A typical day started with a pre-dawn trip to East Beach where on a calm day with low tide there are multiple opportunities for silhouette photography with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the background.
After the color has burned out at East Beach a drive to North Beach usually produces great opportunities for everything from small shorebirds to large waders. This year, however, the birds seem to have abandoned the lagoon, at least for this month. A few egrets, and often single representatives from members of the heron clan was the usual fare. The paucity of birds made wading after them seem rather futile. One exception was a "feeding frenzy" that occurred on a cold windy morning at the Arrowhead Picnic area. Dolphins and White Pelicans had herded baitfish into the inlet there which provided breakfast for about 50 White Pelicans, along with about the same number of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Little Blue Herons.
A dozen Great Blue Herons also joined in the spectacle and seemed to be the only species which could not get along with their own species. Fights were constantly breaking out whenever two or three got too close to each other.
Just north of Fort DeSoto on the west side of Highway 679 several fresh water ponds held hundreds of Redheads, Northern Shovellers, Ring-necked Ducks, Scaup, Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes. On the west side of the smaller pond a pair of Bald Eagles have built a nest.
A park ranger stopped to chat on the first day I set up to photograph the nesting activities and told me it was a young pair with at least one chick which hatched about two weeks earlier. The nest had failed the previous year and a male was reported to have been killed by another male but he could not confirm that. This year the pair seemed to be doing a good job and hopes are high for a successful brood. I photographed them on several mornings and watched as the male continued to bring in fish and occassionally branches and nesting material. On one return trip he stopped short in a nearby pine tree and begin to pluck feathers from his prey. After he had removed most of the feathers he carried it the rest of the way to the nest. He presented a rather gruesome sight with his bloodied beak and what appeared to be a hapless coot with its dangling feet trailing behind.
There are many other opportunities here for photography. Osprey, for example, are nesting everywhere. At times they almost seem to be colonial nesters as they are tolerating nests closer than I would have ever expected. Around the campground many of the birds are ridiculously tame. They have been habituated to the campers and at times will practically walk over your feet when sitting at the beach. The picture below shows that they are unfortunately being fed by some campers. Edie did not have any food in her hand and was not feeding them (Edie is smart enough not to be holding anything edible with that lightning fast sharp beak close enough for a strike)
When looking for a restaurant in this area the only problem is choosing from the especially large and varied list. The store manager at the campground recommended Billy's located just north of the Park. He said he has only received one complaint in all of the years that he has been recommending them. Unfortunately, after eating there, he now has two. Edie and I both ordered the Grouper. I had mine blackened while Edie opted for the fried. Mine was ok but Edie's was very dry and over fried. After leaving she kicked herself for not sending it back. I only reinforced her mood when I told her that after the waiter had asked if I wanted bleu cheese crumbles on my house salad ( I,of course, said yes) they had charged me extra for it. Lesson learned. Ask questions and deal with problems immediately.
The stretch from St Petersburg Beach to Pass-a-Grille Beach is especially rich in restaurants. The Don Cesar is a famous landmark containing a very upscale restaurant. After reading some very scary reviews (food poisoning to bad service) we decided to skip it and go casual. After several recommedations we decided on the Sloppy Pelican (http://www.sloppypelican.com/) which turned out to be a rather typical two story beach dive but as Edie said, "It restored her faith in restaurants". With a great menu and cheap beer it definitely fulfilled its slogan of "Good Food-Good Times". Edie had their fish tacos while I had the Seafood Marinara Skillet. Both were excellent
In Pass-a-Grille Beach we have tried the Wharf Seafood Restaurant and the Sea Horse Restaurant. Both were good. Sea Critters Cafe (near the Wharf) has gotten good reviews but we have not eaten there yet
