The Joy of Ft. Desoto

Ever Since I was a little kid I remember going to Ft Desoto and Egmont Key. Then exploring the forts, or playing in the surf. Little did I know at the time it was such a hot spot for bird photography. But then again it wasn’t as noticeable to me till I was interested in bird photography. It is perfectly geographically located for bird migration. We see almost everything here it seems as they fly through.

Through the years I have fished the area and to this day kayak the area. You see so much if you look and pay attention to your surroundings above and below the water. Ospreys diving for food, manatees gliding through the water, and if you’re lucky a manatee mating herd. White Pelicans lounging on a sand bar or floating in the water. Sometimes at low tide, you can see Egrets and Herons in large numbers wading in the shallows. The cormorants have learned to use the kayakers to assist them in their fishing. They will come and land next to your kayak and as you are paddling. they will give and swim under your kayak. They use the shadow of the boat to scare small pinfish out of the seagrass.

There is times when you will see thousands of the Magnificent Frigate birds riding the thermals above. Sometimes you can catch them diving for food.

But there is so much fun getting out on the beach and laying down in the wet sand with your camera. Photographing the erratic behavior of the reddish egret, or the Godwit’s wading for food

There is some interesting history at Ft Desoto besides the fort. It sits on an island called Mullet Key on the south end of Pinellas County at the mouth of Tampa Bay. it guarded the bay in the bay along with the many forts on Egmont key, there was an area used for a bombing range. Today it is a county park, with plenty to do.