Fort De Soto Spring Migration, 12 April 2024
The wind finally died down and the birding was better for it. Early morning I visited the East Beach turnaround where there were already a dozen birders and photographers. I could hear the Prairie Warbler singing but it was high in the trees. So I walked down the short trail and did not see anything. Next I headed over the East Beach picnic area. There were a half dozen birders and photographers standing around a tree so I went over to see what was up. It was an Indigo Bunting. I’ve been seeing them here and there throughout the park but just haven’t been able to get a photo. And I didn’t get one here either. It was buried high and deep in the tree and after about a minute it flew off.
I decided to walk one of the beach trails and the only thing I saw were Palm Warblers and Nanday Parakeets. The Nanday’s were perched on dead trees. In this shot, it appears to be checking out an area where a limb broke off to see it would make for a good nesting site.
Nanday Parakeet. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2500 sec, ISO 500.
I walked back to the picnic area and along the brush line there was a single Hooded Warbler. They’ve been at this location consistently all week. They stay low to the ground, hopping around eating small insects.
Hooded Warbler. This male is beautifully perched on a small twig inches above the ground. They tend to stay in the shadows so high ISOs are required, especially since higher shutter speeds are needed for this constantly moving bird. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 7200.
By this time I had to get to work, so I drove back to the campground. I started working and a few minutes later I heard a bird hopping around on my roof. It then hopped on my hood and before it flew off I could see it was a Blue Jay. A few minutes later another bird was on my roof, this time scratching on my fan cover. Assuming it was the Blue Jay I got up to take a look and it was a Summer Tanager! I grabbed my camera and stepped outside and of course it flew to a nearby tree. It was in a deeply shaded area, but I was just happy to see it.
Summer Tanager. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 1400.
I went back to work and about an hour later I noticed a yellow bird in a tree. I didn’t know what it was, which is often the case with warblers. I snapped a few photos of it relatively high in the tree before it took off. I later identified it as Blue-winged Warbler, a lifer for me!
Blue-winged Warbler. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 1600.
Excited by the birds I was seeing in the campground, I went on a post-work afternoon stroll through the campground to see what else I could find. It didn’t take long when I spotted this Swainson’s Thrush perched on a palm frond about three feet off the ground. Like the other birds, it was in deep shadow and I was started to wish I had brought my flash.
Swainson’s Thrush. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 2500.
Other interesting birds I spotted, but didn’t get a good photo include a Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-throated Warbler, and an Orchard Oriole. It would seem the campground is the place to be!
Saturday morning I’ll be prowling the campground, and I’ll attach a flash head to my camera.
Happy birding!
