CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a Florida State Park located on both the north and south sides of the mouth of Tampa Bay. The original cantilevered Sunshine Skyway Bridge carried I-275 (US 19) across the lower Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The bridge partially collapsed in 1980 due to the collision of a freighter into one of the bridge pilings. The old bridge was replaced by the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The approaches to the old bridge were left in place and converted into the longest fishing pier in the world.

Tampa, Florida
November 2021

Laughing Gull by Paul Sager, on Flickr


The most common activity on the pier is fishing. Common catches include snook, tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, red snapper and flounder. Other pier activities include kayaking, swimming, and kite surfing. Images in this post show a new activity from the pier, practicing birds in flight (BIF) photography. The early morning was nearly perfect for practice in November 2021, using a Canon EOS 5DIII, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II, Extender 2x III and tripod with gimbal head.

Herring Gull


Egrets are herons which have white or buff plumage, and develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons and have the same build.

Snowy Egret


The royal tern has a red-orange bill and a black cap during the breeding season, but in the winter the cap becomes patchy. The royal tern is found in Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean islands. The royal tern lives on the coast (both Atlantic and Pacific) and is only found near salt water.

Royal Tern


The laughing gull is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. The laughing gull breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

Laughing Gull


Good lighting plays an important part in successful birds in flight photography. As in any other kind of outdoor photography, the golden light of morning and evening are best. The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park offers excellent afternoon / evening light and breezes flowing inland so the birds are facing / flying into the light. I arrived on Saturday evening at the right time, but the light and wind direction where wrong. I came back the next morning on Sunday when things were much better, except that none of the brown pelicans were soaring.

Ruddy Turnstone


The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, often referred to as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or simply the Skyway, is a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Lower Tampa Bay connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The current Sunshine Skyway opened in 1987.

Laughing Gull


The shooting parameters are available from the host Flickr pages, just click the URL title of any linked image.

Laughing Gull

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Beautiful

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Thanks for the excellent photos and description.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Great series Paul and well presented.

EDIT: I would like to have seen photos of the pier itself. Maybe next time.

Dennis

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Nice collection and good info. Looks like a good place to go and have some fun!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Nalu! I've had success over the years in the evening, but this most recent time was high winds in the wrong direction and overcast. But, it was clear and less windy the next morning where the 1-day pass was good for 24hours. Alas, the light and wind left me with just one view / direction of the birds.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Jerry, genocolo, Dennis, Nalu On prior trips, I've been on the pier for a longer time, but this time I wanted to send a day at the Tampa Zoo, so I shot for just an hour ish before heading to the zoo.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thanks Dennis! On other trips I've taken a bit more of the area, such as - https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-636934-1.html

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I looked at that link. All spectacular photos too. Nice.

Dennis

hettmoe Loc: Rural ND

Very nice!

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Good job! Wish I was close to that good at BIF!

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Nice collection.

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

Nice shots

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Nice set!

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

Excellent Paul. The eyes of the birds are tack sharp!