There is an incredible amount of wildlife in the park, but it has more than it's share of colorful and interesting birds too. Everything from small songbirds to Great Blue Herons can be found, and usually in abundance.
One of my favorite colorful birds is the black skimmer and this time of year Fort Desoto has plenty of them. When we visited the park last Sunday, I happened by a small band of seagulls and almost did not notice that a black skimmer was right in there with them. Of course, I was a little anxious to get set up for the shot and in my hurry I ventured a little too close for his comfort and he flew away.
I was a little discouraged that I didn't get as much time with him as I wanted, but lo and behold, he only flew a short distance away and set up shop in the sand at the edge of the incoming surf.
This time I took my time and made sure that he didn't feel threatened by my presence. So after several minutes I could tell that he was relaxed around me and I was able to get some really nice close-ups by the water's edge.
This is a good lesson for bird photographers about the need to be stealthy and not too obvious in your zeal to get the shot. Birds are often nervous and anxious when you initially approach them and if you are too quick in your movements or come too close for their comfort, you will most likely just see their backside as they are leaving. So the trick is to stay calm, take your time, and let them get comfortable with you. Many larger birds will almost forget that you are there after a while and you can get much closer for some fantastic close-ups.
So anyway, here is a nice close-up view of my buddy, the black skimmer at Fort Desoto:
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