Fort de Soto
It’s hard not to fall in love with Fort de Soto.
Even on the day when we arrived to an unseasonably cool 60 degrees with whipping cold winds and grayish skies, the expansive beauty of Fort de Soto did not escape us. Fort de Soto’s 1,136 acres are a perfect oasis of history, white sands, stunning gulf waters, sand dollars, and an incredible variety of birds. It is very clear, very quickly why Fort de Soto is considered one of the best birding locations in the country. Located south/southwest of Saint Peterburg, the five keys that comprise Fort De Soto are surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay and offer a diversity of ecosystems that attracts a phenomenal 348 bird species each year (per eBird’s current count). Permanent and migratory birds find an ideal refuge in the mangroves, wetlands, hardwood/palm hammocks, mudflats, and sandy beach. This has long been an area of interest to birders; in fact, ornithologists have been tracking bird data here for 60 years.
White Pelicans
Short-billed Dowitcher at sunrise
Where to find the birds: Fort de Soto’s main areas include East Beach, the historic fort and Gulf pier, Arrowhead picnic area, and North Beach. We spent the majority of our five visits in the North Beach area. This stunning Gulf facing stretch of beach extends to Sand Dollar Beach and includes a shallow inlet that attracts shorebirds, waterbirds, and wading birds. Several visits to this area yielded an array of bird photography opportunities, including snowy plovers skittering across mud flats, a reddish egret foraging in the shallow waters, brown pelicans chasing off pesky seagulls, and American oyster catchers, great blue heron, and little blue herons. With a walk up towards Sand dollar beach (which requires a knee-deep trudge through the water at high tide) we saw hundreds of shorebirds covering this small island including semipalmated plovers, black bellied plovers, and willets. The late afternoon provided for stunning golden light while the morning hours are a great time to witness the threatened black skimmers skimming the water and piping plovers pulling worms from the mudflats.
Brown Pelican escaping from the pesky gulls
Bird Photography: There are endless opportunities for great photography at Fort de Soto. Certainly the early morning and late afternoon hours provide the best opportunities to capture birds forgaging in the golden light. If you park at the end of the North Beach parking lot, you will not have too walk too far to reach the inlet. I saw several photographers set up in this area in the early morning light to capture black skimmers, herons, oyster catchers, and a reddish egret. If you can walk a bit further up, you will also see many shorebirds including piping plovers, short billed dowitchers, and black bellied plovers. I found my
Skimmer particularly helpful in the morning and the shorebirds are extremely tolerant of a quiet, nonthreatening photographer laying down in the sand. In the afternoon, I used my lightweight travel tripod to captured the wading birds – including the reddish egret who literally danced around Sam while he stood in the shallow water.
Piping Plover pulling up breakfast
The dance of the Reddish Egret
Black Skimmer among the shorebirds on a sandbar
Sand dollar heaven: We cannot write this blog without including two amazing perks of going to Fort de Soto. First, if you are willing to get up early and wade out at low tide (and have the patience and eagle vision that Sam has), you will find more sand dollars than you could ever imagine - literally hundreds of whole sand dollars (non-living of course). Second, after you have taken your photos in the morning, you can spend the rest of the day sitting on the most gorgeous, pristine beach and then start photographing again until the sun sets. All in all, we think that a day that includes outstanding bird photography, epic shell hunting, and napping on the shores of the blue-green Gulf as close to perfection as it gets.
History of Fort de Soto: This is neat place for history lovers. The existing fort was completed in May 1900 in defensive support of Tampa Bay during the Spanish-American War. It provided for various military uses and occupancies during WWI and WWII until finally being acquired by Pinellas County and dedicated as a park in May 1963. You can take a walking tour through this fort and imagine an era gone by.
Side Trip: Egmont Key. Well, we had to go. It was a 45-minute ferry ride out to deserted Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and the ferry left from Fort de Soto. Given its isolated nature, we had high hopes for birds and shells. The island is a protected refuge for birds (that area is inaccessible for visitors) and has an intriguing history. It has a reputation for amazing wildlife, shells, and even sharks teeth. Unfortunately, on the day we went, we were disappointed on all counts and it was a long day and an expensive boat ride ($95 for both of us). Another day may have yielded a completely different experience so use your best judgement. While we did not get there, Sand Key may also be a great side trip.
