oystercatcher 3
Laughing Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 3
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 11
Belted Kingfisher 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Loggerhead Shrike 1
American Crow X
Fish Crow X
Northern Mockingbird 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Boat-tailed Grackle X
The Oystercatcher is quite an eye catching subject! The Reddish Egrets are very nice!
ReplyDeleteHi Scott, I'm from Virginia, visiting the area for a few days. I hit Fort Desoto 8-10 AM Wedn Feb 1, saw a Yellow-Throated in trees just across road from North Beach parking lot - maybe same one you saw! It was with several Yellow-Rumps. Later, saw no Lark Sparrow (nor other birders) around the Fort. -Steve Johnson
ReplyDeleteThat's right about where I saw the Yellow-throated. Could be the same bird! Too bad you didn't get to see the Lark Sparrow. I actually went to the fort twice and didn't find it the first time, only the second.
Delete