I took my first visit to Fort Desoto since the Hurricanes this morning. It appears to be mostly intact, but you can see some of the damage still. I was able to catch the full moon one more time and watched it set (almost all the way before clouds blocked it) over the Gulf Pier. The other reason I went to Fort Desoto was to catch some of the birds undergoing spring migration. I was able to capture 3 new lifers, birds I did not have a photo record of before now.
Blue-winged Warbler, Lifer#1.
Prothonotary Warbler. It is named for its plumage which resembles the yellow robes once worn by papal clerks (named prothonotaries) in the Roman Catholic Church.
An Osprey couple not quite on the same page.
Golden-winged Warbler, Lifer #2.
Nanday (Black-hooded) Parakeets, introduced species.
The group of birders looking for the above 2 lifers.
Black and White Warbler peeking out at me.
White-eyed Vireo. See, I understand why this was named as such.
Indigo Bunting.
Yellow Warbler. Also well named.
Tennessee Warbler. Lifer#3. Despite breeding no closer to the state of Tennessee than northern Michigan, 600 miles away, the Tennessee Warbler was given its name by Alexander Wilson based on a bird he encountered in Tennessee during its migration.
Seeing all of these beautiful birds helps to forget all the meanness going on in the world. The bunting is especially beautiful.
This was amazing. What a collection of beautiful birds, and the information you provide is an education for all of your fans. “Prothonotary warblers.” Who would have guessed. Great photos.